Thoroughbred horse racing is an important spectator sport in Australia, and gambling on horse races is a very popular pastime with A$14.3 billion wagered in 2009/10 with bookmakers and the Totalisator Agency Board (TAB). The two forms of Thoroughbred horseracing in Australia are flat racing, and races over fences or hurdles in Victoria and South Australia. Thoroughbred racing is the third most attended spectator sport in Australia, behind Australian rules football and rugby league, with almost two million admissions to 360 registered racecourses throughout Australia in 2009/10. Horseracing commenced soon after European settlement, and is now well-appointed with automatic totalizators, starting gates and photo finish cameras on nearly all Australian racecourses.
Vain (1966–1991) was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse that dominated Australian sprint racing in the period 1968–70, when he won 12 of the 14 races he contested and ran second in the other two. He went on to become a leading sire in Australia.
The Golden Slipper Stakes is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds run over 1,200 metres on turf at set weights conditions, held at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia. It is the premier two year old race in Australia and is the world's richest race for two-year-old Thoroughbreds. Prize money is A$3,500,000.
High Caste was a Thoroughbred racehorse and stallion that was bred in New Zealand and was considered the best two-year-old in New Zealand after winning three of his four race starts. He was a good racehorse under handicap and weight for age conditions and combined this with wins in good races from 5 furlongs to 1+3⁄4 miles (2,800 m), carrying up to 10 stone 6 pounds.
Todman was one of the greatest Australian Thoroughbred racehorses and an important sire. He was perhaps best known as the winner of the inaugural STC Golden Slipper in 1957, being the first of Star Kingdom's five successive winners of the race. He was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2005.
The TAB Classic, registered as the Robert Sangster Stakes, is a South Australian Jockey Club Group 1 Thoroughbred Weight for Age horse race for fillies and mares two (2) years old and upwards, over a distance of 1200 metres at the Morphettville Racecourse Adelaide, Australia in the Autumn Carnival. Prize money is A$500,000
Biscay was an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old 1965 he won the Maribyrnong Plate by eight lengths.
Sky High was an outstanding Australian Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Some of his major race victories include the 1960 STC Golden Slipper Stakes, 1960 VRC Derby, 1961 and 1962 VRC Lightning Stakes and the 1961 AJC Epsom Handicap.
Royal Gem was a versatile Thoroughbred racehorse that won 23 races ranging from 5 furlongs to 12 furlongs. He was later a successful sire in the United States.
Colin Sidney Hayes (AM) (OBE) was an Australian champion trainer of thoroughbred racehorses based in Adelaide, South Australia.
Storm Queen was a notable Australian thoroughbred racehorse.
Redelva was a notable Australian thoroughbred racehorse.
Baguette was an Australian bred Thoroughbred racehorse that was undefeated as a two-year-old and became the first winner of the Two Year Old Triple Crown. His wins included 14 Principal Races and he retired to become a good sire.
Noholme (1956–1983) was an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1959 Australian Horse of the Year and who took nearly a full second off the race record in winning the prestigious Cox Plate.
Choisir is an Australian-bred dual hemisphere-winning Thoroughbred racehorse. He became the first Australian-trained winner of the Group Two King's Stand Stakes. The same year, Choisir also won the Golden Jubilee Stakes and was second in the July Cup.
Comic Court (1945–1973) was a most versatile post-war Australian bred Thoroughbred racehorse who set race records at distances of 6 furlongs and 2 miles. He won the 1950 Melbourne Cup carrying 9 stone 5 pounds (59 kg) and set an Australasian record of 3 minutes 19½ seconds.
The Pago Pago Stakes is an Australian Turf Club Group 3 Thoroughbred horse race, for two-year-old colts and geldings, at set weights, over a distance of 1200 metres, held annually at Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney, Australia in March. Total prize money for the race is A$175,000.
Wilkes was a French Thoroughbred racehorse who became a leading sire in Australia. He had two victories, over 1,500 metres in the Prix Sans Souci at Maisons-Laffitte and the 2,000 metres Prix Edgard de la Charm at Saint-Cloud, for 1,446,200 francs in stakes.
Encosta De Lago was an Australian bred Thoroughbred racehorse that won three group races from eight starts including the Group One (G1), Vic Health Cup against older horses. He was the Leading sire in Australia during 2008 and 2009.
Wenona Girl was a leading Australian Thoroughbred horse racemare that had 27 wins over distances ranging from 4½ furlongs to 1½ miles. She won 22 principal races, 15 of which were later designated group one (G1) races. Wenona Girl’s principal wins included the VRC Sires Produce Stakes, AJC Sires Produce Stakes, George Adams Handicap, One Thousand Guineas, VATC Futurity Stakes, AJC George Main Stakes, AJC All Aged Stakes, AJC Adrian Knox Oaks Stakes, Rawson Stakes and Rosehill Guineas, all of which were later classified as G1 races. At the time of her retirement she was the highest stakes winning mare to have raced in Australia. At stud she was a good broodmare. Wenona Girl was later inducted into Australian Racing Hall of Fame.
