Having categorised the racetracks of New South Wales into two main sections : Metropolitan Sydney and Country (regional) New South Wales, this particular review is the first of two looking at tracks in the Sydney metropolitan area (excluding major tracks of Harold Park and Menangle – separate articles). A complete rundown will appear of tracks that were only utilised during the 1800’s as well as those that continued into the 1900’s/2000’s.
SYDNEY METROPOLITAN TRACKS : EARLY DAYS 1810 – 1885
The first horse race and trotting match races in Australia occurred at Hyde Park, Parramatta, Sydney on 30 April 1810. It was recorded that :
“Horse racing was the leading feature of the day and this sport commenced with a race between celebrated horse Parramatta and the well-known horse Belfast which was won by the former. A trotting match preceded when the famous mare Miss Kitty was victorious, going over the ground in a style scarcely to be equalled by some of the finest trotters in England. On these matters bets to a considerable amount were depending.”
This trotting race was held during a sports carnival where both contestants were thoroughbreds with the winner Miss Kitty being by the imported (Old) Hector, an Arabian stallion used for breeding thoroughbreds. On 17 October 1810 Miss Kitty contested three two mile heats of the Ladies Cup as a galloper at the first official meeting at Parramatta, finishing last in all three heats. Miss Kitty was back competing as a trotter in 1811, in trotting matches and against time. The Parramatta road often featured trotting match races in the earlier days.
Trotting races became a regular feature at galloping meetings from the mid-1860’s especially in country NSW. It is believed that the first genuine trotting race in the Sydney metropolitan area took place at Randwick on 24 April 1873 at the inaugural meeting of the Sydney Hunt Cub. The four mile race attracted just two starters, both Victorians with Mr Fagan’s Bay Judy (in saddle, Mr Mitchell) upsetting favourite Archimedes driven in harness by famous horseman Denny Bowes. The Australian Jockey Club in 1858 chose Randwick as their new track following issues with track conditions and a steep rise in rent for their Homebush course which had been in regular use since the 1840’s. The first race meeting held at Randwick was in May 1860.
In 1879 an attempt to form a trotting club in Sydney and obtain suitable land for a course failed. On 6 May 1882 another trotting match race over three miles for £1,000 was held at Randwick between Mr Velso’s New Chum and Mr W Gannon’s Paddy. New Chum took advantage of his 200 yd start winning easily by about 130 yds in 8 mins 47 secs. On Wednesday afternoon 25 September 1884 an exhibition of American and Colonial trotting horses took place at Moore Park. In 1885 the Sydney Driving Park Club was formed and this will be fully covered when Moore Park/Sydney Showgrounds are discussed in part two of Sydney Metropolitan tracks.
SYDNEY METROPOLITAN RACETRACKS (post 1885)
Ascot Racecourse is a former nine furlong thoroughbred racecourse located in the southern Sydney suburb of Mascot close to Mascot Aerodrome. Named after Royal Ascot Racecourse in the United Kingdom it now forms part of the site of Sydney Airport. Operating from 1904 to 1941 and being one of four racecourses in Sydney where unregistered proprietary horse racing took place.
A dedicated tramline from Botany Road moved large crowds to and from the racecourse. On 5 May 1911, the first aeroplane flight over Sydney was made from Ascot Racecourse by JJ (Joseph) Hammond in his Boxkite plane. Closed during World War II it was used as a military camp and did not reopen after the war being demolished as part of expansion works for Sydney Airport (also known as Mascot Airport and Kingsford Smith Airport). The only surviving physical evidence of the racecourse are fifteen fig trees which formerly lined the racecourse entrance. These trees are located near Sydney airport’s long-term carpark and are the subject of a heritage preservation order.
Attempts were made by A.W. Anderson to launch night trotting in Sydney at Ascot racecourse on Wednesday 14 December 1927 under the auspices of the Sydney Night Trots Ltd. Racing was conducted on a five furlong track located inside the thoroughbred course. However owing to a five shilling admission fee only a moderate crowd was in attendance. Two more night meetings took place on 17 and 21 December 1927, making a total of three of the twenty meetings that had been approved by the Labour Government. Arizona (by Directway USA) won at all three meetings. The trotting operation was closed down by the Nationalist Government that banned betting after twilight. This followed complaints from local residents concerning the dangers of illicit betting, sly grog and immorality together with government bureaucracy that all worked against night trotting’s success.
