Timeline

The first approved race meeting was held in Hyde Park, Sydney in October 1810. Governor Macquarie sanctioned the race and members of the 73rd Regiment raced their horses. The course was marked out 1 ¼ miles in circumference and a grandstand for the ladies of the colony was positioned between Park and Market Streets. The story goes, that the grandstand was positioned in such a way that Mrs Macquarie did not get the sun in her eyes, and this is why we race clockwise in NSW. [Image: Sydney Town 1810, First Race in Australia, Harold Freedman]

While formal organised racing was still in its infancy, match races and training took place on the Sandy Course at Randwick in the early 1830s. The 202 acres of land were surveyed by eminent colonials and Governor Bourke sanctioned the reserve of land for a racecourse. This was the first Randwick. Annual races were held until 1838 when the track had deteriorated to such an extent that it became dangerous for the horses. Racing moved out to Homebush until the formation of the Australian Jockey Club and their return to Randwick in 1860.

When AJC began their regular race meetings in the 1840s they used the course at Homebush. However, issues with track conditions and a steep rise in rent sent AJC looking for somewhere else. In 1858, the place chosen was Randwick. Secretary George Rowley called on members to become liable for £50 each to fix the track and build a grandstand. 15 members came forward in support. The first race meeting at Randwick was May 1860. [Image: Foundation of Randwick Document]

In 1866, AJC introduced a new race called the Sydney Cup, raced over 3200m and possibly as a rival to the Melbourne Cup which had begun a few years earlier. It is now an important autumn carnival fixture. The day of its first running in May 1866 was well attended. The governor came with his entourage and a field of 13 lined up. The race was won by colonial champion Yattendon, in a close run to the finish. The gold cup presented to the winning owners was the first gold cup to be presented as a racing prize in Sydney. The trophy still exists.

AJC starts a register to identify the details of all clubs who race under the rules and regulations established by AJC. By 1885, 201 clubs across NSW were registered. A fee of one guinea was charged to cover administrative costs. AJC also managed the approval of race fixtures, making sure races did not clash. Bundles of correspondence attest to the amount of work involved in this process of registration. Racing NSW now manages all the transactions around the registering and identification of clubs.

Land at Rosehill had been purchased by John Bennett in 1883 with the view to building a racecourse. He set up the Rosehill Racing Club (RRC), which later became the Rosehill Racecourse Company. By 1885 the racecourse at Rosehill was finished, built at a total cost of £17,000. It opened on 18th April to a crowd of 3,000.

At the beginning of August 1900, the Australian Jockey Club issued the first volume of the “Australian Jockey Club Racing Calendar”. Providing detailed lists of the clubs and people who were registered with the club to race under the rules and regulations of racing, the racing calendar emphasised the control that AJC had over racing in NSW. The racing calendar expanded over the years to include race fixtures, race results, details of suspensions and disqualifications, colours registered, horses registered and, in the modern era, stories about the racing industry.

Recognising and cataloging the breeding records of thoroughbred racehorses was formalised by the creation of the Australian Stud Book. The first volume appeared in 1878 was published by a Melbourne bloodstock agency William C. Yuille & Company. In 1909, the Victorian Racing Club (VRC) and AJC purchased the Stud Book copyright from Yuille. The Australian Stud Book provided details of broodmares and their breeding records. AJC continued to publish and manage the details of the book until 2014.

Despite the declaration of war in 1914, racing continued to draw large crowds as people sought an escape from the world. AJC began offering their support straight away. The committee decreed that unclaimed totalisator dividends and other collected monies would be fed back into the war effort. Over the four years of the war this supported the Bluebirds (a group of nurses working in France outside the official medical detachment – see image), the French government, various Red Cross organisations and relief funds for countries such as Poland and Belgium. The total amount of donations exceeded £80,000.

In the wake of World War One, the Spanish Flu broke out. Quarantine was enacted to begin with but as it spread further measures were taken with schools and entertainment venues closed. At Randwick, AJC Committee discussed the abandonment of the autumn meeting and the use of buildings on course as a hospital. The Tea House was handed over to the Ministry for Public Health and used for five months as a hospital for those suffering from the flu.

In 1923 the Paddock Stand at Rosehill was destroyed so some of the autumn carnival races were transferred to Randwick Racecourse. The fire and subsequent destruction of the grandstand led to a building program at Rosehill. Under the watchful eye of Theo J. Marks, one half of the architectural firm Robertson and Marks, a new stand was built and the Leger Stand was upgraded. Marks was a well-known punter as well as being Chairman of the Rosehill Racing Club from 1919 to 1941. The designs of Robertson and Marks dominated the racecourses of Sydney.

From April 1925, Farmer’s Broadcasting Service, Radio 2FC Sydney, began to announce the race results without permission from AJC. Impressed by their professionalism and popularity, AJC allowed the station to transmit calls of races from December 1927 for an annual fee. Both at Randwick and Warwick Farm, oncourse facilities for the radio stations were created [Image: “Mick” Ferry – the first racing commentator of Australian radio].

In 1933, AJC established a school for apprentice jockeys. Colonel W. Farr took on the role of conducting classes, providing the apprentices with lessons not only in racing style, etiquette and equine anatomy but also in reading, writing and arithmetic. In 1941, Professor James Stewart became honorary director, bringing a renewed enthusiasm to the role and greatly increasing the confidence of others in the school and its graduates. Senior jockeys were brought in to pass on their advice and knowledge, and prizes such as the Perkins Cup gave the apprentices recognition of their hard work.

