On November 28, 2025, Romanian Post issued a beautiful series in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Romanian Jockey Club.

The Romanian Jockey Club, founded on January 8, 1875, in Bucharest, became a cornerstone in the development of horse racing and thoroughbred horse breeding in the country. It was the third jockey club officially registered in the world, after the jockey clubs of England and France.

From the very beginning, the Club assumed the role of trendsetter and guardian of traditions in the world of Romanian horse racing. In 1906, the Club donated the famous Băneasa Hippodrome to Bucharest—a venue that would become a center of equestrian sports and social events for many years. On the initiative of the Jockey Club, the famous Romanian Derby was established—the most prestigious horse race, attracting the cream of the Romanian aristocracy and bourgeoisie. It was held annually from 1875 until 1960.

After a difficult break due to the historical upheavals of the 20th century, the club's activities were revived: racing resumed in the 1990s, and in 2024, after a long hiatus, the Romanian Derby was revived at the Ploiești racetrack.

Having weathered the political storms of the 20th century, the Romanian Jockey Club remained true to its ideals and traditions, carrying forward its passion for sport and love of horses.

The commemorative series in honor of the Jockey Club's anniversary consists of two postage stamps and a souvenir sheet. The stamps were designed by the renowned Romanian artist Mihai Criste. In my opinion, he created wonderful stamps: bright and expressive, filled with movement and emotion.

The official descriptions of the Romfilatelia series do not specify which horses and jockeys are depicted on the stamps. However, my research allowed me to find photographs that served as the source material for the postage stamps. These are photographs from a race at the Ploiești Hippodrome, taken on September 15, 2024. Three major races took place that day, including the Romanian Derby, held for the first time in 64 years and a landmark event in the world of Romanian horse racing.

The 5.50 lei postage stamp depicts the winner of the Jockey Club Autumn Prize, "Hear Me Roar" ridden by jockey Valentin Atanasov. "Hear Me Roar" won, gaining an advantage after pulling away from the rest of the field after the final turn. The horse's trainer and owner is Ștefan Răsvan Auraș.

The 25 lei postage stamp features the Romanian Derby winner, the English Thoroughbred bay mare "Easy Sea," ridden by jockey Nurhay Zyulkyuf. Easy Sea led throughout the race and crossed the finish line with a clear lead, delivering a stunning victory to her owner, Georgiana-Simona Mazilu, and trainer, Levet Nezirov.

The postage stamps were issued in sheetlets of three stamps with a coupon featuring artistically designed fields. The design of the sheetlets featured vintage photographs from the Jockey Club archive depicting the Băneasa Racecourse.

The souvenir sheet with the 30 lei stamp features a reproduction of a painting depicting Prince Carol I, a passionate horseman, leading the Black Hussars on their way to the battlefields of the 1877 War of Independence.

Sources: romfilatelia.ro , jockeyclub.ro