The history of horse races in Australia started with the arrival of the first horse called, “Lady Penrhyn”. It arrived with the First Fleet that landed in the country on January 26, 1788. Researches posit that the fleet contained a stallion, a filly, a yearling, and four manes. Bert Wolfe was widely respected, highly influential and recognized as Australia's leading turf writer. In the horse racing world he was known by his famous pseudonym of 'Cardigan' the 1903 Melbourne Cup winner Lord Cardigan bred by his grandfather. Bert Wolfe died at his Woollahra home in Sydney on 6 April 1968. Brief history of horse racing in Australia Horses arrived in Australia with the First Fleet of European settlers in 1788 and it was not long before imported sires and mares were brought in to raise the quality of racing stock.

Thoroughbred racing is the third most popular sport in the country.

Horse racing is huge in Australia. Anybody who has spent any time here could tell you that. Australia has more racecourses than any other nation (there’s over 360 registered racing grounds spread across the country) and as a country we produce a significant number of world-class horses, trainers and jockeys.

Thoroughbred racing in particular has massive spectator appeal all across Australia and is the third most popular sport, after the much loved Australian Football and Rugby leagues. Wagers across all races in a single year easily reaches into the billions of dollars, with prize money surpassing $430 million. If nothing else, the money that goes into it shows the sheer popularity of the sport across the nation. But why do Australians love it so much? Well, a lot of it has to do with the history of the sport and the traditions laid down in the early years of the nation.

History of Australian Horse Racing

It may or may not surprise you to know that, despite their abundance today, horses are not actually native to Australia. The very first horses in Australia were imported, arriving aboard a ship from London in 1788, mainly for the purpose of working on ranches and farms.

The actual act of racing horses caught on pretty quickly however and was first established around the Sydney area. The first official race ever to be held in Australia was held at Hyde Park in Sydney all the way back in 1810. This was during the days of English colonialism, and it’s fair to say that racing is one of the more enjoyable leftovers of the colonial period. Horse-racing had been a tradition in England going back hundreds of years so it makes sense that it would have been brought to Australian shores with the first English settlers. Although English Colonialism is a thing of the past, racing and wagering on horses has stuck around to become a beloved national pastime and tradition. In fact, during the 2016 Melbourne Cup, Australians wagered over $657 million over the four day period. That’s some serious coin.

History Of Horse Racing In Australia Gold Coast

Since the very first official race, numerous clubs and regulatory bodies have been set up all around Australia, beginning with the Australian Jockey Club, also known as the AJC, which was founded in 1842. It’s counterpart, the Sydney Turf Club (STC) was founded in 1943 and was the originator of the modern day Golden Slipper Stakes. These two groups then merged in 2010 to become the Australian Turf Club which oversees a lot of the racing action throughout the nation.

The only dip in popularity ever experienced by the sport happened after World War II, when poker machines and greyhound racing were introduced and the crowds were drawn away from horse-racing. However, the sport soon experienced a resurgence with the introduction of the TAB (Totaliser Agency Board) and with televised races, and nowadays the races are as popular as ever.

It’s hard to underestimate the importance of horse-racing in Australia, and of Australia’s importance to horse-racing worldwide. Australian jockeys and trainers are some of the best in the world, and were actually the first to pioneer the crouched riding style (also known as the Martini Glass style) which, because of it’s effectiveness, is now a standard in horse-racing world-wide.

The Melbourne Cup

Out of all the races held in Australia every year, the Melbourne Cup is by far the biggest and most popular. It’s a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and above, held annually at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.

Every year the Cup hosts over 100,000 fans, and has televised broadcasts reaching over 650 million people in Australia and beyond. The Melbourne Cup has such a big draw that during the 2016 Melbourne Cup, Australians wagered over $657 million over a four day period. Roughly $350 million of that was spent on Cup day. That’s some serious cash. In terms of prize money, winners of the Melbourne Cup can expect to receive a whopping $7.3 million making it the richest two-mile handicap in the world, even beating out the Grand National in England, as well as any American race in terms of money to be won.

The race is affectionately known to Australians as “the race that stops a nation”, and is held on the first Tuesday in November. This is not an understated claim; an example can be found in former Prime Minister Bob Hawke who, in the middle of a press conference, stopped the proceedings and wheeled a television onto the stage so he could watch the race before returning to the briefing.

This year it will be held on November 5th at the Flemington Racecourse. The odds-on-favourite horse for 2019 is currently Cross Counter, a 4 year old gelding trained by Charlie Appleby. Cross Counter was the winner of last year’s cup and made history by being the first British-trained horse in history to take the win.

Other notable races

With over 360 racecourses spread across the nation, there are far too many events in the racing calendar to mention. There are those annual events, however, which outstrip the competition and easily attract hundreds of thousands of punters every year.

As mentioned, the Melbourne Cup is the biggest and best of them, but other notable events include the Victoria Derby, the Golden Slipper Stakes, the Caulfield Cup and the W S Cox Plate. Each of these tend to be held in the Spring and Autumn months and attract numbers similar to or just shy of those that attend the Melbourne Cup.

So it’s fair to say that a lot of the popularity of horse-racing in Australia comes down to simple tradition as well as the rich history of the sport, the beginnings of which coincide almost exactly with the founding of modern day Australia more than two hundred years ago. We also can’t forget the excitement and thrill of the sport itself when accounting for why Australians love it so much. Besides that, there’s also the national love of a good wager. From its humble beginnings in Sydney, races and race-tracks can now be found in every province in Australia, and the sport will no doubt continue to attract fans and wagers for many years to come.

