This is the sixth in a major series of articles concerning racetracks of the world starting with those in New Zealand.
NELSON –
The first race meeting held on grass in New Zealand took place at Nelson on 1 February 1843. The Nelson Trotting Club was one of eighteen racing and trotting clubs registered with the Trotting Association in 1890. Their first meeting was held at Trafalgar Park on 24 May 1890 and again on 1 April 1893. This course continued to be used as a training track until around mid-1920’s.
Trafalgar Park is Nelson City’s premiere enclosed sports and open-air events centre. An international venue for rugby and previously used for cricket having a central city location it is well used with other outdoor events such as music concerts.
Like its thoroughbred counterpart, Richmond Park racecourse has been the venue for Nelson harness racing for over one hundred and thirty years. Dealing first with the thoroughbreds, the Nelson Jockey Club conducted trotting races on their programme when their first meetings were held on 26 and 27 March 1884. This practice continued until 17 April 1950 with one exception when a Nelson JC meeting was held at Patterson Park, Westport on 17 March 1945 (forerunner to Westport Trotting Club’s inaugural meeting at Patterson Park in December 1945). The Nelson Jockey Club is no longer in existence.
The Nelson Trotting Club (Harness Racing Club from 1995/6 season) held its first meeting at Trafalgar Park (current Rugby stadium) on 24 May 1890 (Queens Birthday) while a year later they commenced racing at Richmond Park (24 May 1891) where they have remained ever since. The only exceptions to this occurred in 1893 (see above) and during depression years when meetings of the club were held at :
- Victoria Park, Greymouth (17/18 March 1930; 16/17 June 1933)
- Hutt Park, Lower Hutt, Wellington (1 May 1931)
The Richmond Picnic Racing Club held annual Christmas/New Year equalisator meetings at Richmond Park including trotting races, galloping races and novelty events during the period 31 December 1977 to 1 January 1995.
The Nelson Jockey Club sold Richmond Park to the Nelson Agricultural and Pastoral Association around 1900, with A&P becoming the Trotting and Jockey Club’s landlord. The military (training and defence purposes) occupied the course during WWII meaning no meetings were held on the course 1942 – 1945. The Richmond Park grass track was 1800m in length while the all-weather track introduced at the 15 June 1985 winter meeting is 1432m in circumference. The mobile starting gate was first used during the 1987 summer meetings held 31 January and 2 February.
The first grandstand built at Richmond Park was erected shortly after the Jockey Club commenced racing but was quickly replaced in 1887 (cost £796) by one modelled on that at the Island Bay, Wellington racecourse. This stand was used by the Trotting Club during its first meeting at Richmond Park in May 1891 but was destroyed by fire in 1917. The A&P Association built a new Public Grandstand which was used for the first time at the Trotting Club’s 1919 meeting. A new Stewards and Members grandstand was opened in 1958.
Notable events in the Richmond Park tracks history include the 1920 NZ record win dividend returned by the aged grey mare Wairoa Belle of £1,033, 5/-. There was one winning ticket on her at a time when the average wage was £10 per week. Leading all the way she won by two lengths. Interdominion champion Caduceus debuted on the Richmond Park raceway. The club celebrated its centennial year in 1991 while Starship established a NZ mile record of 1:54.5TT on 1 February 1992 defeating Lord Module’s 1:54.9TT set at Addington in January 1980. Laver ran a sub 1:52.0 race time when winning over a mile in 1:51.9 on 10 January 2021.
Other tracks utilised in the Nelson area in the early years included :
- Brightwater races, Nelson (10 November 1890)
- Motueka Valley races, Mr Bromella’s Paddock, Motueka Valley (25 April 1894)
- Takaka races, Nelson (Boxing Day, 26 December 1890)
All these meetings featured trotting races as part of their programmes.
