Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Cádiz province, Spain) is very noted for its horse racing which dates back to 1845 and takes place along a 1,800 stretch of beach at the mouth of the Río Guadalquivir during the month of August, daily from 6.00 pm, on the 2nd and 4th weekends of the month (Thursday to Sunday). This is a thrilling spectacle where real racehorses thunder across the sand watched by a large noisy crowd of spectators. There is nothing amateur about this event and you can expect to see spectator stands, bookmakers, paddocks and, of course, the winners?enclosure. Now an international event with horses from other European countries taking part and many famous names amongst the spectators. This is a serious competition as the total prize money in 2001 was 2.5m Euros. Most of the prize money is awarded during the last weekend.