Wangaratta Racecourse

Wangaratta Racecourse is located at Osboldstone Road, Wangaratta, Victoria. It is home to the Wangaratta Turf Club.

Racing began in 1845 at North Wangaratta, ten years later the club moved to its present site. Wangaratta is situated approximately 235 km from Melbourne on the four lane Hume Highway (31).

The course proper was designed on similar lines to Flemington Racecourse, with a circumference of 1750m. There are two chutes, one for 1600m races and one for races over 1000m - 1170m, all races cater for 14 starters. Three training tracks, one grass, one sand dirt. Two dams and an automatic watering system help keep the tracks in order.

Years ago included in the racing programs were pony races, hurdle races and steeplechases, with a water jump in front of the grandstand.

The first Wangaratta Cup was run in 1904, before that time the premier race was called a plate. The Wangaratta Cup is now run in April.

Two horses have won the Wangaratta Cup twice, Sarakos 1935 and 1936, Here's Cheers 1971 and 1972.

St Patrick's Wangaratta Racing Club also used this track for their charity meetings from 1923-2003 and staged the first all grey horse race in Victoria at Wangaratta, and also the first Sunday meeting in the area on this track.

In 1985 the Wangaratta Turf Club was one of the first Victorian country clubs invited to race on Melbourne Cup Day, which has proven to be a bonanza for the club.

Wangaratta Turf Club holds 10 race meetings per year.

Wangaratta Racecourse's track width is 20m, the track is grassed with kikuya on a sandy loam soil heavily oversown with rye grass. The drainage system has been upgraded in recent years with automatic watering. The track is undulating with a drop of 14-feet from the 1000m to the 600m then rises 3m to the winning post.

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