Caulfield Racecourse
Description
Welcome to Melbourne Racing Club's official Facebook page for Caulfield Racecourse and Ladbrokes Park (Sandown). The first chapter of the VATC story was written in 1875 - at 7pm on Wednesday October 13 to be precise - when six thoroughbred enthusiasts assembled at Craig's Hotel in the township of Ballarat, situated just over 100 kilometres west of Melbourne.
The purpose of the meeting - involving Ballarat Turf Club Secretary E.C. Moore, Norman Wilson, his brother Hector, Herbert Power, A.E. French and F.D. McLeod - was to discuss the idea of establishing a racing club to provide opportunities for the swelling number of amateur riders who were keen for competition.
E.C. Moore and Norman Wilson had corresponded regularly by letter during 1875 and the duo were driving force behind the formation of the new Club. The latter was a prominent 26-year-old landowner, a prototype of what many saw as all that was best (or worst) in the character and pursuits of the squatters, a class who occupied large tracts of land in rural Victoria.
When the convivial gathering at Craig's Hotel concluded eight hours after its commencement the previous evening, those founding fathers had agreed on the framework for the establishment of the Victoria Amateur Turf Club.
E.C. Moore was made the Club's first Secretary and the inaugural subscription for foundation Members was set at the considerable sum of 25 pounds, a figure subsequently reduced to ten pounds in 1876 and five pounds the following year as Membership numbers increased.
Ballarat's Dowling Forest Racecourse was the location for the first VATC race meeting on Friday, March 24th 1876 - a programme that featured six events, five of which were over obstacles.
Buoyed by the success of the meeting, the VATC searched for a permanent Melbourne-based home and quickly focused its attention on the site at Caulfield where, back in 1859, a track had been crudely fashioned from the heath, sand hills and snake-infested swamps.
Sparingly used in its early years prior to being obtained by the VATC through a Crown grant, the course had been almost lost to racing at one point and turned into a cemetery. Laying to rest those uncertain beginnings, it was here where, through the vicissitudes of more than 125 years of VATC occupation, Caulfield Racecourse has grown into an integral feature of Melbourne's sporting and social life.
Having found its Melbourne home, the VATC held its first meeting at Caulfield on August 5th, 1876, with the card closely resembling the inaugural fixture at Ballarat.
The Club soon phased out the programming of amateur events and by 1879 had introduced the Caulfield Cup into its Autumn schedule.
In 1881, the Club introduced the Caulfield Guineas for three-year-olds and the Toorak Handicap, a mile race for open age horses. Even more significantly, the Caulfield Cup was switched to the Spring and the race was held twice in the same year - once in the Autumn and again in the Spring.
This programming masterstroke created the exalted Cups double that underpins Melbourne's Spring Racing Carnival - the Caulfield Cup followed by the Victoria Racing Club's famous Melbourne Cup at Flemington - a pair of staying handicap races that, along with the Moonee Valley Racing Club's Cox Plate, remain the pinnacle of achievement in Australian racing to this day.
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“Sonntag is my favourite - we’ve done just about everything together. He’s a pleasure to deal with in his everyday manners. He’s really laid back, he’s a gentleman and doesn’t do too much at work, just cruises around, a pretty casual kind of horse. He is probably the easiest horse here to ride. Just his attitude, he’s relaxed and doesn’t want to do too much here, so it makes my job pretty easy, just sit back and relax and enjoy the ride on him. I’ve been riding for about 20 years, been in track work doing this for about 10 years and started up in Northern Rivers, a little town called Toowoomba and ended down in Melbourne, and I’ve been here for about six years now. I still love riding the most, without a doubt.” - John McLaughlan, Foreman for Henry Dwyer Racing at Caulfield. #HumansOfCaulfield
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“I’ve worked at Caulfield for about 16 years I think it is, I’ve lost track. I started on the turnstiles but that only lasted a few weeks and then they put me in [the lift] and that was it, I’ve been here ever since. The best part would be the people, they’re all friendly. Because I have been here so long it’s sort of been like a family. Denis Napthine got in the lift one day and see that little pin there on my lapel? Do you know what it is? I was awarded the Centenary Medal, back at the turn of the century. I do a lot of social charity work and stuff and I was awarded it for work I did with SIDS and Kids; and Denis got in one day and he said ‘you’ve got one of those, what did you get that for? I’ve got one too!’ Anyway we chatted and from then on we became quite friendly. He’s a lovely man, lovely man. He’s a vet and he’s a lovely person. I’ve worked with handicapped children for many, many years and he has an autistic son who he and Peggy adopted and we used to talk about that and all that sort of thing. He is just one of the many people I’ve gotten to know personally from the lift. So you can see why I love this job.” - Margaret Hayes, Caulfield race day employee #HumansOfCaulfield
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It's summer racing, and it's coming to Caulfield today! Gates now open - see you soon! http://bit.ly/2i9nKPR
Twenty years since The Great Jockey Switch
It's twenty years today since one of the most incredible feats in jockey/horse racing history, when brothers-in-law Jason Patton and Andrew Payne "swapped" horses mid-race. We still have no idea how Andrew managed to get a leg over that horse.
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"That's not a reindeer!" Merry Christmas to everyone, we hope you have a safe and happy holiday period!
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Reminder! Our summer racing dress code is now in action in the members' areas at Caulfield! This means jackets and ties are optional and short sleeved collared dress shirts may be worn. Looking forward to seeing you in your summer best when racing returns to Caulfield at the Boxing Day Races!
Boxing Day Races
1997 C F Orr Stakes won by Saintly
MRC is sad to hear of the passing of The Horse from Heaven. Sleep well, Saintly. Thanks for the many wonderful memories.
Melbourne Polytechnic VET Equine at Eden Park
Great to see the Melbourne Racing Club Female Track Rider Scholarship students complete the first part of their track riding course! Applications are now open for the Scholarship Program in track riding for 2017: http://bit.ly/2d3lCc4
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"I used to give Robert Smerdon some eggs, and sometimes I have given silverbeet and stuff like that. As well as sweet corn. It's just a thing I do, I enjoy it. I have always worked in the garden. I find it relaxing after a long day. This is a pressure-cooking game - training racehorses and dealing with clients. I have two goats at home too. Don't even know what their names are, something stupid. I didn't name them. It's all good though." Gerard Moloney, Trainer at Caulfield #HumansOfCaulfield
Mihany takes top honours in first Swettenham Stud heat
Saturday’s race marked the beginning of the sixth running of the Swettenham Stud Summer Championships.
Mariska A.K.A. Houdini
Given it's International Day of the Ninja it seems appropriate to post a video of this ninja horse, Mariska unlocking her stable door and letting all her equine friends out. #horsesareninjastoo
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