Menangle Park Paceway

Last updated

Aerial view of the current track facilities DJI 0022 a.jpg
Aerial view of the current track facilities

Menangle Park Paceway, known for sponsorship reasons as Tabcorp Park, Menangle, is a harness racing track operating in Menangle Park, New South Wales, Australia. The New South Wales Harness Racing Club conducts meetings at the Paceway. [1] The New South Wales Harness Racing Club trading as Club Menangle Trackside is located within the Paceway grounds. [2] Major extensions to the club at the licensed historic premises previously known as the Horse and Jockey Inn just outside the paceway grounds, opened in September 2019. [3] [4]

Contents

History

The Menangle Park Paceway was opened in 1914 and after the outbreak of World War I, it was requisitioned as an army camp used for the Australian Light Horse. The facility was returned to the owners for horse racing, until 18 November 1941, when the racecourse was again taken over by the military during World War II. [5]

The racecourse was converted into a military camp, providing camping and training facilities for Royal Australian Air Force constructed an aerodrome at the site in 1942, which went through the middle of the racecourse, which was known as Menangle Aerodrome. The aerodrome was a satellite aerodrome for RAAF Station Schofields and the runway was 5,000 feet (1,500 m) long and 150 feet (46 m) wide. Seven splinterproof pens and five concealed hideouts were constructed at the aerodrome. The site was also used as an aircraft park for HMS Nabthorpe, a Royal Navy Mobile Operational Naval Air Base, based at Schofields.

_

2021   Menangle Park stages over 100 race meetings per year (twice a week). It is a much sought after venue in the Macarthur region for functions/trade shows and festivals. Club Menangle embraces the local community through many functions and charity drives. Club Menangle is the home of the $1million Garrard's Miracle Mile, the richest harness racing race in the Southern Hemisphere

2011   Following the closure of Harold Park on 17 December 2010, the NSW Harness Racing Club (now branded as Club Menangle) moved all its operations to the Menangle Park track. It is now the show piece for harness racing in New South Wales.

2008   After a major facelift, the Menangle Park 1400-metre track was officially opened on 24 June before a strong 8,000 crowd.

2000  Works commenced to rebuild and change the Menangle Park track from the 800-metre circuit to a new state-of-the-art 1400-metre complex.

1980s Again in this decade well patronised harness racing meetings were held at the picturesque out of town track.  Menangle Park track was also the venue for the very successful Sunday Menangle Markets that were conducted each week for a number of years.

1970s Strong and well patronised harness racing meeting were held at Menangle Park. In 1975 the local Campbelltown Show, that had previous been held for a number of years at the Showground in the centre of town, was moved and was held successful for a number of years at the Menangle Park venue.

1964   Night trotting was introduced to the Menangle Park track on 2 November.

1953   After extensive work and remodelling, the NSW Trotting Club opened racing on 26 September, at it new 'Out of Town' track. A huge crowd of 5,000 attended the opening, and the new trotting track was officially opened by Governor, Sir William McKell.

1952   After being dormant for a few years following its use in WWII, the racecourse site was put up for auction for 25,000 pounds by the owner the Menangle Park Racing Company Limited. There were no bidders. Bill Dunlop, the then President of the NSW Trotting Club, then arranged a private purchase.

1943   The racecourse was again commissioned by the Air Force RAAF and Army, this time during World War II. An airstrip was built in the middle of the track. This airstrip was used by Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith in the film ‘Smithy’ that was produced in the late 1940s.

1920   Racing resumed at the racecourse and both thoroughbred and trotting meetings were conducted. Notable thoroughbred, ‘Rogilla’, a Caulfield Cup winner and multiple feature race winner, won his Maiden (first win) race at Menangle Park in 1931.  

1917   The racecourse site was commissioned by the Army for World War I. It was the training camp for the Lighthorse and the Camel Corp.

1914   On 6 August, the first Official Race meeting (gallops) was held at the Racecourse. A sprinkling of harness racing meetings were held by the 'Menangle Park Trotting Club'

1913   In September, the final plans for the building of the 'Menangle Park Racecourse', were finalised by the Architect, local A.R. (Alf) Payten

1820   Menangle House was built about 1820 by George Taber. It still stands today and is heritage lists. It is in the grounds of the new Menangle Country Club on Menangle Road

Units based at Menangle Aerodrome

After the abandonment of Menangle aerodrome, the site was a location for scenes for the film Smithy based on the historic flight of Charles Kingsford Smith.

Return to trotting

New South Wales Harness Racing Club acquired the site in 1952 and redeveloped the racecourse as a paceway, which officially opened on 26 September 1953.

The newly reconstructed paceway reopened in 2008 as Tabcorp Park, Menangle, and is the fastest and largest harness racing circuit in Australia at 1400 metres, and is now the major harness racing venue in New South Wales. In 2011, the track saw the first sub 1:50 mile ever run in Australasia, with Smoken Up running 1:48.5 in the Len Smith Mile.

