Longchamp

Longchamp, one of the two race courses in Paris' Bois de Boulogne, is a regal locale for the sport of kings. Secluded in the heart of the inimitably beautiful park, Longchamp hardly seems a part of bustling Paris life, yet it is but a ten-minute drive from the glamorous turmoil of the Place de I'Étoile. To the track come the citizens of Paris and the elite of the world, royalty and sportsmen eager to view splendid horses competing for sizable purses. Since the course was constructed (following the gift of the Bois to the city by Napoleon III in 1852), a string of the Continent's most challenging races has been run at Long-champ. The Prix du Cadran, in mid-May, matches the British Ascot Gold Cup for pomp and excitement. The Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe, in October, is a major national sweep-stake. But the most impressive of all the Longchamp races and the European plum for three-year-olds – climaxing the Grande Semaine of racing in June – is the three-thousand-meter Grand Prix de Paris, with President de Gaulle himself presenting the winner's trophy (the purse exceeds $100,000). It was to Longchamp for this colorful European sporting event that our nomadic impressionist LeRoy Neiman went in search of subjects. "Weaving through the Bois in a taxi, watching Frenchmen and their women riding in horse-drawn carriages or relaxing in the grass with the ever-present picnic lunch complete with fresh fruit and bottle of wine, it seems unlikely that the activity of a race track could be harbored within the park," Neiman says. "Yet, when the cab pulls into the track area, there is no mistaking the environment. The parking enclosure is packed with Rolls-Royces, Facel-Vegas, attendant chauffeurs and the fashionable track clientele.

"A walk past the grandstands – the French call them 'Tribunes' – reveals the course itself: gracefully rolling lawns, acres of green and an international throng. You see brilliantly colored Indian saris, silk turbans and the latest in Parisian and Italian fashions," Neiman notes. He found French jockeys to be even more diminutive than their American counterparts. "They are tiny men, yet idolized by the lovely French women who seem to find them irresistible."

In this setting – the chic race track of Longchamp in late June – Neiman roamed the course, committing to sketch pad impressions of the surging horses, their brilliantly garbed jockeys, the aristocratic devotees and the beauty of the scene itself. His paintings pay tribute to the elegance and excitement that are Longchamp.

Auteuil, the steeplechase track in Paris, complements the flat-course racing at Longchamp. Also tucked in the woodland confines of the Bois de Boulogne, it is surrounded by the beauties of the Bois: glittering lakes and pools, a colorful riot of gardens, top restaurants and the charm of children's carrousels. After strolling through the Bois, as everyone who comes to Paris must do, one emerges at Auteuil and is captivated by its grounds and appointments, fully comparable to those of Longchamp. Steeplechasing is one of Europe's favorite spectator sports, and several of the Continent's leading races are run at Auteuil; among them – and among the most colorful of races anywhere – is the traditional Prix du Président de la République, an Easter attraction for thousands of racing fans converging on Paris from all over the world. LeRoy Neiman was present for the running of this classic 4500-meter obstacle race and recorded some of its pulse-pounding moments for these pages. "The elegance of Auteuil reminds one of Longchamp: it is populated by the same type of elegant sportsmen and their glamorously gowned women. But the form of racing differs drastically from that at Longchamp," Neiman says. "The steeplechase is one of the most attention-commanding of sports. It's a spectacular race, with formidably large and powerful horses confronted by a course of challenging obstacles. The grace with which beast and man master these hurdles is astonishing, and the sight of them is one of the most memorable in all racing. Few races offer the spectator a more vivid view than that of the horses at Auteuil leaping across the water obstacle in front of the grandstand, with the Eiffel Tower and other Paris landmarks serving as a panoramic background," Neiman remembers. "In the steeplechase races at Auteuil, the horses must have immense stamina as well as fleetness; speed alone is not enough." Steeplechasing at Auteuil is a peerless sport at a peerless track – a splendiferous slice of Parisian life – as Neiman's paintings vividly portray.