With the world plunged once again into war, racing was curtailed. As it had during World War 1, AJC pushed profits to patriotic funds. Randwick was partially occupied by the military and some meetings were transferred to Rosehill. Warwick Farm was given over fully to the military, who established barracks and stores on course and throughout the grandstands for the duration of the war. At its end in 1945, extensive renovations had to occur before the course could once again host race meetings from 1952 [Image: Warwick Farm in use by the military, 1944].

Soon after her coronation, Queen Elizabeth II toured the Commonwealth. While in Australia, she visited Randwick Racecourse in February 1954. In honour of her visit, AJC ran the Queen Elizabeth Stakes for the first time. Outside chance Blue Ocean, against some of the greatest gallopers of the day, crossed to win the inaugural race. Ridden by Arthur Podmore, the connections of Blue Ocean had the honour of receiving their trophies from the Queen. [Image: Queen Elizabeth and Duke of Edinburgh arrive at Randwick, 1954]

Steam trams came to Randwick Racecourse in 1880 solving the transport problems for many years. But as technology evolved, so did forms of transport. In September 1910, the last steam tram ran the Randwick Racecourse route. In its place, the electric tram became the chosen method of transport; it could do the round trip from the Railway in 45 minutes. The Racecourse Specials were to be the largest operations run by the transport department. Again technology ran on and the tram was pushed out by the motor car. On February 1st, 1960, Tram No.1937 became the last tram to run to the racecourse. A Light Rail system adjacent to Royal Randwick opened in 2019 [Image: Trams arriving at Randwick Racecourse, 1920s]

The debate over women’s role in racing raged for many years. By the 1970s, several female trainers were making names for themselves with ‘Permits to Train’. For example, Mrs Lesley Picken (nee Allsop) trained her first winner in 1972. Then in 1977 Betty Lane was the first female trainer to be granted a No.2 trainer’s licence. Despite her success in the Western Districts it wasn’t until 1982 that she was granted her No.1 trainer’s licence. In 1978 STC Directors “formally resolved that applications from females for full membership would now be considered”. By 1st July 1978, twenty-six women had become full members of the STC. It would take AJC several more years before women were finally elected in 1982.

In a colourful tribute to the major races of the STC, two jockey statues were added to either side of the winning post at Rosehill Gardens. After the running of the Golden Slipper Stakes and the H.E. Tancred Stakes the colours of the winning owners are painted onto the jockeys. Remaining there for the rest of the year, they are only changed at the next running of the races. In 1982, the Golden Slipper winner was Marscay and that of the H.E. Tancred Stakes was Prince Majestic.

In the early days of racing, hurdles and steeplechases were all part of the days’ events to challenge the speed and dexterity of the horses. Over the years, these styles of racing became less popular and were dropped from the racing fixtures. In 1985, in a bid to try something different, the STC reintroduced hurdle racing at Rosehill. The first event was held on 16th November and was won by Brinkworth. Hurdle racing continued in the racing program at Rosehill until 1992. [Image: Brinkworth during the hurdle race at Rosehill, 1985, C. J. Bickley and Son]

After many years of letters and direct appeals from AJC Committee, Queen Elizabeth II used her visit to Randwick in February 1992 to officially grant AJC the right to call the course Royal Randwick. It was an honour not lightly granted, though an unbroken history of racing, a community focal point and regular royal visits made the racecourse a perfect candidate for the title. A crowd of 25,790 attended Randwick that day, taking in the excitement of the Queen’s presence and spectacular racing that included champion miler Super Impose and jockey Peter Cook.

Perhaps one of the most significant moments in racing administration was the creation of Racing NSW in June 1996. After a full review of the racing industry, the 1995 Temby Report recommended the formation of a new administrative structure that would be an independent body for the management of racing. By 1998 the details had been finalised and Racing NSW (initially called the NSW Thoroughbred Racing Board) was empowered to run racing in NSW, taking on the regulatory duties previously held by AJC.

A devastating event that was confirmed in August 2007 was the outbreak of Equine Influenza (EI). Beginning in recreational horses, it spread to thoroughbreds by the end of August and the racing industry was brought to a halt. The spring carnival was cancelled in NSW. Racing resumed in Sydney on December 1st with more than 20,000 spectators in attendance. The Government stepped in with a compensation package across the industry, but the financial and emotional impact was widespread.

The discussions relating to the merger of the two big Sydney racing clubs occurred over a long period. Arguments for and against were made but the ultimate decision was to bring together AJC and the STC to form the Australian Turf Club (ATC). The new club formally came into existence on 7th February 2011. The joint strength of the two well-established race clubs brought together the four metropolitan courses – Royal Randwick, Rosehill Gardens, Canterbury Park and Warwick Farm – under one banner.

For the autumn carnival in 2015, Racing NSW introduced the concept of The Championships. Joining together key Group One races of the season – the Doncaster, the ATC Derby, the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Sydney Cup, among others – The Championships at Royal Randwick Racecourse became the grand finals of Sydney racing. Across two big weekends, The Championships is the beacon for autumn racing. [Image: The original Doncaster Trophy]

In front of over 43,000 racegoers on the second day of The Championships 2019, champion mare Winx in her final race secured her 33rd consecutive victory – a world record – and her third Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Sired by Street Cry from Vegas Showgirl, Winx galloped firmly into the hearts and minds of the racing public when she began her series of consecutive wins in May 2015. These include 25th Group One races over a variety of distances.