Warwick Farm Racecourse is a racecourse at

Warwick Farm Warwick Farm is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Warwick Farm is located 30 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Liverpool and is part of the Sou ...

, a south-west

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is used as a racecourse for

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

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 ...

. The racecourse is owned and operated by the

Australian Turf Club Australian Turf Club (ATC) owns and operates thoroughbred racing, events and hospitality venues across Sydney, Australia. The ATC came into being on 7 February 2011 when the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) and the Sydney Turf Club (STC) merged. The ...

History

Racegoers at Warwick Farm racecourse from The Powerhouse Museum

In the early 1880s

William Alexander Long William Alexander Long (28 July 1839 – 30 November 1915) was a race-horse owner and politician in New South Wales, Colonial Treasurer in 1877. Long was born in Sydney, New South Wales, the son of William Long (1797–1876) and his second wife ...

bought J.H. Stroud's Warwick Park grant north of Liverpool. By 1884 he had also developed his property across the river,

Chipping Norton Chipping Norton is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold Hills in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England, about south-west of Banbury and north-west of Oxford. The 2011 Census recorded the civil parish population as ...

, building stables and tracks. Long lived at Chipping Norton until 1901 when the banks foreclosed on him. His most successful horse

Grand Flaneur Grand Flaneur (1877-1900) was an outstanding Australian Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, who won nine successive races, including the AJC Derby, the Victoria Derby and the 1880 Melbourne Cup, before he retired undefeated. He had won races ove ...

won the

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbou ...

in 1880. He sold the Warwick Park estate in 1882 to William Forrester, who changed the name to Warwick Farm to match his initials. He became one of the most successful trainers of his time and in 1889 he and

Edwin Oatley The name Edwin means "rich friend". It comes from the Old English elements "ead" (rich, blessed) and "ƿine" (friend). The original Anglo-Saxon form is Eadƿine, which is also found for Anglo-Saxon figures. People * Edwin of Northumbria (died ...

were the principals in the formation of the Warwick Farm Racing Club. Forrester owned two Melbourne Cup winners, Gaulus in 1897 and The Grafter in 1898. Forrester died almost destitute not long after his last winner The Watch Dog, won the Ellesmere Stakes at

Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing located in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse is Crown Land leased to the Australian Turf Club and known to many Sydney ra ...

in 1901. Early in the twentieth century the racecourse was owned by Edwin Oatley who died in 1920. His son, Cecil, was the Manager of the property for a number of years, until 1924. Another son, Percy, was Secretary of the Warwick Farm Racing Club from 1906 until 1914. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the racecourse was utilised as a camp by Australian, American and British armed forces. The camp was known as ''Camp Warwick'' and also ''HMS Golden Hind''.

Transport

It is within close walking distance of

Warwick Farm railway station Warwick Farm railway station is located on the Main South line, serving the Sydney suburb of Warwick Farm. It is served by Sydney Trains T2 Inner West & Leppington, T3 Bankstown and T5 Cumberland line services. History The original Warwic ...

. A free bus service between the racecourse and the station is available on race days. The racecourse was formerly served by a direct rail link off the

Main South line The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railway line that runs north and south from Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the South Island to Inverca ...

north of Warwick Farm station. Race day special trains from North Sydney and the city were able to bring racegoers to the racecourse entrance. This 1.63 kilometre branch line was owned by the

Australian Jockey Club Australian Turf Club (ATC) owns and operates thoroughbred racing, events and hospitality venues across Sydney, Australia. The ATC came into being on 7 February 2011 when the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) and the Sydney Turf Club (STC) merged. The ...

and operated by

CityRail CityRail was a passenger railway brand operated by the State Rail Authority from 1989 to 2003 and by RailCorp from 2003 to 2013 with services in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities in New South Wales, Australia ...

and its predecessors. When the AJC decided not to fund maintenance of the line, it closed in August 1990.

Motorsport

Warwick Farm Raceway Warwick Farm Raceway was a motor racing facility which was in operation from 1960 to 1973. Warwick Farm Raceway hosted numerous major events during its life such as the Australian Grand Prix and rounds of both the Australian Touring Car Champi ...

was built in the same area in the 1950s. It became a major track in the 1960s and hosted major events such as the

Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event which is under contract to host Formula One until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different venu ...

Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the Repco Supercars Championship awarded the trophy ...

and

Tasman Series The Tasman Series (formally the Tasman Championship for Drivers)Tasman Championship for Drivers, CAMS Manual of Motor Sport with National Competition Rules 1974, pages 80 to 83 was a motor racing competition held annually from 1964 to 1975 ove ...

. It hosted the

on four occasions in 1963, 1967, 1970 & 1971.WARWICK FARM Venue of the Warwick Farm '100' and the Australian Grand Prix
/ref> In the early 1970s it conducted a round of the South Pacific Series for Production cars. The last major race at Warwick Farm was the final round of the 1973 Australian Touring Car Championship on 15 July and the circuit closed in August.

References

External links

Australian Turf Club
{{Barracks Batteries Bunkers and Forts in Sydney Horse racing venues in Australia Sports venues in Sydney Military history of Sydney during World War II