This is the first of several articles looking at currently active regional tracks of Victoria. A brief review will be taken of the history of a club (previous/closed/current).
Regional Tracks –
Ararat city in south-west Victoria is 198 kms (120 miles) west of Melbourne on the Western Highway. The Ararat Trotting Club opened for racing at Alexandra Park (660 yds (704m track) on 10 December 1921 remaining at this venue until 24 May 1967. Night trotting commenced on 25 March 1950, Ararat being the second Victorian country club to race at night.
Ararat HRC’s current track at Russell White Raceway opened 7 April 1969 (811m) conducts regular meetings at its racetrack in the town. Their club’s races are the Ararat Pacers Cup run from 1951 and the Ararat Trotters Cup run at Russell White Raceway since 2000 (once in 1957 at Alexandra Park).
Campbells Creek Boxing Day meetings in late nineteenth century (first trots 1868). Currently a Victorian training track venue.
The Colac racecourse (Colac Turf Club, 1740m) 148 km’s south west of Melbourne, accessed via the Princess Hwy. This track has facilitated horse training and education since 1862 with thoroughbred racing for over 150 years.
An original one mile track that hosted trotting matches as early as 1848 – over three miles visiting Melbournian Mr Condell jnr’s trotter defeated Hugh Murray’s ‘Jingle’. The Colac Pacing Cup was run from 1921 – 1924 and twice in 1946 before being discontinued. Currently used as a Victorian training track venue.
Cranbourne located 43 kms south-east of Melbourne’s CBD. The Cranbourne Racing Complex hosted its opening harness race meeting on 1 April 1963. The current track of granitic sand is 950m in circumference. The complex is tri coded – Cranbourne Turf Club dating back to a two day meeting on 22/3 April 1867, Cranbourne Harness Racing Club and Cranbourne Greyhound Racing Club.
The Cranbourne Pacers Cup (Group One level) has been held since 1973 and the Cranbourne Trotters Cup run since 1998. In 2018 the club hosted the pacers and trotters third night heats of the Melbourne Interdominions.
The Cranbourne Training Centre provides access to state of the art facilities, boasting walk in/walk out boxes and yards in secure compounds, ten day paddocks, secure feed and tack rooms, an eight horse walking machine, treadmill, twenty four metre pool, four-horse jogger and four-horse wash. Onsite trainers have access to three training tracks including a 950 metre race track, 1200 metre jog track and 600 metre sand track. A live-in caretaker/track curator looks after maintenance and ensures the facility is safe and secure when trainers are not present. There is plenty of agistment located within ten minutes of the training complex.
A major upgrade of the Cranbourne harness track was undertaken in late 2008/early 2009. Harness Racing Victoria’s Development Fund provided the majority of funding for a $530,000 facelift at Cranbourne. Camber on the turns was increased significantly to 12.5 percent (previously between seven and eight percent), the gradient in the straights increased to four percent and innovative spiral turns reduced stress on the horses and provide a smoother transition into the bends. The work was undertaken following the 2008 Cup meeting held on Saturday, November 29 with racing returning to Cranbourne in mid-February 2009.
The Cranbourne Training Centre provides regular racing at its home track (twenty six meetings per season), as well as two other clubs within an hour’s drive who collectively race on a similar number of occasions annually. Cranbourne hosts twenty six trials a season, these being held almost every second Saturday morning.
Donald is located on the Richardson River at the junction of Sunraysia Highway and Borung Highway, half way between Melbourne and Mildura.
The first official race meeting held by the Donald Turf Club was on Boxing Day 1875. Horse racing being an important part of life in the town since the 1850s and it is believed an organised race meeting was staged in December of 1864 which consisted of galloping and trotting races, as well as foot races in what could be considered Victoria’s first tri-code meeting. The town’s first Racecourse was the main street while it is not known when the current site (1757m grass track) on the Borung Highway was first used although it was a considerable time ago.
A merger between the Donald Turf Club and the Corack Club in 1963 resulted in the creation of the Donald & District Race Club and in 1978, the Watchem-Birchip Club joined the fold and merged with the Donald & District Racing Club. In 1998, the Wimmera Racing Club was formed scheduling around six race meetings a year at Donald including the Donald Cup meeting in November. The first trotting meeting was held on Donald racecourse in 1885 while a 903m granitic sand track is located inside the current thoroughbred track. Donald Racecourse was reconstructed recently and is one of Victoria’s graduation club venues.
