The Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney is one of the most famous racecourses in Australia. Here is some information about the track and a list of some of the most popular races at the Royal Randwick Racecourse that occur throughout the year.
The first event was held at Randwick in 1833 as a private event, but the course was only used for training beginning in 1840. It resumed races in the 1860s after the Australian Jockey Club was formed and moved its headquarters there. Originally just known as Randwick Racecourse, it earned the extra moniker “Royal” after Queen Elizabeth II visited the course in 1992 to open a new grandstand and approved the addition.
Australian Derby
The Australian Derby is a Group 1 thoroughbred race that was first run in 1861 under the name AJC Randwick Derby Stakes and was won by Kyogle. The distance of the race is 2400 meters and has been since 1972 when the metric system was implemented. The total prize money is $2,000,000 and has been won by some of the greatest racehorses in the world including Poseidon (1906), Phar Lap (1929), Tulloch (1957), and Kingston Town (1980). Explosive Jack was the latest winner in 2021.
The Everest
The Everest is the richest turf race in the world with a current prize money total of $15,000,000. It is held in October as part of the annual Sydney Spring Carnival. It is a new race, only having been inaugurated in 2017. The race is right-handed and is 1,200 meters in distance. The latest win was in October 2021 by gelding Nature Strip who was ridden by jockey James McDonald. This is a massive event in the world of horseracing and should be attended at least once.
The Australian Oaks
This race was inaugurated in 1885 as the AJC Oaks. It is a right-handed Group 1 race with a distance of 2400 meters and has a total prize purse of $1,000,000. Famous champion racehorse Verry Elleegant won the race in 2019, while the most recent winner was Hungry Heart in April of 2021. If you want to increase your Australian Oaks odds of winning, then it is recommended to do your research and see what previous races the favorites have won. Some other notable winners of the race include Research in 1989, Surround in 1977, Leilani in 1974, and Evening Peal in 1956. The first horse to win the race was called Uralla.
Queen Elizabeth Stakes
Originally known as the Queen’s Plate, this Group 1 thoroughbred race was first run in 1851. The prize money was increased from $500,000 to $14,000,000 in 2014 making it the richest race in the Sydney Spring Carnival until 2017 when The Everest was inaugurated. The distance of the race has been set at 2000 meters since 1986. There have been many distance changes to the race since its inauguration, starting at 3 miles in length. Only a few racehorses have won the race three times: Carbine (1889–91, as the AJC Plate), Trafalgar (1909, 1911–12, AJC Plate), David (1921–23, AJC Plate), and Tulloch (1958, 1960–61). The most recent three-time champion was Winx who won successive races in 2017, 2018, 2019, while the most recent winner was Addeybb who won in 2020 and 2021.
If you are looking for the most prestigious races held in Sydney a visit to the Royal Randwick Racecourse is your best bet.
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