Harness racing in Australia
Encyclopedia
Harness racing
, also colloquially known as trotting, is an important spectator sport
in Australia
, with large amounts of money wagered annually with bookmaker
s and the Totalisator Agency Board (TAB). In Australia there are 91 harness racing tracks, which hold over 1,900 meetings annually. There are approximately 2,900 drivers and 4,000 trainers with about 5,000 Standardbred horses foaled and registered each year.
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are run over longer distances. Harness racing tracks typically measure from 700 to 1,000 metres.
Racing is administered by Harness Racing Australia (HRA) (formerly known as the Australian Harness Racing Council), with each State’s Principal Racing Authority agreeing to abide by, and to enforce the rules and regulations.
Race meetings are often conducted at night, with many major metropolitan meetings held on Friday and Saturday nights. Standardbred racing in Australia differs slightly from American racing, in that it uses the metric system to measure distances and there are often more starters in a race.
Races are started in one of two ways, either from behind a mobile barrier, using a mobile start or behind tapes from a standing start. The mobile barrier is usually a car or ute
with two long arms, behind which the horses line up before moving to the starting line. The barrier may cover the entire track and in some cases the mobile can be ten horses wide. When the wings of the gate swing back, the starting vehicle speeds off, thus releasing the horses. This is the most common method of starting pacers and trotters in Australia.
The Australian International Design Awards winning AVA Integrity Mobile starting gates are used in Australia and include auto start. This innovation allows the starter to concentrate on the horses and contributes to integrity and fairness during the "score up". The modern starting gates use only a driver for steering the vehicle and a starter in the rear to observe the race and call a false start if required.
A standing start is made where horses stand flat footed behind an elastic tape that is connected across the track. Usually there are multiple tapes across the track at 10 or 5 metre intervals; this allows handicappers to handicap horses. This may be done on wins in certain classes or on a discretionary basis. Both pacers and trotters races are conducted from standing starts.
is a major harness racing competition conducted between horses from Australia and New Zealand
. This series has been contested since 1936 and the racing alternates between Australia and New Zealand. The Australasian Pacers Grand Circuit
is a Group One
(G1) event that was designed to be the showpiece of the Australian and New Zealand Harness Racing Industry.
Other important Group One races include the Miracle Mile
, A G Hunter Cup
, Chariots of Fire
, Victoria Cup, Australian Pacing Championship
, Australian Pacing Gold
, Inter Dominion Pacing Championship
and Inter Dominion Trotting Championship
The premier juvenile harness racing series in the Southern Hemisphere
is the Australasian Breeders Crown
for the best two, three and four year old trotters and pacers from Australia and New Zealand. Other leading three-year-old events include the New South Wales Derby
, Victoria Derby
, West Australian Derby and Queensland Derby.
An independent company Australian Pacing Gold Limited (APG), owned by the three principal clubs, is responsible for the three major eastern states’ harness tracks:
APG conducts the premier yearling sales in the three eastern states and manages a sales linked futurity race series for two-year-old and three-year-old pacers that were foaled in eastern Australia and sold at APG sales.
Trotting races commenced on 30 April 1810 at Parramatta, New South Wales
when the first event was held during a sports carnival and was won by Miss Kitty by the imported (Old) Hector, an Arabian stallion that was used for breeding Thoroughbred
s.
In 1834 Western Australia held its first trotting race at Fremantle and in 1844 Tasmania recorded its first trotting event at Launceston.
The first organized race meeting for trotters and pacers in Australia was held 21 January 1860 on the racecourse at Flemington, Victoria
. The feature event was the Harness Race, which had a purse of 100 sovereigns. Trotting under saddle was another event which held that day and it had a purse of 50 sovereigns.
The Ballarat and Creswick Trotting Club was established in 1861 becoming Australia's first club formed specifically to promote Harness Racing.
In 1882 Australia’s first harness racing track was constructed at Elsternwick Park (Melbourne). The same year Queensland's first trotting race was arranged by the Brisbane Driving Park Club and held at Eagle Farm. Tasmania's first all-trotting meeting was held at Newtown in 1884.
A meeting was conducted under electric lights on 6 February 1890 at what is now Harold Park Paceway. Further introductions of night trotting on floodlit tracks led to an increase in attendances and the devlopement of a major racing industry.
In 1902 the New South Wales Trotting Club was established to formalise harness racing after the Government had banned unregistered racing. On 19 November 1902, the inaugural meeting was held on the Forest Lodge course as it was then known, later known as Epping until 21 March 1929, and then afterwards known as Harold Park.