Bankstown a suburb 16 kms south west of Sydney CBD located in the local government area of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown. The Bankstown Show Society formed in 1938 using a ground on the then Bankstown airport site which was returned as an airport during WWII. In 1953 it obtained a site in Milperra Road (current site) with a lengthy lease negotiated. In 1955 Bruce Hall set a mile record of 2:01.6TT at Bankstown which stood for many years.
iBankstown – mixed lounge and aerial view of track
The 805m river sand Bankstown Raceway operated under lights from 15 March 1965. During the 1960’s Bankstown Speedway raced at the Bankstown Trotting Track. The Treuer Memorial is Bankstown feature race having commenced in 1986and won by numerous leading horses including Village Kid, Luxury Liner, Westburn Grant, Golden Reign, Our Sir Vancelot (twice), Christian Cullen, Holmes DG, Double Identity, Blacks A Fake and Washakie (five consecutive years 2009 – 2013).
In October 2020, Bankstown Paceway announced they had been allocated more than $70,000 under the NSW Government’s COVID-19 stimulus program enabling them to effect improvements. These include the paceway’s entry road/service lanes and installing removable bollards to assist access and traffic control, making it better equipped to host events.
The Botany Bay Pony Racing and Trotting Club (BBPRTC) formed a new track at the Sir Joseph Banks Grounds, Botany in the 1890’s. A cinder track of a quarter mile circumference situated on the original pedestrian track. Five races were held with Rufus winning the one trotting race, a handicap trot over two miles and 120 yds. Racing on the proprietary BBPRTC pony racecourse at Botany Bay was an integral part of Sydney life during the late nineteenth century.
Brighton Le Sands (formerly Brighton-le-Sands and also known as Brighton or Brighton Beach), is a suburb in southern Sydney located 13 kms south of the CBD on the western shore of Botany Bay. Lady Robinsons Beach and Cook Park run along the eastern border of Brighton Le Sands on Botany Bay. The beach is commonly referred to as Brighton Beach and is known for its off-white sand.
In 1895 Thomas Saywell decided to build a race course in Brighton. The ½ mile/four furlong racecourse operated as New Brighton at Lady Robinson’s Beach, opening day on 16 November 1895 to 1911. In its earliest days the track was operated by Jack Deeble before (Sir James John) Joynton Smith leased the course for two pounds a week. Smith revived pony trotting in Sydney making the Lady Robinsons Beach course a venue for better class horses than Kensington and Roseberry due to its more valuable prizemoney. Finding the race course and beach a distraction for its pupils, Scots College school left the area.
Canterbury Park Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing racecourse operated by the Australian Turf Club located 11 kms (7 miles; 15 minute drive) from the Sydney CBD in King Street adjacent to Canterbury railway station.
The first horse racing in Canterbury was in 1852 when Cornelius Proud cleared part of his property for a racecourse which was used regularly by locals. After a few years with no race meetings being held, Frederick Clissold and Thomas Austen Davis together in 1871 held a race meeting on land that had been leased by Davis close to the existing racecourse. In 1884 this site was leased as the headquarters of Canterbury Park Race Club. A racetrack, 700 person grandstand and recreational park was constructed and held its first meeting on 19 January 1884. In 1886, 53 acres (21 ha) of the leased land was purchased by Davis for use by the club. Until World War I there was a zoo included on the same site as the racecourse housing animals such as Kangaroos, Wallabies, Emus, Brolgas, Curlews, Pheasants and Kookaburras.