Their main races are the Miracle Mile, the New South Wales Derby, the New South Wales Oaks, the Len Smith Mile and the qualifiers for the Miracle Mile, the Allied Express Sprint and the Canadian Club Sprint. It replaced Harold Park as Sydney's premier harness track in 2010. Fred Hastings is the NSW Harness lead race caller however Anthony Manton, Matt Jackson, Luke Marlow, Mitch Manners and Brandon Kreymborg have all called at this venue.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harness racing</span> A form of horse racing that uses a two-wheeled cart

Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait. They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia and New Zealand, races with jockeys riding directly on saddled trotters are also conducted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randwick Racecourse</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menangle Park, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Menangle Park is a suburb in Sydney the state of New South Wales, Australia. Menangle Park is located 56 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown. Menangle Park is a largely rural area and is part of the Macarthur region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harness racing in Australia</span>

Harness racing, also colloquially known as trotting or the trots, is a spectator sport in Australia, with significant amounts of money wagered annually with bookmakers and the Totalisator Agency Board (TAB). In Australia there are 90 harness racing tracks, which hold over 1,900 meetings annually. There are approximately 2,900 drivers and 4,000 trainers with about 5,000 Standardbred horses foaled and registered each year.

The Miracle Mile is an Australian harness racing event for Standardbred pacers that was held at Harold Park Racetrack each November until 2008 when the race was switched to Menangle Park Paceway. Prize money has long been among that of Australia's leading harness races and has often included bonuses for speed.

A race caller is a public-address announcer or sportscaster who describes the progress of a race, either for on-track or radio and TV fans. They are most prominent in horse racing, auto racing and track-and-field events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camden Airport (New South Wales)</span> Airport serving Sydney, New South Wales,Australia

Camden Airport is an aerodrome located on the outskirts of Sydney, 1 nautical mile northwest of Camden, New South Wales, Australia. The airport is located approximately 60 km (37 mi) from Sydney's central business district. Camden is used as a general aviation overflow airport for the busier Bankstown Airport, and provides facilities for gliding and ballooning. The aerodrome has one grass runway and one paved runway and two glider airstrips. It is in the south-west corner of the designated Sydney flight training area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elwick Racecourse</span> Horse racing venue in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Elwick Racecourse is a Thoroughbred horse-racing venue located on Goodwood Road within Glenorchy, Tasmania, Australia. It is located in close proximity to the Brooker Highway, Hobart Showground, Derwent Entertainment Centre, Glenorchy Art and Sculpture Park and the River Derwent. The Racecourse has a picturesque outlook across the river, as well as being dominated by views of kunanyi / Mount Wellington. Elwick features at least 110 race meetings and 210 trial days a year, but is most well known for hosting the Hobart Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harold Park Paceway</span> Former trotting venue in Sydney, Australia

Harold Park Paceway was a harness racing track in Forest Lodge, New South Wales, in use from 1890 to 2010. It was a half-mile track but was just 739 metres in circumference until some changes in its later years. Races at the track were run over distances of 1,760m, 2,160m, 2,565m and occasionally 2,965m. Before its configuration, events were run over one mile, 9 furlongs and 170 yards, 11 and three quarter furlongs, 13 furlongs and 98 yards and 15 furlongs and 92 yards - these distances were all for standing starts. For mobile racing, the distances were one mile, 9 and a half furlongs and 11 and a half furlongs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TVN (Australian TV channel)</span> Television channel

TVN (Thoroughbred Vision) was an Australian thoroughbred horse-racing TV channel. It was carried on Foxtel, Austar and Optus TV, as well as other subscription TV services. The channel was set up by the Victorian thoroughbred racing industry and Sydney metropolitan racing clubs as an alternative to Sky Racing and as an attempt by the racing clubs concerned "to capture the valuable assets of racing media rights and leverage them to the benefit of racing".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belmont Park Racecourse</span> Horse racing venue in Perth, Western Australia

Belmont Park Racecourse is one of the two major horse racing venues within the Perth, Western Australia metropolitan area, the other being Ascot Racecourse, and is located just outside of the central business district on the Burswood Peninsula surrounded by the Swan River. The track has a circumference of 1,699 metres (5,574 ft) with a 333-metre (1,093 ft) straight. Belmont is Perth's winter racecourse, with fully enclosed facilities for spectators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forbury Park Raceway</span>

Forbury Park Raceway was a horseracing venue in the New Zealand city of Dunedin until its closure in 2021. It was located close to the Pacific Ocean coast in the suburb of Saint Kilda.

Harness racing in New Zealand is primarily a professional sport which involves pacing and trotting competitions for Standardbred racehorses. The difference is the horse's gait or running style:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inter Dominion Trotting Championship</span>

The Inter Dominion Trotting Championship Grand Final was a race for trotters within the overall Inter Dominion series. The series is held each year, and is a harness racing competition for both trotters and pacers that has been contested since 1936 in Australia and New Zealand. The host of the series is rotated between the 6 harness racing states of Australia and the North and South Islands of New Zealand. However, in recent years the Trotting series has mainly been held in Victoria with other Australian states reluctant to host the series. It forms part of the overall Inter Dominion series for pacers and trotters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inter Dominion Pacing Championship</span>

The Inter Dominion is a harness racing competition that has been contested since 1936 in Australia and New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain Joy</span> Australian Standardbred racehorse

Captain Joy is a Standardbred pacing racehorse whose wins include 6 Group 1 victories including three Derbies, 13 consecutive wins as a 2 and 3 year old and a total of 26 wins through to the end of his 6 year old season.

Changeover is a New Zealand Standardbred racehorse and stud stallion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inter Dominion</span>

The Inter Dominion is a harness racing competition that has been contested since 1936 in Australia and New Zealand.

Im Themightyquinn is an Australian champion Standardbred race horse notable for being a three time Australian Harness Horse of the Year and three time winner of the Inter Dominion. He was inducted into the Inter Dominion Hall of Fame.

References

34°6′10.51″S150°44′32.50″E / 34.1029194°S 150.7423611°E / -34.1029194; 150.7423611

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.