The mobile barrier was introduced by William (Bill) George Smith, a Sydney motor body builder who had a passion for harness racing and wanted to make it more exciting for the public and punters. It was first used at Harold Park, New South Wales track on 2 November 1956 in a mile race won by Mineral Spring in 2:01.2. Mobile barrier starting was the only modernisation of Harness Racing in its long history (which can be traced back to the Romans and further), and it is generally accredited with increasing the sports' longevity in to the 21st century. The mobile barrier is now used worldwide, though ironically the Harold Park track where it was first used is now closed.
On 7 July 1975 in Queensland, Junior Harness Racing was founded by a group of breeders to give young people, aged between 6 and 16, an opportunity to obtain a practical introduction to the Harness Racing Industry. The children have the opportunity to drive Shetland ponies
in harness under race conditions. No prizemoney is payable on pony races, however winners and placegetters receive medallions.
, let alone a Thoroughbred racehorse, whereas most families had a horse which could be driven as well as ridden. Initially trotting events were scheduled for Trotting under saddle and Hack trots. Various allowances were made for horses measuring under 15 hands 1 inch, too. In 1893 hopples were used for the first time in a race at a Kensington, New South Wales
meeting on the imported gelding, Plain Bill. Early in the twentieth century races for trotters drawing light carts or high two-wheeled sulkies were introduced and later specially designed light, smaller wheeled gigs were used.
Sir William Don an inbred Thoroughbred gelding bred by Mr. Mackenzie in 1856 near the Murrumbidgee River
became the 13th fastest pacer in the harness racing world. He was by Mozart (GB) from a mare by the same Mozart. This gelding was able to maintain a good speed while racing free-legged, i.e. unhoppled, and was the best Australian bred harness horse up until the 1870s.
Vancleve (USA) was imported to Australia in 1882 and held the Australian mile record for trotters. He later sired the immortal Fritz, an all time trotting champion. Fritz, was foaled in 189O and broke the previous Australian Standardbred time record by more than 10 seconds for the mile. Vancleve's progeny won him leading sire titles in Australia and New Zealand, although he did not stand at stud in New Zealand.
Andrew Town of Richmond, New South Wales
imported the Kentucky bred, Childe Harold (by Harold) in 1882 for £3,935. Childe Harold had won in 1874 the International Trot at Liverpool, England. In 1879, he won an important race in France, and he was then taken on a tour of the Continent. In that year, he won races in Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany and also in Russia, where he won two big trotting events. This stallion produced superior quality trotters and 45 of his sons became sires. Childe Harold’s name can still be found in some of today’s Standardbred pedigrees. Harold Park was named in honour of Childe Harold.
Globe Derby, foaled 1910 in Australia, was the champion pacer of his day and then went on to become a Leading Australian Sire for twelve successive seasons and still has present day descendants racing.
In 1934 Springfield Globe by Globe Derby was foaled in Tasmania and later won the Inter Dominion. Springfield Globe was an outstanding sire that produced 229 winners. Dual gaited U Scott (USA) was exported to New Zealand in 1935 as a two year old where he became the outstanding sire of 410 winners of $2,315,503 and his name features prominently in the bloodlines of many of Australasia’s greatest horses.
The New South Wales bred, Lawn Derby, racing un-hoppled, was the first pacer to break the two-minute barrier in Australia or New Zealand when he recorded 1:59.4 at the Addington track in New Zealand in 1938.
In 1952 at Harold Park Avian Derby became the first two-minute pacer in Australia. Ribands broke the two-minute mile in 1954 at Harold Park in a time trial of 1:58.7. He raced later in America where he took his total of wins to 41 and earnings to $82,385.
In 1958 Edgar Tatlow imported Meadow Vance (USA) by Adios
from Subway by Billy Direct, who sired 328 winners and was the first Australian sire to get 100 credits under 2:10. Meadow Vance was also an outstanding broodmare sire.
Thor Hanover (foaled 1959, USA) by Adios was imported to Australia where he became one of the countries most important sires, having over 400 winners to his credit, including Gammalite
and Rip Van Winkle.
On 13 February 1960 at Harold Park Caduceus
from New Zealand defeated Australia's Apmat by half a length in the final of the Inter Dominion before a world record crowd of 50,346. In America, Apmat defeated their best performer, Bye Bye Byrd (the first harness horse to win more than $500,000) by a head in 3:07 for the mile and a half.