The Canterbury racecourse was used for harness racing in the late nineteenth century, principally for pony meetings from 1 January 1884 until the late 1890’s. A 5/8ths mile track running concentric with the main thoroughbred track was used for this purpose. One club, the Canterbury Park Galloway, Pony and Trotting Club held their first meeting on 20 April 1889. Details of one of these early meetings appear below :
CANTERBURY PARK TROTTING AND RACE MEETING 27 MARCH 1891 SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
“Though dull and threatening yesterday, the weather was fine for the Canterbury Park trotting and race meeting, which attracted a good assemblage of sporting folk, the tracks were in good condition, and the sport was of an interesting character, several close and exciting finishes claiming the attention of the judge.
The scratching pen was very busy with the candidates for the Shorts Handicap, and only seven out of the 23 coloured on the card took part in the race. Poor Dan was selected as the best of good things, and left the paddock an even-money favourite. After Escape had a turn at the front, Mario took up the running, and soon established a strong lead, but she ran out in the straight, and Keepsake coming to the front managed to stall off the favourite, and won by half a length.
Timothy was elected favourite for the Miniature Handicap, for which nine left the paddock, and after Ganges had cut out most of the work the favourite carne through und won easily. Half a dozen faced the flag for the River Handicap, and the only horses backed for money were Geebung, Boring Time and Springtime. The last named made most of the running, but Geebung who was in close attendance all the way, closed upon her at the finish, and the judge gave his decision in favour of the gelding by a neck, though numbers held the opinion that the pair finished a dead heat.
The Galloway Auction Race was reduced to a match between Humbug and Mountain Maid, and the first named, who carried all the money, won comfortably.
Ten took the track for the Distance Handicap, and at first Rosebud had the call on the market, but before the fall of the flag a strong commission in favour of Piccanniny caused him to start an even money favourite, and he justified his selection by winning easily.
A baker’s dozen went to the post in the Welter Handicap, and Belphoebe, who was made favourite, won a good race from O Jane, who made most of the running. Springtime and The Baron fell at the back of the course, and Dean, the rider of the former, was severely
shaken.”
The result of the solitary trotting race, Distance Handicap Trot –
“DISTANCE HANDICAP TROT of 30 sovs, 2 miles – Mr A. M Smidmore’s bk h Piccanniny, 4 years 215 yards (Morris), 1, Mr J Addis’s chf Rosebud 3 years 50 yards (Chatterls), 2 Mr WF Nagle b m Canary, aged 20 yds (Browning), 3. Other starters : The Duchess, Little Bob Cleveland, Coogee, Phillas A, The Childe, Silver Cloud. Betting : Even money on Piccanniny, 3 to 1 The Duchess and Rosebud. Won easily by four lengths, a length between second and third. Time : 6 minutes”
The Trotting Association of NSW held a single only meeting on 16 November 1892 at Canterbury Park before being disbanded. Four races all over two miles were conducted : maiden trot (Victor III), FFA Trot (Violetta Junior), 2:57 class trot (Edith) and 2:50 class trot (Ruth).
The Sydney Turf Club (STC) was founded in 1943 and is the youngest of Australia’s principal racing clubs. Formed following the passing of the Sydney Turf Club Act by the New South Wales Parliament. The Act had taken 40 years to draft and gave the club the power to hold sixty two race meetings a year at the Rosehill and Canterbury tracks. The STC acquired the racecourse holding its first meeting in January 1945. The Sydney Turf Club and Australian Jockey Club officially merged in 2011 to form a new Sydney club the Australian Turf Club. The Australian Turf Club, current owners and operators of Canterbury Park Racecourse commenced operations on Monday 7 February 2011.
The circumference of Canterbury Racecourse is 1,579 metres with the straight being 317 metres long and all racing run in a clockwise direction. Canterbury Racecourse is one of only two racetracks in Australia to have full lighting to enable night thoroughbred racing along with Melbourne’s Moonee Valley Racecourse. The Canterbury track is mainly used for midweek and night racing generally taking place on Thursday or Friday nights. Canterbury Racecourse has one main grandstand which includes seating, dining and corporate facilities. Canterbury Racecourse no longer has a racing carnival with all its feature races moved to Rosehill Racecourse.
Fairfield a western suburb of Sydney, located 23 kms (14 miles) west of the Sydney CBD in the centre of the Cumberland Plain.