Echuca located on the banks of the Murray and Campaspe Rivers in Victoria is the closest point to Melbourne which contributed to its development as a thriving river port during the 19th century.
Harness racing was first seen using the five furlong Echuca grass racecourse on New Year’s Day 1948. On New Year’s Day 1955, the club moved to its current track initially named Campaspe Raceway (764m). The Echuca HRC conducts regular meetings (approximately twelve per annum) on its renamed track, the Frank Ryan Raceway (805m).
In 2018, the State Labour Government announced it was partnering with the Echuca HRC to invest in upgrades at the Frank Ryan Raceway. The function room used by racing patrons and community organisations throughout the year was to have a new heating and cooling system with a power capacity of 12.5 kilowatts for cooling and four kilowatts for heating.
Elmore a small town north-east of Bendigo on the Campaspe River hosts an annual Boxing Day meeting that was resurrected in 2016 after a hiatus of eleven years featuring both a Pacers and Trotters Cup. After racing on the seven furlong Elmore grass track a hundred years ago, Elmore now has an all-weather 800m granitic sand track at Hunter Park Raceway, part of the Elmore Recreation reserve. The Boxing Day meeting features both a Pacers and Trotters Cup.
Geelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River situated 75 kms (47 miles) south-west of Melbourne. The second largest city in Victoria with a population approaching three hundred thousand.
Trotting events were held on the 12 furlong Marshaltown track of the Geelong Racing Club from 1849 until it closed in 1908. The first official annual Geelong race meeting was run over two days being the 29 February and 1 March 1844. Earlier racing in Geelong was held at Morongo Estate (1841) and Aireys Flat (1843) on land owned by Joseph Griffin (13 furlong 80yds track). In addition, numerous trotting match races were held in the Geelong area with one for £400 held on 29 May 1856.
In 1908 the Geelong Racing Club moved to its current course (10 furs 29 yds; left-handed oval track, 2043m) at Breakwater where trotting was held until the mid-nineteen fifties. On 11 November 1956 harness racing obtained its first dedicated track at Olympic Paceway, Corio Oval, Eastern Park, a 662 yard facility. Corio Oval had earlier been the base for the Geelong Aussie Rules Football Club (1878) and even earlier as a cricket oval (1862 Geelong and District XXII played an All-England XI) with several more cricket matches against international touring teams played at the ground until 1937. The Geelong Greyhound Racing Club began using a new track constructed inside the trotting circuit in 1956. The final meeting held at Olympic Paceway took place on 14 July 1978.
Plans were announced for the Australian Animal Health Laboratory to be built near Eastern Park in the 1970’s. This new facility was designed to deal with highly infectious diseases meaning large congregations of animals could not be permitted in the vicinity. The greyhound and trotting clubs were ordered to vacate Corio Oval and moved to a newly constructed complex at Beckley Park, adjacent to the Princes Highway in Corio. Corio Oval ceased to exist in 1981 when the surviving main grandstand was demolished and a conference centre constructed on the site now owned by the Salvation Army.
Geelong Harness Racing Club conducts regular meetings at its Beckley Park racetrack at Corio. Opening for its first meeting on an 850m track on 20 September 1978 the track was upgraded to 960m in December 2000. The Geelong club hosted heats of the Interdominions in 2008 (Pacers and Trotters) while it premier annual events are the Geelong Pacing Cup first run in 1959 and the McNamara Memorial Trot since 1961.
Gunbower in northern Victoria located 272 kms (169 miles) north of Melbourne on the banks of Gunbower Creek. The Gunbower Racing Club held its first meeting in 1881, whilst the Gunbower HRC races on a 1239m all-weather track inside the thoroughbred course at the Racecourse and Recreation Reserve. The club transferred its meetings to Echuca in March 2005, returning to Gunbower on 18 November 2012.
Hamilton a large town in south-western Victoria at the intersection of the Glenelg and Henty Highways. The Hamilton Highway connects it to Geelong.