In 1963 Cardigan Bay
from New Zealand, one of the truly great Standardbred racehorses, won the Inter Dominion Pacing Championship final in Adelaide before going to America. There he became the ninth horse worldwide to win one million dollars, (the first eight were Thoroughbred
s).
The dual gaited, Mount Eden (1966) won eight of his eleven starts including, six successive races as a three-year-old (3yo), shattering a series of State, Australian and World Records in the process, including the world record 2:04.0 for a 3yo over 1½ miles (1970). His owners later accepted an American offer of $300,000, at that time the highest price paid for an Australian horse – Standardbred or Thoroughbred. Mount Eden was unraced in America owing to injury and retired to stud there but he was poorly patronized and returned to Western Australia.
Maori's Idol
became the first Australian trotter to break two minutes with a time of 1:59.3. on 19 November 1977 at Moonee Valley. He was one of Australia's greatest trotters and he won 24 successive races before placing in the 1978 Melbourne Inter-Dominion Final.
Pure Steel
, in 1977, 1978 and 1980 became the only pacer to win the A G Hunter Cup
, three times and he also won the WA Benson & Hedges Cup four times. He was the first Standardbred to win A$500,000 in Australia.
San Simeon
had a record winning sequence of 29 races from his first start as a two year old until his defeat in the 1981 Interdominion. He began his 29 race winning sequence by winning all 10 starts as a two year old. He was voted the 1978/9 Australian Two-Year-Old champion and the $50,162 he earned that season was a new Australian record for a horse of his age.
Gammalite
won 16 Group one races and became the first Australian bred Standardbred horse to win a million dollars in 1983. He was also the Australasian Pacers Grand Circuit
champion during 1982, 1983 and 1984, and twice won the Inter Dominion Pacing Championship Grand Final.
The Australian pacing horse with the most race wins is Cane Smoke, by Smart Lobell (USA) out of Hondo Marie. This gelding had total of 120 wins during the 1980s and early 1990s. He started about 400 times and recorded 34 wins in a single season. The second best pacer was Paleface Adios
with a total of 108 wins, followed by the trotters, True Roman, a gelding with 73 wins and the filly Scotch Notch
with 67 wins and winner of two Inter Dominion trotting championships.
Our Sir Vancelot
(NZ) was the first horse to win three successive Inter Dominion Pacing Championships, during 1997-98-99 and also numerous Grand Circuit and Group One events.
Blacks A Fake
won the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010 Inter Dominion Championships, making him the only four-time winner of Australasia's premier harness race.
Australia was one of the last harness racing and Standardbred breeding countries to adopt Artificial Insemination (AI) as a legitimate means of equine reproduction.
New South Wales
Harness racing in New South Wales is controlled by Harness Racing New South Wales (HRNSW). New South Wales' premier track and metropolitan headquarters used to be at Harold Park Paceway
, located at Glebe in Sydney until it was sold for over $150million. This enabled a new state of the art 1,400 m track at Menangle to be built. Other major TAB tracks in the state include Newcastle, Penrith, Bankstown, Bathurst, Wagga and Young. On 17 December 2010 the last race meeting was held at Harold Park Paceway with Karlow Mick winning the final event. The winning post was sold for $10,000 to Ray Hadley with the proceeds going to Lifeline
. Koala King
holds the record for the most wins here, with his tally of 40.
Queensland
Queensland Harness Racing (QHR) control harness racing in Queensland. The state's major metropolitan track is Albion Park in Brisbane. TAB
-covered tracks are also located at Gold Coast and Redcliffe.
Queensland horses dominated many feature races around the country in 2006/2007, including the Be Good Johnny
winning the Miracle Mile
, Blacks A Fake
winning the Victoria Cup, the Inter Dominion
and the M H Treuer Memorial.
South Australia
Harness racing in South Australia is controlled by Harness Racing South Australia (HRSA). The state's premier track is Globe Derby Park in Adelaide. TAB
-covered tracks are also located at Victor Harbour and Port Pirie.
Tasmania
Harness Racing Tasmania (HRT) is the controlling body of harness racing in Tasmania. The state's major tracks are located at Hobart and Launceston, with major meetings held in the Sunday twilight timeslot.
