Morphettville Racecourse is the main

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

course for the

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

state of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, incorporating two separate tracks. It is situated in the

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

suburb of

Morphettville Morphettville is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Marion. The northern part of the suburb is bounded by the Glenelg tram line, and fully occupied by the Morphettville Racecourse (horseracing track). The tram barn storage a ...

, and is about 10 km from the

Adelaide city centre Adelaide city centre (Kaurna: Tarndanya) is the inner city locality of Greater Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It is known by locals simply as "the City" or "Town" to distinguish it from Greater Adelaide and from the City of Ade ...

, and is home to the

South Australian Jockey Club South Australian Jockey Club is the principal race club in South Australia. First racing events The first horse racing events in South Australia took place at a well-attended picnic meeting held over 1 and 2 January 1838. In August 1838, ridin ...

History

After years of using grounds at the East Parklands ("The Old Adelaide Racecourse", later known as

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

) rented from the Adelaide City Council, a group which became the

began using a racecourse ("Thebarton Racecourse" or "The Butchers' Course") at present-day

Mile End Mile End is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London, England, east-northeast of Charing Cross. Situated on the London-to-Colchester road, it was one of the earliest suburbs of London. It became part of the m ...

formed on grazing land owned by E. M. Bagot and Gabriel Bennett near the

River Torrens The River Torrens , (Karrawirra Parri / Karrawirraparri) is the most significant river of the Adelaide Plains. It was one of the main reasons for the siting of the city of Adelaide, capital of South Australia. It flows from its source in the ...

from 1859 to 1869, when the course was abandoned due to insufficient patronage. After five or six years of existence in name only, the SAJC acquired, thanks to the generosity of Sir

Thomas Elder Sir Thomas Elder, (5 August 1818 – 6 March 1897), was a Scottish-Australian pastoralist, highly successful businessman, philanthropist, politician, race-horse owner and breeder, and public figure. Amongst many other things, he is notable fo ...

, its own freehold property at Morphettville ("The Bay of Biscay Course") and held its first meeting there on 3 January 1876. A breakaway group, which became the Adelaide Racing Club, continued to hold race meetings at "The Old Racecourse". In 2008, firstly

, and then in 2009 Cheltenham Park were discontinued as racing facilities, and now Adelaide race meetings are conducted only at Morphettville.

Race courses

Main

The course proper at Morphettville is a long, flat course with a circumference of . The track is wide and features wide turns with a camber of 4%. A retractable winning post with hydraulics enables the SAJC to alternate the running of races with minimal damage to both tracks, especially with races taking place mid week and increased racing through the winter months. It was installed in 2009, and is a world first.

Secondary

The second track, known as "The Parks", was officially opened in June 2009. The Morphettville Parks track has a circumference of , and the track is wide with a 5% camber on the turns. A chute through the centre of the course that runs between the 850 m and 1,550 m points provides for 1250, 1300 and 1400 metre starts.

Wetlands

The Morphettville Racecourse Wetland was a joint initiative of the

Patawalonga The Patawalonga River is a river located in the western suburbs of the Adelaide metropolitan area, in the Australian state of South Australia. It drains an area of flat, swampy lands formerly known as the Cowandilla Plains or The Reedbeds, which ...

Catchment Water Management Board and the

. It was constructed by the Board and the Jockey Club during 2001 and 2002. The wetland covers an area of 3.5 hectares, in the middle of the racecourse on the corner of Anzac Highway and Morphett Road. Costing $2.4 million to construct, it includes 100,000 plants, with the soil excavated being used to raise the level of the racecourse track. The catchment area for the wetland includes

stormwater Stormwater, also spelled storm water, is water that originates from precipitation (storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed la ...

flow from two drains in Bray Street, south of the racecourse. Water enters a sediment pond where floating litter is collected in a net and large materials settle out. The water is then piped into the wetland, where it travels through a series of deep and shallow marshes. An

aquifer storage and recovery Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is the direct injection of surface water supplies such as potable water, reclaimed water (i.e. rainwater), or river water into an aquifer for later recovery and use. The injection and extraction is often done by ...

system (ASR) has been constructed at the wetland. The water flowing out of the wetland is ideal for

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

as it has very low

salinity Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensionless and equal ...

. During winter months, water is captured and pumped into a tertiary

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

aquifer below the racecourse. During the summer months, the water in the aquifer is recovered and used for irrigation. Up to 600 megalitres of water a year is recharged into the aquifer, which exceeds the amount required to irrigate the racecourse.

Access

The racecourse is just off Anzac Highway, on Morphett Road. Entry is via Morphett Road entrance or Tramway entrance. The

Glenelg Tram The Glenelg tram line is a tram/ light rail line in Adelaide. Apart from a short street-running section in Glenelg, the line has its own reservation, with minimal interference from road traffic. The service is free in the city centre and a ...

operates throughout the day from North Terrace and Victoria Square through to

Moseley Square Moseley Square is a Town square, public square in the City of Holdfast Bay at Glenelg, South Australia, Glenelg, and was named for Henry J. Moseley, the builder and first publican of the Pier Hotel, Glenelg. Located between Jetty Road, Glenelg, ...

(Glenelg). The tram stops on Morphett Road adjacent to the Morphettville Racecourse (Stop 12). A taxi rank is located inside the Members' Car Park, where taxis will make pick ups and drop offs throughout the day. Car parking at Morphettville can be found at the following locations: Morphett Road Adjacent to the Members' entrance on the opposite side of the road to the racecourse. Anzac Highway, Morphettville Junction car park, entrance to the racecourse over the tram line. Clare Lindop in 2013 Schweppes Handicap

Races

The following is a list of

Group races Group races, also known as Pattern races, or Graded races in some jurisdictions, are the highest level of races in Thoroughbred horse racing. They include most of the world's iconic races, such as, in Europe, the Derby, Irish Derby and Prix de l'A ...

which are run at Morphettville Racecourse.

References

External links

South Australian Jockey Club

Morphettville track

'The Parks' inner track

Hydraulic Winning Post

Morphettville Racecourse Wetland fact sheet
{{Adelaide landmarks Horse racing venues in Australia 1876 establishments in Australia Sports venues in Adelaide Sports venues completed in 1876