Romfilatelia and Romanian Post introduce into circulation on Friday, November 28th this year, an anniversary postage stamp issue entitled Romanian Jockey Club, 150 Years, dedicated to an elite Club with a tradition in the field of equestrianism.
The issue includes two postage stamps, a perforated souvenir sheet, a First Day Cover, two maxicards for maximaphily enthusiasts and a philatelic folder containing a special collectible item, in a limited run printing.
Founded in Bucharest on January 8th, 1875 under the name ‘Encouragement Society to Improve Horse Breeding in Romania – Jockey Club’, it was recorded as the third Jockey Club in the world by date of establishment, following those founded in England and France.
In the documents of the time, the first horse races are recorded in 1851 (in Iași) and in 1870 (in Bucharest, in the area of the present-day Military Club).
These are events that had a clear contribution to the thinking of the founders of an organised, institutional form meant to officially promote equestrianism.
Everywhere in the world, the main purpose of Jockey Clubs has been to encourage and support gallop races, in which the fastest English Thoroughbred horses competed. The rule was fully adopted and observed in Romania as well.
The most prestigious competition of the year for English Thoroughbred Horses, the gallop DERBY, was held annually on the Băneasa racecourse until the nationalisation of the equestrian facilities in 1948.
This important race was resumed and contested in an initial new organisation at the Ploiești Racecourse in 2004.
Preserving tradition, in harmony with modernity, the Romanian Jockey Club brings together generations among whom the authentic values of high-class Romanianism and Europeanism are present.
Preserving the concepts promoted by its founders – summed up in the triad of civilisation, courtesy, and dignity – and benefiting from the continuity ensured by their descendants, who are present in the Club today, the spirit of its founding year, 1875, is reflected in the existence of one of the most long-standing European institutions, representing Romania within the international federations of the field and showcasing its identity and belonging to the great European family.
The postage stamps with the face values of Lei 5.50 and Lei 25 of the issue depict two scenes showing the presence of competitors in equestrian sporting events, highlighting the elegance and dynamism of the race, along with the beauty of the horses.
The souvenir sheet, featuring a stamp with the face value of Lei 30, reproduces a painting depicting an equestrian posture of Prince Carol I, a passionate horseman, at the head of a regiment of Black Hussars, on his way to the battlefields of the War of Independence of 1877.
The First Day Cover reproduces a photograph of an awards ceremony attended by the winner of the Jockey Club Prize, Aristide Cucu, in 1944. The design is complemented by a panorama of the start of a horse race.
Romfilatelia thanks the specialists of the ‘Romanian Jockey Club’ and the Romanian Academy Library for the documentary support provided in the development of this postage stamp issue.