Harness racing is conducted at the following Tasmanian clubs:
Victoria
Harness racing in Victoria is controlled by Harness Racing Victoria
(HRV). The state's metropolitan track is Tabcorp Park, Melton. Victorian harness racing meetings are usually held seven days a week, with major provincial tracks including Cranbourne, Bendigo, Ballarat, Kilmore, Shepparton and Mildura.
Vicbred, an Australian racing and breeding program with annual prize money and bonuses totalling $4.35 million and HRV's Free to Race policy were designed to encourage more owners into the harness racing industry.
In 2009, Harness Racing Victoria opened a new racing complex at Melton
, which incorporates a 1,000 metre track as well as a host of amenities such as restaurants, gaming machines, hotel accommodation and conference facilities. The new Melton track has replaced the existing metropolitan track at Moonee Valley.
Western Australia
Racing and Wagering Western Australia
(RWWA) are the controllers of harness racing in Western Australia. Gloucester Park
in Perth is the headquarters of harness racing in Western Australia. TAB
-covered tracks are also located at Pinjarra and Northam.
Harness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...
, also colloquially known as trotting, is an important spectator sport
Spectator sport
A spectator sport is a sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its matches. For instance, Tennis, Rugby, F-1, baseball, basketball, cricket, football , and ice hockey are spectator sports, while hunting or underwater hockey typically are not...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, with large amounts of money wagered annually with bookmaker
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
s and the Totalisator Agency Board (TAB). In Australia there are 91 harness racing tracks, which hold over 1,900 meetings annually. There are approximately 2,900 drivers and 4,000 trainers with about 5,000 Standardbred horses foaled and registered each year.
Racing
Harness racing in Australia is conducted with Standardbred horses racing around a track while pulling a driver in a two wheeled cart called a “sulky", "gig" or "bike". Standardbred racehorses compete in two gaits, pacing and trotting, and trotters may enter pacing events, but not vice versa. Pacers contest 80% to 90% of Australian harness races. Races are conducted in an anti-clockwise direction generally over distances from 1,609 metres (1 mile) to 2,650 metres, although some races such as the A G Hunter CupA G Hunter Cup
The A.G. Hunter Cup is a competition in Harness racing. It is contested over 3,050 metres at Tabcorp Park in Melbourne, VIC. It is one of the world's richest handicap standing start events, currently worth A$425,000...
are run over longer distances. Harness racing tracks typically measure from 700 to 1,000 metres.
Racing is administered by Harness Racing Australia (HRA) (formerly known as the Australian Harness Racing Council), with each State’s Principal Racing Authority agreeing to abide by, and to enforce the rules and regulations.
Race meetings are often conducted at night, with many major metropolitan meetings held on Friday and Saturday nights. Standardbred racing in Australia differs slightly from American racing, in that it uses the metric system to measure distances and there are often more starters in a race.
Races are started in one of two ways, either from behind a mobile barrier, using a mobile start or behind tapes from a standing start. The mobile barrier is usually a car or ute
Utility vehicle
Utility vehicle is used to describe a vehicle, generally motorized, that is designed for a specific task.-Sport utility vehicle:Vehicles similar to a station wagon but built on a light-truck chassis, usually with off-road capability....
with two long arms, behind which the horses line up before moving to the starting line. The barrier may cover the entire track and in some cases the mobile can be ten horses wide. When the wings of the gate swing back, the starting vehicle speeds off, thus releasing the horses. This is the most common method of starting pacers and trotters in Australia.
The Australian International Design Awards winning AVA Integrity Mobile starting gates are used in Australia and include auto start. This innovation allows the starter to concentrate on the horses and contributes to integrity and fairness during the "score up". The modern starting gates use only a driver for steering the vehicle and a starter in the rear to observe the race and call a false start if required.
A standing start is made where horses stand flat footed behind an elastic tape that is connected across the track. Usually there are multiple tapes across the track at 10 or 5 metre intervals; this allows handicappers to handicap horses. This may be done on wins in certain classes or on a discretionary basis. Both pacers and trotters races are conducted from standing starts.
Major races
The Inter DominionInter Dominion
The Inter Dominion is a harness racing competition that has been contested since 1936 in Australia and New Zealand. The host of the series is rotated between the six harness racing states of Australia and the North and South Islands of New Zealand...
is a major harness racing competition conducted between horses from Australia and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. This series has been contested since 1936 and the racing alternates between Australia and New Zealand. The Australasian Pacers Grand Circuit
Australasian Pacers Grand Circuit
The Australian Grand Circuit for Pacers began in 1977 and was designed to be the showpiece of the Australian Harness Racing Industry with horses competing from every state within Australia. In 1992 New Zealand was admitted and the Circuit was renamed the Australasian Grand Circuit.The best horses...
is a Group One
Group One
Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...
