Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, 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 bas ...

located in the Eastern Suburbs of

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. Randwick Racecourse is

Crown Land Crown land, also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. Today, in Commonwealth realm ...

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 The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or ...

in the suburb of Randwick. The course proper has a circumference of 2224m with a home straight of 410m. On 14 October 2017, the inaugural running of

The Everest The Everest is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race run over 1,200 metres on grass, turf at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia. Between 2017 and 2023 the race was classified as Special Conditions class. I ...

was held at Royal Randwick. The Everest is the richest race in Australia and the richest turf race in the world with $15 million in prize money. Since 2014, Randwick hosts The Championships, a two-day season-ending meeting in April that offers over AUD$20 million in prize money. It features several Group 1 races such as the Australian Derby, Doncaster Handicap and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Other annual events include the Sydney Carnival, Spring Carnival and the Chinese Festival of Racing.

History

In January 1833, NSW Governor Richard Bourke designated the land for use as a racecourse. Up until then, Hyde Park in the

CBD had been the main venue for racing within the city. The first race held at Randwick was a private event held in June 1833. The course was originally known as the 'Sandy Course' due to the condition of the ground. In 1840 racing ceased at the venue and was only used for training. In the early 1840s, the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) was formed and in 1860 moved its headquarters to Randwick. In May of that year, racing resumed at the venue with a crowd of 6,000 people attending. In 1863 the land was officially granted to the AJC and was held until 2011 when the AJC and the Sydney Turf Club (STC) merged to become the Australian Turf Club (ATC). The ATC are the current operators of Royal Randwick Racecourse.

'Royal' Randwick

On 22 February 1992, Queen Elizabeth II visited Randwick Racecourse and opened the Paddock Stand. On this date, upon request, the Queen granted permission for the venue to be known as Royal Randwick. From this date the venue was officially able to be referred to as 'Royal Randwick'. An extract from a letter from Kenneth Scott, Deputy Private Secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, to the club reads: "You do not need me to tell you how much The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh enjoyed their visit to the Royal Randwick Racecourse today. Her Majesty was particularly glad that she was able, on this occasion, to legitimise your traditional title of "Royal" and to open a very handsome new Grandstand."

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 the Derby, Irish Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Trio ...

which are contested at Randwick Racecourse.

Venue

Besides horseracing, Randwick Racecourse has been used as a venue for many other events including

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

s and religious

mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

es. In 1970,

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

celebrated

at Randwick as part of his pastoral visit to Australia. The Racecourse was also the site of a

held by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

in 1995 for the

Beatification Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the p ...

ceremony of Australia's first potential saint Mary MacKillop. It was also the site of the vigil and final mass of World Youth Day 2008 in July 2008. Racing was stopped for several weeks, due to the alterations needed to hold over 400,000 people. This move had been opposed by the Randwick Trainers Association, which holds lease interests over some areas intended to be used for the event. The dispute was resolved, by the

federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

and the

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonom ...

jointly pledging $40 million as reimbursement to the racing industry. The famous racecourse has also appeared in several films, including '' Mission: Impossible 2''. Randwick Racecourse is also used as an exam venue by the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

. In addition, the annual Future Music Festival was held at the racecourse from 2006 until it was cancelled in 2015.

Buildings and spaces

Queen Elizabeth II Grandstand: 2013–present

The

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

(QEII) Grandstand is the main

grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators, typically at sports stadiums and including both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium i ...

building. Originally constructed in 1969, it was torn down to its bare structure and rebuilt into the current state in 2012 and reopened to the public in 2013. It is 110m in length and 6 storeys high.

Official / Members Stand: 1886–present

The Official / Members Stand was constructed in 1886 and still remains today although it has been extended and modified multiple times, in 1907, 1914 and 1920.

Theatre of the Horse (ToTH): 2013–present

The Theatre of the Horse, also known as the "ToTH", is an outdoor auditorium for the presentation of thoroughbred racehorses both before and after a race. The ToTH is linked to the track-front via a tunnel in which the horses access the track. The ToTH has a capacity of 4,500 and is also used for live music events and functions. The construction of the ToTH was not without controversy, many racegoers have criticised the space for not being located trackside.

Saddling Paddock Tote Building: 1917–present

The Saddling Paddock Tote Building, known as the Octagonal bar, is located behind the main grandstand. It was initially constructed in 1917 to house a totalisator, the fourth in the world to be installed. The building is now used as an event space and a bar on race days.

Owners Pavilion: 2013–present

The Owners Pavilion is located directly adjacent to the Theatre of the Horse and is a private space for racehorse owners. The pavilion was constructed at the same time as the new QEII Grandstand and ToTH.

Paddock Stand: 1992–2012

The Paddock Stand replaced the St Leger Stand and Grandstand and was a two-storey, long, horizontal structure. The stand was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II in February 1992, it was also on this occasion that the Queen certified Randwick as "Royal". The Paddock Stand was demolished in 2012 to make way for the new QEII Grandstand.

Tea House: 1914–2012

The Tea House was a large structure at 50m long, 27m wide and two storeys high and could accommodate 1,000 racegoers. The original Tea house burnt down in 1917 and was immediately reconstructed to the same specifications. The Tea House was demolished in 2012 as part of the upgrades to the current layout.

Ladies Stand: 1910–1998

The Ladies Stand, also known as the Queens or Royal Stand was constructed in 1910 and remained until 1998.

First Grandstand: 1860–1875

The First Grandstand was constructed for the first race meeting at Randwick and was made of American timber. Designed by architect

John Frederick Hilly John Frederick Hilly (c.1810 – 3 September 1883) was a surveyor and architect who designed commercial buildings, churches and houses in mid-nineteenth-century Sydney. He was born in Warwickshire and arrived in Australia in 1839. On 8 January ...

, it was intended to be temporary but stood for 15 years.

Second Grandstand: 1876–1988

The Second Grandstand, also known as the Paddock Stand, was constructed to replace the initial grandstand constructed on site. It was extended in 1907 and 1914 and remained for more than 100 years to 1988 when it was demolished to make way for the new Paddock Stand.Racecourse Architecture: Royal Randwick
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References

External links

Australian Turf Club

Randwick Racecourse, ''Australian Town and Country Journal'', (Saturday, 25 September 1886), p.661''Australian Town and Country Journal'', (Saturday, 25 September 1886), p.654.
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