A Hippodrome (Gr. from hippos, horse, and dromos, race, course) was a course provided by the Greeks for horse racing and chariot racing.

It corresponded to the Roman circus, except that in the latter only four chariots ran at a time, whereas ten or more contended in the Greek games, so that the width was far greater, being about 400 ft., the course being 600 to 700 ft. long.

The Greek hippodrome was usually set out on the slope of a hill, and the ground taken from one side served to form the embankment on the other side. One end of the hippodrome was semicircular, and the other end square with an extensive portico, in front of which, at a lower level, were the stalls for the horses and chariots.

One of the largest and most famous ancient hippodromes was the Hippodrome of Constantinople, built between AD 203 and 330. [1]

The Hippodrome, London is a nightclub.

The Hippodrome Theatre, which stood in New York between 1905 and 1939, was reputedly the world's largest theatre. Its auditorium seated 5,000 people and it was equipped with what was then the state of the art in theatrical technology. However, its huge running costs made it a perennial financial failure, and a series of producers tried and failed to make money from the theatre. It became a location for vaudeville productions in 1923 before being leased for budget opera performances, finally becoming a sports arena. The building was torn down in 1939.