(G1) event that was designed to be the showpiece of the Australian and New Zealand Harness Racing Industry.
Other important Group One races include the Miracle Mile
Miracle Mile (race)
The Miracle Mile is an Australian harness racing event that was held at Harold Park Racetrack each November up until 2008 when the race was switched to Menangle Park. Prizemoney has long been among that of Australia’s leading harness races and has often included bonuses for speed...
, A G Hunter Cup
A G Hunter Cup
The A.G. Hunter Cup is a competition in Harness racing. It is contested over 3,050 metres at Tabcorp Park in Melbourne, VIC. It is one of the world's richest handicap standing start events, currently worth A$425,000...
, Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire (harness race)
The Chariots of Fire is the single richest four-year-old harness race for Standardbreds in Australia.- Winners list :...
, Victoria Cup, Australian Pacing Championship
Australian Pacing Championship
The Australian Pacing Championship is a harness racing event showcasing some of Australia's and New Zealand’s best pacers. It is currently held annually at Gloucester Park in Perth.-Results:* Race recorded in km rate...
, Australian Pacing Gold
Australian Pacing Gold
The Australian Pacing Gold is standardbred yearling sales company that operate a futurity series for horses sold out of the Australian Pacing Gold sales held all over Australia. The series is well known around Australia for its rich finals, especially for 2 year olds. Currently the two 2 year old...
, Inter Dominion Pacing Championship
Inter Dominion Pacing Championship
The Inter Dominion is a harness racing competition that has been contested since 1936 in Australia and New Zealand. The host of the series is rotated between the six harness racing states of Australia and the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The rotation of the Championships is fixed...
and Inter Dominion Trotting Championship
Inter Dominion Trotting Championship
The Inter Dominion Trotting Championship Grand Final is a race for trotters within the overall Inter Dominion series. The series is held each year, and is a harness racing competition for both trotters and pacers that has been contested since 1936 in Australia and New Zealand...
The premier juvenile harness racing series in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
is the Australasian Breeders Crown
Australasian Breeders Crown
The Australasian Breeders Crown is a futurity race series for horses bred in Australia and New Zealand. The series is for two, three and four-year-old pacers and trotters.It is held on a Sunday in late August at Tabcorp Park in Melton, Victoria....
for the best two, three and four year old trotters and pacers from Australia and New Zealand. Other leading three-year-old events include the New South Wales Derby
New South Wales Derby
The New South Wales Derby is a classic harness racing competition for three-year-old horses held annually at Harold Park in Sydney....
, Victoria Derby
Victoria Derby (harness)
The Victoria Derby is Australia's oldest classic harness race, dating back to 1914 when it was contested on the old Richmond circuit.-Winners:* 1914 Lucap* 1915 Countess Chimes* 1916 Princess Chimes* 1917-1922 not contested* 1923 Vinmont Chimes...
, West Australian Derby and Queensland Derby.
An independent company Australian Pacing Gold Limited (APG), owned by the three principal clubs, is responsible for the three major eastern states’ harness tracks:
- NSW Harness Racing Club (Tabcorp Park, Menangle),
- Albion Park Harness Racing Club (Albion Park, Brisbane), and
- Harness Racing Victoria (Tabcorp Park, Melton).
APG conducts the premier yearling sales in the three eastern states and manages a sales linked futurity race series for two-year-old and three-year-old pacers that were foaled in eastern Australia and sold at APG sales.
Early meetings and clubs
Parramatta, New South Wales
Parramatta is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Parramatta...
when the first event was held during a sports carnival and was won by Miss Kitty by the imported (Old) Hector, an Arabian stallion that was used for breeding Thoroughbred
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...
s.
In 1834 Western Australia held its first trotting race at Fremantle and in 1844 Tasmania recorded its first trotting event at Launceston.
The first organized race meeting for trotters and pacers in Australia was held 21 January 1860 on the racecourse at Flemington, Victoria
Flemington, Victoria
Flemington is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, situated between the Maribyrnong River and Moonee Ponds Creek 4 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. It was named by settler James Watson after Flemington estate in Scotland. Its Local Government Areas are the...
. The feature event was the Harness Race, which had a purse of 100 sovereigns. Trotting under saddle was another event which held that day and it had a purse of 50 sovereigns.
