Four projects aim to breathe new life into Mijas racecourse complex

Zoom

The troubled facility officially opened in 1999 after an initial investment of 12 million euros

José Carlos García

Mijas

Tuesday, 23 December 2025, 09:19

Mijas town hall has received four projects to revitalise the Costa del Sol Racecourse in recent months, according to what municipal sources have confirmed to SUR. The proposals will open up a new path for the future of the racecourse, with the aim of once again making the horse world central to the site, while also integrating sporting and leisure activities.

The facilities have aroused the interest of several investors, and the council said that the successful project will have to be decided in a public tender process, which it intends to put out for the operation of the facilities in the coming months.

The site, covering an area of 380,000 square metres, which, in addition to the horse racing tracks and stable buildings, includes other operational facilities such as equine therapy, the municipal gym, the athletics track and football pitch, a residence for sportsmen and women and space to house everything it once had: bars, restaurants and a veterinary clinic.

The troubled facility, which was inaugurated in 1999 after an initial investment of 12 million euros, was to host the highest prize money in Spanish equestrian sport. However, it ended up as a resounding failure, certified by an insolvency procedure and even a commission of investigation within Mijas town hall.

The world of horses will once again be the protagonist in a complex that will integrate sports and leisure activities

The council's idea for the future of the facilities, which takes into account the possibility of a hotel establishment, is that "the world of the horse will once again be the protagonist", but the new path of the complex also involves "integrating sports and leisure activities". The question that has yet to be answered is what percentage of use the sports facilities will have, although the local authority does not expect it to be less than 50 per cent, and does not rule out the possibility that it could be close to its totality. However, the sports disciplines that can be accommodated will not necessarily be the same as those that exist at present.

The council begins the process to overcome the last hurdle: expropriating six premises registered in the name of private individuals

Investors will have to run the numbers on their projects to achieve profitability, bearing in mind that the council will have to receive an annual fee for the operation of the racecourse, in addition to the investment that the successful bidder will have to undertake to carry out the project. Simply bringing the existing facilities up to standard already has a cost of 3.5 million euros, according to calculations made by the current municipal government.

The penultimate step

In order for the operation of the facilities to be put out to tender, the town hall must first resolve one last stumbling block. In the land registry, six premises of 100 square metres corresponding to the area of bars and shops that the racecourse used to have are registered in the name of private individuals. The council has already started the expropriation process and when it is completed it will have a free hand to start the procedure for the concession of the facilities, as it already has one hundred per cent of the facilities in its possession.

The site is still in operation today with an equine therapy service, a municipal gymnasium, an athletics track and a show jumping school

The turning point that has made possible the new scenario facing a racecourse that was destined to be the jewel in the crown of sports tourism came on 1 December. The general meeting of the municipal company that managed the racecourse, Recursos Turísticos de Mijas SA, made up of the 25 councillors, agreed to dissolve it, so that the facilities have become the property of the council. Previously, in 2020, Unicaja Banco ceded at zero cost the shares it held in the municipal company, just under eight per cent. Today the only assets that Recursos Turísticos de Mijas retains are, according to the council, "some furniture and objects of little value", which the liquidator who has been appointed to put an end to the history of this company has begun to take care of.

For the time being, the site continues to operate normally. In addition to the racecourses and stables, the facility has an equine therapy service, a municipal gymnasium and an athletics track. The Samuel Oliva show jumping school is also maintained and is used today by both professional and amateur riders.