MARLBOROUGH –
The Marlborough area has facilitated horse racing for longer than one hundred and fifty years. The current Marlborough Trotting/Harness Racing Club commenced operations at the Riverlands course (approximately 1 mile, grass) on 19 February 1913 until the final meeting was held on 5 February 1919. The Riverlands course earlier hosted meetings for the following clubs :
- Marlborough Hunt Club (29 June 1891)
- Birthday RC (24 May 1892 – 24 May 1895)
- Blenheim Trotting Club (9 November 1892); a later club held trial meetings at Waterlea (January 1975 – 1993)
- Marlborough RC (20 April 1893 – 18 May 1919)
- Wairau Trotting Club (15 July 1903 – 10 April 1907). At Club’s course, Weld St, Fermingham between 8 April 1908 – 17 April 1911 and at Awatere RC, Seddon 1 November 1911
Other tracks/clubs utilised in the Marlborough area in the early years included :
- Wairau Racing Club pre 1880, Omoka Domain
- Marlborough Jockey Club formed in 1880, initially at Omoka Domain and Riverlands prior to Waterlea
- Pelorus JC’s solitary meeting on New Year’s Day 1892 : Kaituna (3km from Havelock)
- Upper Wairau RC, 30 March 1891 – 26 March 1894 : Miners Old Course, Renwick
- Marlborough Trotting Club 23 March 1894 : Hibernian Society’s Sports Ground, Blenheim
Trotting races were held at thoroughbred meetings throughout the majority of this period, certainly from 16 April 1895 onwards.
The Marlborough Trotting Club (Harness Racing Club from 1987/8 season) moved to the Waterlea course which opened in 1920 with the first thoroughbred meeting held on 10 March and a trotting meeting on 12 March 1920. The Marlborough club celebrated its centennial of racing at Waterlea at their two day January 2020 Summer meeting. It was only during the Second World War 1939 – 1945 that no harness racing meetings were held.
The Marlborough Racing Club held meetings at Waterlea that included trotting races over the periods 10 March 1920 – 22 April 1950 and 10 September 1990 – 27 April 2008. The Marlborough Owners, Trainers and Breeders held trial meetings in April and May 1986 there.
The Waterlea grass track is utilised by both racing codes with an all-weather harness track having been operational from December 1981 with the first totalisator meeting held 6 February 1982. Up until mid-2020 the two tracks were utilised by the Harness Racing Club at Waterlea – Summer meetings are held on the 1600m grass track (350m straight) and Winter meetings on the 1506m all-weather track. A new members and stewards stand was completed in 1977 with the public stand being developed in the late 1980’s.
The current two day meetings (Friday/Sunday) in mid – January (Summer) and mid/late June (Winter) remained in place since 1999 with the exception of June 2017 when following the Kaikoura earthquakes, a one day only Winter meeting was instead conducted at Addington Raceway, Christchurch. The COVID 19 situation meant the 2020 Winter meeting was not held and from the 2020/21 season, only the two day Summer meeting will be held in future. The mobile gate was first introduced to Waterlea Raceway in the 1983/4 season principally due to Marlborough’s first staging of a heat of the DB 3yo Fillies series, required to be raced over one mile from behind the mobile gate.
Ahuriri (1919h Cathedral Chimes/Muricata) established a new NZ two year old Pacers Mile record of 2:20.0 on the Waterlea Raceway with other NZ Records set including Jack Shine’s 2:03.8 horses and geldings pacers mile standing start (28 June 1982) and Lady Eastburn’s mares pacing standing start mile record of 2:05.2 (6 February 1982).
Refer also to harnessbred.com article of 8 January 2020.
KAIKOURA –
The Kaikoura Trotting Club formed in 1914 held its first meeting at the South Bay racecourse, Kaikoura Domain on 26 October 1914. Meetings continued annually until 1941 when they were suspended due to World War II and the unsatisfactory nature of the track. Meetings recommenced at Rangiora in February 1946, 1948 and 1949; Addington May 1947 before returning to a newly formed 5½ furlong all-weather track at Kaikoura Domain on 17 January 1953 (now 1,119m). The Kaikoura club now hold a two day meeting (Sunday/Monday), late October/early November featuring major lead up races for the NZ Cup carnival : Kaikoura Pacing and South Bay Trotters Cups together with NZ Sires Stakes Aged Classic, being run on the picturesque seaside course.
Other clubs who utilised the Kaikoura Domain track at which trotting races featured were :
- Kaikoura Hunt Club (26 December 1893 – 24 May 1894)
- Kaikoura Racing Club (27 December – 26 December 1907)
Peter Craig
10 February 2021
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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