The Ballarat and Creswick Trotting Club was established in 1861 becoming Australia's first club formed specifically to promote Harness Racing.
In 1882 Australia’s first harness racing track was constructed at Elsternwick Park (Melbourne). The same year Queensland's first trotting race was arranged by the Brisbane Driving Park Club and held at Eagle Farm. Tasmania's first all-trotting meeting was held at Newtown in 1884.
A meeting was conducted under electric lights on 6 February 1890 at what is now Harold Park Paceway. Further introductions of night trotting on floodlit tracks led to an increase in attendances and the devlopement of a major racing industry.
In 1902 the New South Wales Trotting Club was established to formalise harness racing after the Government had banned unregistered racing. On 19 November 1902, the inaugural meeting was held on the Forest Lodge course as it was then known, later known as Epping until 21 March 1929, and then afterwards known as Harold Park.
The mobile barrier was introduced by William (Bill) George Smith, a Sydney motor body builder who had a passion for harness racing and wanted to make it more exciting for the public and punters. It was first used at Harold Park, New South Wales track on 2 November 1956 in a mile race won by Mineral Spring in 2:01.2. Mobile barrier starting was the only modernisation of Harness Racing in its long history (which can be traced back to the Romans and further), and it is generally accredited with increasing the sports' longevity in to the 21st century. The mobile barrier is now used worldwide, though ironically the Harold Park track where it was first used is now closed.
On 7 July 1975 in Queensland, Junior Harness Racing was founded by a group of breeders to give young people, aged between 6 and 16, an opportunity to obtain a practical introduction to the Harness Racing Industry. The children have the opportunity to drive Shetland ponies
Shetland pony
The Shetland pony is a breed of pony originating in the Shetland Isles. Shetlands range in size from a minimum height of approximately 28 inches to an official maximum height of 42 inches at the withers. Shetland ponies have heavy coats, short legs and are considered quite intelligent...
in harness under race conditions. No prizemoney is payable on pony races, however winners and placegetters receive medallions.
Horses
Harness racing became a popular sport as few people could afford the expense of a hackHack (horse)
Hack within the activity of equestrianism commonly refers to one of two things: as a verb, it describes the act of riding a horse for light exercise, and as a noun, it is a type of horse used for riding out at ordinary speeds over roads and trails...
, let alone a Thoroughbred racehorse, whereas most families had a horse which could be driven as well as ridden. Initially trotting events were scheduled for Trotting under saddle and Hack trots. Various allowances were made for horses measuring under 15 hands 1 inch, too. In 1893 hopples were used for the first time in a race at a Kensington, New South Wales
Kensington, New South Wales
Kensington is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kensington is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Randwick, in the Eastern Suburbs region...
meeting on the imported gelding, Plain Bill. Early in the twentieth century races for trotters drawing light carts or high two-wheeled sulkies were introduced and later specially designed light, smaller wheeled gigs were used.
Sir William Don an inbred Thoroughbred gelding bred by Mr. Mackenzie in 1856 near the Murrumbidgee River
Murrumbidgee River
The Murrumbidgee River is a major river in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory . A major tributary of the Murray River, the Murrumbidgee flows in a west-northwesterly direction from the foot of Peppercorn Hill in the Fiery Range of the Snowy Mountains,...
became the 13th fastest pacer in the harness racing world. He was by Mozart (GB) from a mare by the same Mozart. This gelding was able to maintain a good speed while racing free-legged, i.e. unhoppled, and was the best Australian bred harness horse up until the 1870s.
Vancleve (USA) was imported to Australia in 1882 and held the Australian mile record for trotters. He later sired the immortal Fritz, an all time trotting champion. Fritz, was foaled in 189O and broke the previous Australian Standardbred time record by more than 10 seconds for the mile. Vancleve's progeny won him leading sire titles in Australia and New Zealand, although he did not stand at stud in New Zealand.
Andrew Town of Richmond, New South Wales
Richmond, New South Wales
Richmond is a town in New South Wales, north-west of Sydney, in the Local Government Area of the City of Hawkesbury. It is located at a latitude of 33° 35' 54" South and a longitude of 150°45' 04" east, 19 metres above sea level on the alluvial Hawkesbury River flats, at the foot of the Blue...
imported the Kentucky bred, Childe Harold (by Harold) in 1882 for £3,935. Childe Harold had won in 1874 the International Trot at Liverpool, England. In 1879, he won an important race in France, and he was then taken on a tour of the Continent. In that year, he won races in Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany and also in Russia, where he won two big trotting events. This stallion produced superior quality trotters and 45 of his sons became sires. Childe Harold’s name can still be found in some of today’s Standardbred pedigrees. Harold Park was named in honour of Childe Harold.