Horse racing has long history of great triumphs, fantastic feats of athleticism, and startling upsets. With every race, every jockey and horse pair has a chance to make history. The potential for eternal fame, the chance to beat records, and the possibility of becoming a true champion are just part of the thrill of the races. Throughout the many years these distinguished races have been run, there are some truly remarkable memories. From races during which the underdog beat the champion, or a special horse astounded the world, or rivals faced off in an epic showdown, horse racing has it all. Below we’ve compiled our list of our favorite races in horse racing history.

10. 2016 Belmont Stakes

While there was no Triple Crown on the line during the 2016 Belmont Race, the win by Creator was a huge upset for the favorites. For the duration of the race, Creator was not in the first four positions, until the very end when he sprinted past the leaders. The favorites for the race, Exaggerator and Stradivari, failed to finish in the top three. Despite his initial position at the back of the track, Creator’s outstanding finish earned him the Belmont victory by a nose in an epic sprint out with Destin.

9. 2002 Belmont Stakes

The 2002 Belmont Stakes was another racing upset. Leading up to the race, War Emblem had won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, meaning a Triple Crown victory was on the line. However, War Emblem stumbled at the start and effectively eliminated his shot at victory, ultimately finishing eighth. The greatest surprise of the race was the victorious run of Sarava, who chased down Medaglia d’Oro after trailing the main pack. At odds of 70-1, he is the biggest long shot in history to win the Belmont.

8. 1998 Belmont Stakes

Another race with a Triple Crown victory on the line, the epic finish to the 1998 Belmont Stakes is one of the closest races in history. The ultimate leader, Victory Gallop, narrowly beat out the favorite, and winner of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, Real Quiet. It was Bob Baffert’s second shot at a Triple Crown, and his horse Real Quiet lost by the smallest margin in Belmont history. The two had come head to head at the Derby and Preakness, with Victory Gallop coming in second both times. The exhilarating finish at the end solidified the loss of another potential Triple Crown victor.

7. 1971 Kentucky Derby

The 1971 Kentucky Derby winner Canonero II was a long shot. After his birth in Kentucky, he was shipped to race in Venezuela before coming back to Kentucky for the Derby. With impossible odds, he managed to surprise everyone with a three length victory at the Derby. While not considered an outstanding horse, his victory is one of a true underdog overcoming the challenges put in his way.

6. 1989 Belmont Stakes

During the 1989 Belmont Stakes, Easy Goer defeated the Horse of the Year Sunday Silence by eight lengths. Easy Goer had previously lost to Sunday Silence in the Derby and Preakness, but managed to win the Belmont and deny Sunday Silence the Triple Crown. He posted the second fastest Belmont time in history at 2:26.1, behind Secretariat’s 2:24. Interestingly, Easy Goer was the son of Alydar, the only horse in history to finish in second place for all three Triple Crown races. It was thought that perhaps Easy Goer would follow in his footsteps, but his upset at the Belmont separated him from that legacy.

5. 1993 Breeder’s Cup Classic

The Breeder’s Cup Classic, while not a major Triple Crown race, is widely considered to be the premier horseracing event in North America. Due to the intense, competitive nature of the race, predictions are quite volatile. With odds of 133-1, the 1993 victory by Arcangue is the biggest upset by an underdog in the history of the Cup. A French horse, Arcangue had previously only raced on grass tracks in Europe, and the Classic was his debut in American racing. The five year old horse was trailing for most of the race before sprinting past the leaders to win in the last strides. To this day, he’s famous for managing to beat out the favorite Bertrando in what is one of the greatest upsets in horseracing history.

4. 2009 Kentucky Derby

With odds of 50-1, the nearly seven length victory of Mine That Bird was shocking to most watchers. Though he ran nearly dead last for most of the race, in the final turn shot past the leading Pioneerof the Mile for an outstanding victory. Mine That Bird set records for the longest-odds horse to win the Derby in 85 years, and the biggest lead in a Derby win in more than 60 years. It is still considered one of the most epic finishes to a Derby race, as no one predicted such a performance from the horse.

3. 2015 Belmont Stakes

After 37 years, American Pharoah broke the Triple Crown dry spell in a remarkable Belmont Stakes performance. He currently posts the second fasted Belmont time in history at 2:26.65. While his start was less than ideal, he quickly came to the first position, and ultimately won by five and a half lengths. His time is the second fastest Belmont time in Triple Crown winners’ history behind Secretariat. The most remarkable aspect of his Belmont performance, however, is that American Pharoah finally achieved a Triple Crown victory in an era when most believed it could never be done again.

History Of Horse Racing In Australia Map

2. 1978 Belmont Stakes

The 1978 Belmont Stakes was the close to one of the greatest horse racing rivalries in history: Affirmed and Alydar. After coming in second at both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, Alydar made a bid for the last leg of the Triple Crown races. However, Affirmed led the pack for the whole race and managed to win by a nose. The pair kicked away from the rest of the pack in a neck to neck race that’s still considered one of the greatest showdowns in racing history. While Affirmed’s victory meant he secured the 11th Triple Crown in history, it’s quite remarkable that Alydar is the only horse in history to come in second at every Triple Crown race. We haven’t seen such a pair of horses rival since this epic faceoff.

History Of Horse Racing In Australia

1. 1973 Belmont Stakes

History Of Horse Racing In Australia United States

Secretariat is widely regarded as the second best racehorse of all time behind Man-O-War, but his epic finish at the 1973 Belmont Stakes has remained the best Belmont time of any horse in history. He won by a remarkable 31 lengths- absolutely blowing his competition out of the water. His grand story is amazing, not just because he still hold the track record for the Belmont, but because he still has set the records for every Triple Crown race. In his epic Belmont finish, he solidifies his position as a true champion racer with an outstanding victory.