Horse racing in Sydney, Australia
Sydney is the largest city in Australia, and the State Capital of New South Wales. Sport is an important part of Sydney’s culture. There are a number of horse races which are held in the surrounding of the city they call Sydney.
The three main horse races run in Sydney include the Australian Derby, the Sydney Cup and the Missile Stakes. The Australian Derby is a well known thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses. It was inaugurated in the year 1861. The first one to win this race was a horse named ‘Kyogle’. It is held annually in late March or early April at the Randwick Racecourse in the heart of Sydney. Initially, this race was run at a distance of one and a half miles. It was in 1972, when the race was changed to 2, 400 meters (11.93 furlong). There are a number of records that have been made in this race. The best time record was set by ‘Octagonal’ with a time of 2:28:41 hours, while the biggest winning margin was set by ‘Tident’ with a difference of 10 lengths from the previous horse. Jockey Thomas Hales on the other hand holds the record for winning 6 races on this track, which is the highest wins by any jockey.
The other famous race is the Sydney Cup which is an Australian horse race held for thoroughbred horses as well. The Sydney Cup was first run in 1862 and ‘Talleyrand’ was the first horse to win it. It is one of Australia’s most established and esteemed horse races which is run every year at the Randwick racecourse in the months of April/May over a distance of 3,200 meters. The challenging races held in this tournament include the Open handicap race over 3,200 metres, the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m), the All Aged Stakes (1400m), the Champagne Stakes (1600m) and the Emancipation Stakes (1600m). Few of the recent victors in the Sydney Cup include ‘Ista Kareem’ (2009), ‘No wine no song’ (2008), ‘Gallic’ (2007), ‘County Tyrone’ (2006), ‘Mahtoum’ (2005), ‘Makybe Diva’ (2004) and ‘Honor Babe’ (2003). The prize money in 2010 for the Sydney Cup was fixed at a whopping AUD $400,000.
The third well known horse race is the Missile Stakes. It is an Australian thoroughbred horse race run according to the weight for age. It is run over a distance of 1100 metres at the Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in the month of August. The prize money for this race is AUD $125,000. The names of few of the past winners include ‘Teasing’ (2009), ‘Captain Bax’ (2008), ‘German Chocolate’ (2007) and ‘Imprisoned’ (2006).
Let us now talk about the main racecourses in Sydney. The Randwick Racecourse, Rosehill the Gardens Racecourse, the Warwick Farm Racecourse and the Canterbury Park Racecourse form the core of racecourses in the city.
Randwick racecourse, also called the Royal Randwick Racecourse is used for horseracing in the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney. It is run by the Australian Jockey Club. The few names of the races run at this course include the Australian Derby, the Champagne Stakes, the George Main Stakes, the Randwick Guineas, the Sydney Cup, the Breeders Classic, the All Aged Stakes, the Flight Stakes and the Spring Champion Stakes.
Another great racecourse in the city of Sydney is the Warwick Farm Racecourse. It is a thoroughbred racecourse which is situated near the Warwick Farm in Sydney. In 1922, the Australian Jockey Club purchased this racecourse for a nominal fee. After a number of improvements, the first meeting was held here on January 27, 1925 with an attendance of 25,000 spectators. Still, this racecourse is run by the Australian Jockey Club. The total distance for the race starts from 1000m and goes till 1400m. Its circumference is 1937 metres, and the length of the home straight is 326 metres.
The third biggest racecourse of Sydney, the Rosehill Gardens Racecourse is located in the Western Sydney suburb of Rosehill, in the state of New South Wales. It is run by the Sydney Turf Club. Rosehill holds horse races on a grass surface for thoroughbred gallopers. It is one of the premier racecourses in Sydney. One of the major events held at the Rosehill is the Golden Slipper race for two year olds.
The Canterbury Park Racecourse is situated in Sydney, New South Wales where thoroughbred racecourses are run. It is located adjacent to the Canterbury Railway station. The races run at this racecourse include the Canterbury Stakes, the Perfect Vision, the Nivea Visage Stakes and the Phar Lap Stakes. It is governed by the Sydney Turf Club.
The two main Horse racing clubs in Sydney are the Australian Jockey Club and the Sydney Turf Club. A great and prestigious event in the history of Australian horse racing is arranged by these two clubs which is collectively known as the ‘Sydney Spring Racing Carnival’. A variety of horse races are showcased in this carnival with the likes of the Gloaming Stakes, George Main Stakes, Stan Fox Stakes, Epsom Handicap, The Metropolitan and the Spring Champion Stakes on display.
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