Randwick Racecourse
Randwick Racecourse from above
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| Location | Eastern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales |
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| Coordinates | 33°54′39″S 151°13′49″E / 33.91083°S 151.23028°ECoordinates: 33°54′39″S 151°13′49″E / 33.91083°S 151.23028°E |
| Owned by | Australian Turf Club |
| Date opened | 1833 |
| Notable races |
Australian Derby Doncaster Handicap Queen Elizabeth Stakes |
| Official website | |
Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing located in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse is Crown Land leased to the Australian Turf Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarters. The racecourse is located approximately six kilometres from the Sydney Central Business District in the suburb of Randwick. The course proper has a circumference of 2224m with a home straight of 410m.
Since 2014, Randwick hosts The Championships, a two-day season-ending meeting in April that offers over AUD$20 million in prize money. It features several Group 1 races such as the Australian Derby, Doncaster Handicap and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Other annual events include the Sydney Carnival, Spring Carnival and the Chinese Festival of Racing.
In January 1833, NSW Governor Richard Bourke designated the land for use as a racecourse. Up until then, Hyde Park in the Sydney CBD had been the main venue for racing within the city. The first race held at Randwick was a private event held in June 1833. The course was originally known as the 'Sandy Course' due to the condition of the ground. In 1840 racing ceased at the venue and was only used for training.
In the early 1840s, the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) was formed and in 1860 moved its headquarters to Randwick. In May of that year, racing resumed at the venue with a crowd of 6,000 people attending.
In 1863 the land was officially granted to the AJC and was held until 2011 when the AJC and the Sydney Turf Club (STC) merged to become the Australian Turf Club (ATC). The ATC are the current operators of Royal Randwick Racecourse.
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