The Geelong Racecourse is a major regional horse racing venue in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The current racecourse dates to 1908. The annual Geelong Cup is held at the course every October, as well as a number of other race meets through the year.
The first race meet in Geelong was on 1 May 1841, at Corio. Three races were held on the day. The next meet was held at "Airey's Flat" on the banks the Moorabool River near Fyansford. [1] In 1849, a start was made on a proper racecourse, with 727 acres (2.94 km2) of land beside the Barwon River at Marshalltown chosen. Situated close to Lake Connewarre, the land was subject to frequent flooding. [1]
The Geelong Racing Club was formed in 1866, holding its first meet on 18 and 19 January 1866. 23 February 1872 saw the first Geelong Cup held at the Marshalltown course, where a new grandstand was opened. A railway branch line was provided to the course in 1878. [2] In 1907, it was decided to relocate the Geelong Racecourse and Geelong Showgrounds to their current site on Breakwater Road, East Geelong. The first race meeting was held at the new venue in March 1908, with the first Geelong Racing Club meet being held there on 12 December 1908. The Geelong Racecourse railway station was also provided at that time. The Geelong Racing Club, the Geelong Agricultural Society and the Hibernian Society together paid the Victorian Railways £1000 to have the station built. [3]
The course itself has seen a number of upgrades, the most recent being the provision of a third grandstand and an upgrade of the track itself.
Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is the world's richest handicap and the world's richest 3200-metre horse race. The racecourse is situated on low alluvial flats, next to the Maribyrnong River. The area was first used for horse racing in March 1840.
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 about six kilometres south-east 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.
Marshall railway station is located on the Warrnambool line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the southern Geelong suburb of the same name, and opened on 26 April 2005.
Chester Racecourse, also known as the Roodee, is a racecourse located in Chester, England. The horse racing venue is officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the "oldest racecourse still in operation". Horse racing in Chester dates back to the early sixteenth century, with 1539 cited as the year racing began, although some sources give a date of 1512 for the first races in Chester. It is also thought to be the smallest racecourse of significance in England at 1 mile and 1 furlong (1.8 km) long.
Doomben Racecourse is a horse racing venue in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is located in the suburb of Ascot, 7 kilometres north of the Brisbane central business district. The Doomben course neighbours another thoroughbred venue called the Eagle Farm Racecourse and can be accessed via car, train or bus. Together with Eagle Farm, these courses are considered the two major racecourses in South East Queensland, and can be seen sharing irrigation systems and some of Brisbane Racings feature events.
Geelong Racecourse is a disused railway station on the Geelong-Warrnambool railway line, in the Geelong suburb of Breakwater, Victoria, Australia. The station was located on a loop siding off the main line and was only used for special events at the nearby Geelong Racecourse.
Folkestone Racecourse was a thoroughbred horse racing venue in southeast England, until it closed in 2012. It is located in Westenhanger, by junction 11 of the M20 motorway and about 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Folkestone. The course remains closed and all running rail and steeplechase fences have been removed. In May 2016 it was revealed that the land covered by the racecourse forms part of a plan to develop and build housing. It is now unkempt and in a state of disrepair.
Musselburgh Racecourse is a horse racing venue located in the Millhill area of Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland, UK, close to the River Esk. It is the second biggest racecourse in Scotland and is the fourteenth biggest in the UK. In 2016, Musselburgh staged 28 fixtures. It was officially known as "Edinburgh Racecourse", and referred to as such in the English press, until the beginning of 1996 but was widely referred to as "Musselburgh" in Scotland long before that and was widely referred to as Musselburgh in the racing pages of Scottish newspapers.
Newton Abbot Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located on the north bank of the River Teign in the parishes of Kingsteignton and Teigngrace just north of Newton Abbot, Devon, England. The course is a tight, flat left-handed oval of about 1 mile 1 furlong. There are seven relatively easy fences to a circuit and a very short run in to the finish.
The Curragh Racecourse is a flat racecourse in County Kildare, Ireland. The racecourse is home to Ireland’s five most important flat races, known as the Classics. Racing takes place 23 days each year from the end of March until late October. Guided tours of the venue are available outside of race days.
The Geelong Showgrounds in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, are the home of the Royal Geelong Show, an agricultural show held every year since 1855. The current showgrounds are located in the suburb of Breakwater.
Manchester Racecourse was a venue for horse racing located at a number of sites around the Manchester area including; Kersal Moor, New Barns, Weaste and Castle Irwell, Pendleton, then in Lancashire. The final home of the course, Castle Irwell, was closed in 1963. Despite its name, the course was never actually located within the boundaries of the ancient township of Manchester or the subsequent city of Manchester.
The Bukit Timah Race Course was a venue for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Bukit Timah area of Singapore. Built by the Bukit Timah Turf Club, it was opened on 15 April 1933 by the Sir Cecil Clementi, Governor of Singapore. There was no racing from 1941 through 1946 as a result of World War II.
Woore Racecourse was an English National Hunt horse racing venue, situated in the village of Woore, in the northernmost corner of Shropshire, on the border with Cheshire and Staffordshire.
The Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC) is a horse racing organisation which was founded in 1847 in Calcutta, British India. Horse events and sports were initially organised for the British cavalry at Akra before they were moved to the Maidan. The RCTC became the foremost horse-racing organization in India during the British Raj. At one time it was the governing body for nearly all racecourses in the subcontinent, defining and applying the rules governing the sport. During its heyday, RCTC-organised races were among the most important social events of the bigwigs' calendar and were opened by the Viceroy of India. Still a private club, the RCTC operates Kolkata Race Course in the Maidan.
Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka is the only remaining horse racing venue in Sri Lanka. Situated 1,868 metres (6,129 ft) above sea level the race course is one of the highest in the world. The track has a circumference of 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) with a 333-metre straight.
Derby Racecourse is a former horse racing venue in Derby, England, from 1848 to 1939. It was preceded by two earlier courses, at different locations.
Cluden Racecourse is a heritage-listed racecourse at 1 Racecourse Road, Cluden, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Walter Howard Tunbridge and built in 1896 by Mr Reid. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
Eagle Farm Racecourse and Ascot Railway station is a heritage-listed pair of racecourse and railway station at 230 Lancaster Road, Ascot, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1863 onwards. The racecourse is also known as Ascot Racecourse and Brisbane Racecourse, and Ascot railway station was previously known as Racecourse railway station. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 25 June 2004.
Geelong Greyhound Racing Club or The Beckley Centre is a greyhound racing venue located at Beckley Park, Broderick Road, Corio, Geelong, Victoria. The Beckley Centre is operated by the Geelong Greyhound Racing Club (GGRC) and regulated by Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV). It hosts the Geelong Cup and has race distances over 400, 460, 520, 596 and 680 metres. Racing is conducted on Tuesday and Friday and occasional Saturdays.