Randwick, or officially ‘Royal’ Randwick, Racecourse is situated in the suburbs of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia, just three miles from the city centre. The racecourse was originally established in its current location, on Botany Road, Randwick, in 1833 but, after a stuttering start, came under the auspices of the Australian Jockey Club in 1860. In 2010, Randwick underwent a controversial redevelopment at a cost of A$150 million to the New South Wales taxpayer. Today, Randwick is famous as the home of the Australian Derby, run over 2,400 metres, or approximately a mile and a half, on the second Saturday in April each year. The Australian Derby takes place a week after the Golden Slipper at nearby Rosehill Gardens racecourse.

Course Characteristics

Randwick has the distinction of being the oldest and longest racecourse in New South Wales. The racecourse is designed in traditional Australian fashion, that is, with four straights connected by four bends to form a rectangle 2,200 metres, or a mile and three furlongs, around. The course is characterised by wide, sweeping bends and an uphill home straight 410 metres, or two furlongs, in length. Races up to a mile start on series of chutes, which require runners to travel up to three furlongs, or more, before negotiating the turn into the home straight and tend to favour those drawn on the inside.

Track Facts

The inaugural running of the Australian Derby, originally the AJC Randwick Derby Stakes, took place in 1861.

In the 1961 Australian Derby, jockey Mel Schumacher, who rode the first past the post, Blue Era, was banned for life (subsequently reduced to six years) for grabbing the leg of Tommy Hill, rider of runner-up Summer Fair. Schumacher’s actions were captured by the head-on camera used for the first time at Randwick that day.

Peter Moody’s unbeaten mare Black Caviar recorded the twenty-fifth, and final, victory of her career in the T.J. Smith Stakes at Randwick on April 13, 2013.

Woodbine Racecourse, formerly known as ‘New’ Woodbine Racecourse, is set in 650 acres on the outskirts of Toronto, the largest city in Canada. The racecourse originally opened in 1956, but under the auspices of the Woodbine Entertainment Group, formerly the Ontario Jockey Club, has undergone major redevelopment in recent years. Woodbine is famous as the home of the Canadian International Stakes, run over a mile and a half in October each year.

Course Characteristics

Since 1994 Woodbine has consisted of three racecourses, arranged concentrically. The outer turf course, known as the E.P. Taylor Course, is 1½ miles circumference with 4% banking on the bends and a home straight approximately two furlongs in length. Inside the turf course, the synthetic Polytrack course is one mile in circumference with 6% banking on the bends and a home straight of less than 1½ furlongs. Inside the Polytrack course lies the so-called Standardbred course, which is used for harness racing, is 8¾ furlongs in circumference and consists of fine-grained rock surface, known as traprock, on a crushed limestone base.

Track Facts

U.S. Triple Crown winner Secretariat ran his last race in the Canadian International Stakes in 1973. His winning margin of 6½ lengths remains the widest in the history of the race.

In 1988, the Arlington Million was run at Woodbine while Arlington Park was being rebuilt.

Harness racing was introduced to Woodbine racecourse in 1994.

In 1996, Woodbine became the first racecourse outside the United States to host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

Belmont Park Racecourse is set in 430 acres in Elmont, New York. Originally the brainchild of New York financier August Belmont Jr., the racecourse opened in 1905, but has since become synonymous with the Belmont Stakes, run over a mile and a half in June each and the third leg of the Triple Crown. Officially, Belmont Park stages just two meetings a year, but the Spring/Summer meeting lasts for 56 days between April and July and the so-called Fall Championship lasts for 37 days between September and October.

Course Characteristics

Belmont Park actually consists of three left-handed, oval racecourses, arranged concentrically. The outermost dirt racecourse, known locally as “Big Sandy”, has the distinction of being the longest dirt course in North America, at a mile and a half, or 2,400 metres. The Widener turf course, named after an influential family in American racing history, is a little shorter, at a mile and a quarter, or 2,100 metres, and the inner turf course is shorter still at just over nine furlongs, or 1,900 metres. On all three courses, the home straight is less than a quarter of a mile long.

Track Facts

The Belmont Stakes is nicknamed the “Test of the Champion”.

Before 1921, the Belmont Stakes was run clockwise, or right-handed.

Secretariat, who won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths in 1973, still holds the record for the widest winning margin and the fastest time (2:24) in history.

The largest one-day attendance at Belmont Park was 120,139 on June 5, 2004.

Why not check check out more racecourses from around the world.

The Curragh Racecourse is situated in the largest area of the Curragh Plains, known as Greenlands, in Co. Kildare, Ireland. The first official race meeting at the Curragh took place in 1741 and the racecourse has since become the premier horse racing venue in Ireland. In total, the Curragh stages 10 Group 1 races each year, including the Irish 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas, the Irish Oaks, the Irish Derby and the Irish St. Leger.

Course Characteristics

The Curragh consists of a right-handed, undulating, testing horseshoe, two miles in length, with a 3-furlong home straight that is almost all uphill. Races over a mile start on one adjoining chute and races over five, six and seven furlongs start on another. On the straight course horses drawn high hold a slight advantage in large fields.

Track Facts

The Curragh is mentioned in the earliest Irish manuscripts as a meeting place of the

Celtic Kings, where horse racing took place alongside other sporting activities.

‘Curragh’ means ‘place of the running horse’.

The first Irish Derby took place at the Curragh in 1866.

The largest one-day attendance at the Curragh was 31,136 for the Irish Derby meeting in 2003.

Unlike the English equivalent, the Irish St. Leger is open to older horses as well as three-year-olds and geldings as well as colts and fillies.