Globe Derby, foaled 1910 in Australia, was the champion pacer of his day and then went on to become a Leading Australian Sire for twelve successive seasons and still has present day descendants racing.
In 1934 Springfield Globe by Globe Derby was foaled in Tasmania and later won the Inter Dominion. Springfield Globe was an outstanding sire that produced 229 winners. Dual gaited U Scott (USA) was exported to New Zealand in 1935 as a two year old where he became the outstanding sire of 410 winners of $2,315,503 and his name features prominently in the bloodlines of many of Australasia’s greatest horses.
The New South Wales bred, Lawn Derby, racing un-hoppled, was the first pacer to break the two-minute barrier in Australia or New Zealand when he recorded 1:59.4 at the Addington track in New Zealand in 1938.
In 1952 at Harold Park Avian Derby became the first two-minute pacer in Australia. Ribands broke the two-minute mile in 1954 at Harold Park in a time trial of 1:58.7. He raced later in America where he took his total of wins to 41 and earnings to $82,385.
In 1958 Edgar Tatlow imported Meadow Vance (USA) by Adios
Adios (racehorse)
Adios was a champion harness racing sire.The son of Hal Dale and the mare Adioo Volo, the horse named Adios was born on January 3, 1940 at Two Gaits Farm, in Carmel, Indiana. Trained and driven by Frank Ervin and for a while owned by Harry Warner of Warner Bros. film studio, Adios was a multiple...
from Subway by Billy Direct, who sired 328 winners and was the first Australian sire to get 100 credits under 2:10. Meadow Vance was also an outstanding broodmare sire.
Thor Hanover (foaled 1959, USA) by Adios was imported to Australia where he became one of the countries most important sires, having over 400 winners to his credit, including Gammalite
Gammalite
Gammalite was an Australian bred Standardbred racehorse who was the first Standardbred to win A$1 million in Australia. He was regarded as one of Australia's most successful pacers with 16 Group one wins....
and Rip Van Winkle.
On 13 February 1960 at Harold Park Caduceus
Caduceus (horse)
Caduceus was a New Zealand bred Standardbred racehorse. Caduceus is notable for winning the 1960 Inter Dominion Trotting Championship, trotting's premiership event in Australia and New Zealand, from a handicap of 36 yards, in front of a world record crowd...
from New Zealand defeated Australia's Apmat by half a length in the final of the Inter Dominion before a world record crowd of 50,346. In America, Apmat defeated their best performer, Bye Bye Byrd (the first harness horse to win more than $500,000) by a head in 3:07 for the mile and a half.
In 1963 Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay (horse)
Cardigan Bay was a New Zealand Harness racing horse foaled 1 September 1956. Affectionately known as "Cardy", he was the first Standardbred to win US$1 million in prize money in North America. He was the ninth horse worldwide to win one million dollars,...
from New Zealand, one of the truly great Standardbred racehorses, won the Inter Dominion Pacing Championship final in Adelaide before going to America. There he became the ninth horse worldwide to win one million dollars, (the first eight were Thoroughbred
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...
s).
The dual gaited, Mount Eden (1966) won eight of his eleven starts including, six successive races as a three-year-old (3yo), shattering a series of State, Australian and World Records in the process, including the world record 2:04.0 for a 3yo over 1½ miles (1970). His owners later accepted an American offer of $300,000, at that time the highest price paid for an Australian horse – Standardbred or Thoroughbred. Mount Eden was unraced in America owing to injury and retired to stud there but he was poorly patronized and returned to Western Australia.
Maori's Idol
Maori's Idol
Maori’s Idol was an Australian Standardbred racehorse. He was the first Australian trotter to break two minutes with a time of 1:59.3 on 19 November 1977 at Moonee Valley. Maori’s Idol became one of Australia's greatest trotters, with a record 24 successive race victories before placing in the...
became the first Australian trotter to break two minutes with a time of 1:59.3. on 19 November 1977 at Moonee Valley. He was one of Australia's greatest trotters and he won 24 successive races before placing in the 1978 Melbourne Inter-Dominion Final.