The earliest version of the Hamilton HRC raced on the thoroughbred Hamilton racecourse which was 1¼m, ten furlongs, situated on the west side of the Henty Highway, north-west of the centre of Hamilton. The first horse races held at Hamilton were in 1854 and in 1859 the present site of the racecourse was reserved temporarily. A further area was reserved in 1861 and the total area reserved permanently in 1874. In 1860 the Hamilton Turf Club was established, then declined and revived in 1867 as the Western Racing Club, later merging with other clubs to form the Hamilton Racing Club.
The Hamilton Harness Racing Club raced at the Showgrounds from 1947 through the 1950’s before opening a 1000m track on 9 June 1967. Its current 1000m granitic sand track incorporates state-of-the-art facilities, feature races being the Hamilton Pacers and Trotters Cups.
Inglewood situated 199 km from Melbourne on the Calder Highway in the Shire of Loddon. Its trotting track opened in the early 1870’s with a Trotting Club operating from 1922 to 1929 on the 1¼m course, it remains a Victorian trotting training track venue.
Kerang is a rural town on the Loddon River in northern Victoria located 279 kms (173 miles) north-west of Melbourne on the Murray Valley Highway. The one mile Alexandra Park track featured the Kerang TC Open between 1920 and 1940.
The Kerang District Trotting Club held its inaugural meeting on Wednesday 22 October 1890. The day’s proceedings included races for maiden trotters, pony races (two), open handicap, bracelet, district selling trot and final trot. The Kerang club survived into the 1950’s and the raceway is now a Victorian trialling venue.
Kyabram a large town in the Goulburn River Valley in north central Victoria, 200 kms (120 miles) north of Melbourne situated between the towns of Echuca and Shepparton, approximately 35km from Shepparton. Trotting was held on the 1500m Kyabram racecourse a century ago while today the Kyabram HRC is a graduation club venue featuring a 790m granitic sand track located on the racecourse recreation reserve. Today the club’s meetings are held on the Shepparton track.
Kyneton in the Macedon Ranges region is about 91 kms (57 miles) from Melbourne bypassed north and east by the Calder Highway on the Bendigo railway line route. The Kyneton Racecourse of 1616m (one mile) circumference is operated by the Kyneton District Racing Club with harness racing featuring here during the first half of the twentieth century.
On Sunday 12 May 2019 Kyneton Harness Racing celebrated its 50th anniversary with a twelve race twilight meeting at Bendigo’s Lords Raceway with many local sponsors involved. Kyneton remains a Victorian trialling venue now.
Maryborough is located on the Pyrenees Highway, 58 kms (36 miles) north of Ballarat and 168 kms (104 miles) north-west of Melbourne (approximately two hours journey). The original Carisbrook (Tullaroop) track of twelve furlongs circumference operated between 1855 and 1948. In 1855 a trotting match race occurred between Polly and Captain for £100, the winner being Polly ridden by Mr Ogle. Multiple trotting races featured on race programmes in the 1890’s in Maryborough and at Carisbrook.
The Maryborough HRC’s Carisbrook Raceway (Bendigo Bank Complex) opened on 2 May 1949 originally an 8½ furlong grass track. Initially upgraded to all weather status in 1967 with a 905m track before the current 1000m circuit was opened in December 1999. The Maryborough HRC conducts approximately thirty meetings per annum at Carisbrook Raceway with trials staged every Sunday morning.
The Maryborough club’s flagship event is the Redwood All Trotting Carnival in early August, a unique two day’s (Friday and Sunday) racing exclusively for trotters. The inaugural celebration of the trotters, the Redwood Classic meeting took place in 1986 with the race day becoming an all trotting event in 1996. The Friday meeting includes the Gold Bracelet for 3yo fillies while Sunday’s features include the Victorian Trotters Derby (since 2001) and Redwood Classic (since 1986) for two year old trotters, both at Group One level, Trotters FFA and Matchmaker Mile for trotting mares. The Maryborough Gold Cup (since 1956) and Trotters Cup (since 2009) feature annually in October.
Marong held multiple trot races on its race programmes in 1890’s on its one mile track (first trots 1870), it is currently a Victorian trialling venue.
