Fun Fact: Brgy. Hipodromo was a former horse racing track

Horses have always been a part of the Cebuano culture. Even now, the Kalesa’s are still used as a means of transportation in some parts of Cebu. 

But did you know that a racetrack once stood in the now known as Brgy. Hipodromo?

Horse aficionados flock in the racetrack known before as Hippodrome. Horse race watching and betting were one of the main entertainment of the old times. It was part of the Cebuano lifestyle and the Filipino lifestyle in general.

Shaped as a horse racing track as seen from above (aerial shot by John Ray Aligato of The Island Nomad), the starting point of the race was near the entrance along M. J. Cuenco Avenue.  The Pacific Foundry served as the clubhouse where people watched and bet on horses.

Hippodrome closed down as horse racing was no longer profitable.

The barangay was then formed when a huge fire hit Carreta and T. Padilla in the late 1950s and made “Hippodrome” as a relocation site. 

The place later became an official barangay and was renamed Hipodromo.