Fairfield Showground’s life as a harness racing venue dates back to 1954 (Fairfield Show Society formed 11 November 1954). By 1956 the club had acquired the running rails and horse stalls from the demolished Victoria Park and later the grandstand and two halls (Exhibition and Commercial) from the defunct Moorefield racecourse. The first registered race meeting at the Trotdome held on 23 November 1964 in front of 10,000 spectators.
Colin Watts (son of Jack Watts) advised that there were forty five bookmakers betting on course at the trots with fifteen handling the away meetings. He described the Fairfield track as the “best half-mile track in NSW”. The Wetherill Park 800m river sand track had a 200m straight without passing lane.
The Watts family had a lengthy history with the Fairfield club which honoured Colin’s father Jack with the JD Watts Memorial meeting held for the first time in 1976 and final time in 2017. Jack Watts drove Smoke Cloud to win the main race at that first meeting becoming one of harness racing’s true pioneers, training and driving several champion horses for more than half a century. Colin Watts, on the Fairfield Committee for sixty years, developed his own legacy as one of the sport’s best owners, trainers, drivers and administrators and awarded a Harness Racing NSW Living Legend award in 2011. Colin twice won one of Fairfield’s premier events the Golden Easter Egg (run 1965 – 2016) as a driver and his son Graeme trains horses at the Fairfield track.
Night racing began in 1970 with a new grandstand opening in 1982. The Fairfield club hosted thirty one meetings each season with full time racing stopping in 2004 and the final race meeting held during the day of 12 June 2017.
The Fairfield TC has made way for Fairfield Showground’s new sporting and cultural precinct. The Fairfield Showground underwent a $25 million redevelopment (2020), transforming the trotting track into a modern sporting and cultural hub for high level sports, community cultural festivals and major events. The site features three sports fields – an international size turf football field, $3.5 million synthetic football pitch and an oval field able to host Australian football and cricket. A new $5 million multipurpose amenities building was constructed between the oval and synthetic field.
The main oval features a grandstand with undercover seating that is a function centre, an older smaller stand beside it, 750 lux lighting with the capacity to upgrade to 1750 lux and additional spectator room around the pitch, with an estimated capacity of 5,000. The venue has been announced as the training venue for new A-League expansion side, Macarthur FC (2020/21 season). The A-League is the highest-level professional men’s soccer league in Australia. established in 2004 by Football Federation Australia (FFA).
Kensington is located 6 kms southeast of the Sydney CBD in the local government area of the City of Randwick, in the Eastern Suburbs region. Kensington lies to the immediate south of Moore Park and west of Randwick Racecourse. The principal landmarks of the suburb are the main campus of the University of New South Wales, National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and the exclusive Australian Golf Club.
Kensington Park racecourse was a seven furlong pony racecourse which is now the current site of the University of New South Wales in the suburb of Kensington, Sydney. The course was in operation between 1893 and 1942, taken over as a military camp during the Boer War and World Wars I and II. A migrant hostel was located on the site in the late 1940s with construction of the NSW University beginning in 1951.
The first hopples came to Australia in 1882 on the ship carrying Honesty (Priam/Western Girl) and his attendant Mr White. White put them on Ajax (Hambletonian 725; Whipples/Ashcat) in a training run but did not use them in races as Ajax was a better trotter. The first time that hopples were used in races was on the imported USA gelding Plain Bill at Kensington on 13 September 1893.
Just two meetings of the New South Wales Trotting Club (not to be confused with current NSWTC formed nine years later) were held at Kensington Park racecourse on 13 September 1893, five races were held; brief details follow : maiden trot, 1m (Murmur/Katie M in NZ); 2:45 class trot, 1½m (George); 2:55 class trot, 1½m (Huon Junior); FFA trot, 1½m (Ariel); 2:50 class trot, 1½m (Edith) and at the 25 October meeting four future champions were among participants : Katie M, Fritz, Rita and Prince Harold.
Next Time : Sydney Metropolitan – Part Two
Peter Craig
16 February 2022
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