Mildura is a regional city in north-west Victoria located on the Victorian side of the Murray River. The Mildura and Merbein TC raced at the Mildura Racecourse (1760m) early in the twentieth century. The Mildura Racing Club held its first ever race meeting on 26 December 1888 on land owned by Mr W. B. Chaffey – the Mildura Racing Clubs first president. The Mildura Race Course moved to its current site in 1910 and has raced annually except for a period during World War II when racing was suspended across a number of tracks.
The Sunraysia TC held its opening meeting at the Mildura Showgrounds track on 30 April 1949. The venue was the first Victorian country club to race under lights at night. The track at this time of two furlongs and 140 yards (600m) circumference before a number of extensions brought it to its current size of 810m. The club changed its name to the Mildura HRC in 1979.
The Mildura dual Cups carnival is held in the autumn on Tuesday. Thursday and Saturday evenings. Feature races are the Group Two Mildura Pacers Cup (heats/final) run since 1958 with the Trotters Cup (Thursday night) since 1998 together with a FFA pace and Mildura Guineas on the Saturday evening.
Mooroopna is located 181 kms (112 miles) north of Melbourne on the banks of the Goulburn River opposite the larger town of Shepparton. Mooroopna is a graduation club venue, its 770 yard circumference track was first used in March 1906 for the first all trotting meeting in country Victoria (Goulburn Valley Driving Club). In 1919 the track was increased to its current sizing of 801m with the club amalgamating with Shepparton in the late 1960’s – meetings of the Mooroopna club are run at Shepparton today.
Nyah a town in northern Victoria located on the Murray Valley Highway in the city of Swan Hill, 365 kms (227 miles) north west of Melbourne. Swan Hill is on the south bank of the Murray River, downstream from the junction of the Loddon River.
Nyah Harness Racing Club conducted meetings from 18 December 1965 until 13 September 2012 at its 805m Nyah Sporting Complex track on the Nyah River Road. Initially this track was of 704m circumference positioned around the football oval. The Nyah Pacing Cup (renamed Swan Hill Cup in 2014) commenced in 1968.
The Swan Hill HRC commenced race meetings on a 1040m track at Swan Hill Racecourse on 20 October 2012, the new track positioned inside the Swan Hill Jockey Club’s 1900m thoroughbred track. A Swan Hill Trotters Cup and Swan Hill Mile now feature along with the Swan Hill Pacing Cup.’
A trotting match in gigs at Portland in May 1848 with Mr Robinson’s ‘Jenny’ defeating Mr Isaac Wilson’s ‘Creeping Jane’ for a wager of thirty pounds. The race was based on the distance covered in an hour without stopping (both managed 13¼ miles). Portland Light Harness is a Victorian training track venue today.
Ouyen located at the junction of the Calder Highway and Mallee Highway, 105 kms (65 miles) south of Mildura and 441 kms (274 miles) northwest of Melbourne. The Ouyen HRC track at Blackburn Park held its opening meeting on 4 February 1956 on a 700m circuit which was subsequently upgraded in 1973to 769m.
Stawell is in the Wimmera region of Victoria, 237 kms (147 miles) west-north-west of Melbourne. Multiple trotting races were included on local racing programmes as far back as the 1890’s. The Stawell Harness Racing Club conducts regular meetings at its 813m Laidlaw Park track which was opened on 29 August 1959.
Yarra Glen is located 40 kms north-east of Melbourne’s CBD. Yarra Valley Harness Racing Club conducts regular meetings at its 1000m Yarra Valley Racing Centre. Opened for racing on 10 October 1972, Yarra Glen’s original 805m track has been upgraded to a 1000m track sited inside the 1684m thoroughbred track. The Racing Club owned the land freehold until 1972 when the Yarra Glen Racing Club transferred its land ownership to the Victorian Government and the Healesville Trotting Club known as the Yarra Glen Harness Racing Club relocated and became a co-tenant. In 2004 the Yarra Glen Racing Club Inc and the Yarra Valley Harness Racing Club Inc amalgamated to form Yarra Valley Racing Inc.
The Healesville TC was started in 1947 racing on the Healesville thoroughbred grass track initially prior to moving to a new 704yds track that operated from 27 December 1949 until 5 September 1972.
Next Time : Victorian regional tracks of Boort, Charlton, Cobram, Horsham and Kilmore
Peter Craig
7 July 2021
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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