Warwick Farm Racecourse is a racecourse at Warwick Farm, a south-west suburb of Sydney,

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. 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 ...

horse racing. 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 Melb ...

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 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 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 opposing ...

, 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. 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 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, Australi ...

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

Motorsport

Warwick Farm Raceway 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,

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 Australian Grand Prix 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