The Mahalaxmi Racecourse is one of Mumbai's most distinctive urban spaces, a 225-acre horse racing track in the heart of the city that has been operating since 1883. The Bombay Turf Club holds race meetings from November through April on Saturdays and Sundays, and on these days the grandstands fill with an extraordinary cross-section of Mumbai society — stable workers, millionaires, punters, and families — all watching the same races.
The racecourse enclosure is one of the city's great Victorian public spaces; the art deco grandstand is particularly fine. On non-race days the interior of the track is closed, but the exterior can be walked and the horses are visible exercising early in the morning through the track railings. A race day at Mahalaxmi is one of Mumbai's most quintessential experiences.