Pure Steel
Pure Steel
Pure Steel is the only pacer to win the A G Hunter Cup, a race over 3,050 metres and the richest handicap race for pacers in the world, three times, in 1977, 1978 and 1980. He was the first Standardbred horse to win A$500,000 in Australia. Pure Steel also won the WA Benson & Hedges Cup four times...
, in 1977, 1978 and 1980 became the only pacer to win the A G Hunter Cup
A G Hunter Cup
The A.G. Hunter Cup is a competition in Harness racing. It is contested over 3,050 metres at Tabcorp Park in Melbourne, VIC. It is one of the world's richest handicap standing start events, currently worth A$425,000...
, three times and he also won the WA Benson & Hedges Cup four times. He was the first Standardbred to win A$500,000 in Australia.
San Simeon
San Simeon (horse)
San Simeon is a Standardbred pacer from Western Australia best known for his Australasian record winning sequence of 29 races from his first start as a two year old until his defeat by Michael Frost during the 1981 Interdominion series in Hobart, Tasmania...
had a record winning sequence of 29 races from his first start as a two year old until his defeat in the 1981 Interdominion. He began his 29 race winning sequence by winning all 10 starts as a two year old. He was voted the 1978/9 Australian Two-Year-Old champion and the $50,162 he earned that season was a new Australian record for a horse of his age.
Gammalite
Gammalite
Gammalite was an Australian bred Standardbred racehorse who was the first Standardbred to win A$1 million in Australia. He was regarded as one of Australia's most successful pacers with 16 Group one wins....
won 16 Group one races and became the first Australian bred Standardbred horse to win a million dollars in 1983. He was also the Australasian Pacers Grand Circuit
Australasian Pacers Grand Circuit
The Australian Grand Circuit for Pacers began in 1977 and was designed to be the showpiece of the Australian Harness Racing Industry with horses competing from every state within Australia. In 1992 New Zealand was admitted and the Circuit was renamed the Australasian Grand Circuit.The best horses...
champion during 1982, 1983 and 1984, and twice won the Inter Dominion Pacing Championship Grand Final.
The Australian pacing horse with the most race wins is Cane Smoke, by Smart Lobell (USA) out of Hondo Marie. This gelding had total of 120 wins during the 1980s and early 1990s. He started about 400 times and recorded 34 wins in a single season. The second best pacer was Paleface Adios
Paleface Adios
Paleface Adios was an Australian harness racing horse which competed as a pacer throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. He raced from 1972 to 1981, when there was top competition from the likes of the Hondo Grattan, Robalan and Pure Steel.He was a chestnut Standardbred pacer with a white blaze and...
with a total of 108 wins, followed by the trotters, True Roman, a gelding with 73 wins and the filly Scotch Notch
Scotch Notch
Scotch Notch is an Australian Standardbred mare, the current world record holder for the Trotters One Mile Time Trial set 3 September or 9 March 1985 at Moonee Valley, Victoria, Australia. She won the 1983 and 1985 Inter Dominion Trotting Championship...
with 67 wins and winner of two Inter Dominion trotting championships.
Our Sir Vancelot
Our Sir Vancelot
Our Sir Vancelot is a New Zealand, standardbred stallion. Known as Sir Vancelot in New Zealand, he won a record three straight Inter Dominion finals, 1997, 1998 and 1999...
(NZ) was the first horse to win three successive Inter Dominion Pacing Championships, during 1997-98-99 and also numerous Grand Circuit and Group One events.
Blacks A Fake
Blacks A Fake
Blacks A Fake is a brown Standardbred gelding that won the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010 Inter Dominion Championships, making him the only four-time winner of Australasia's premier harness race. He finished second, beaten by a long neck, in the 2009 Inter Dominion to Mr Feelgood...
won the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010 Inter Dominion Championships, making him the only four-time winner of Australasia's premier harness race.
Australia was one of the last harness racing and Standardbred breeding countries to adopt Artificial Insemination (AI) as a legitimate means of equine reproduction.
EI outbreak
Equine influenza (EI) was initially discovered in a metropolitan Sydney horse complex in late August 2007, and spread to many areas of New South Wales and southern Queensland, mainly through the pleasure horse industry. This immediately stopped all equine pursuits nationwide, but soon racing in those states without EI cases resumed. The entire racing industry was put under great pressure because of a lack of racing for Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds.New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
Harness racing in New South Wales is controlled by Harness Racing New South Wales (HRNSW). New South Wales' premier track and metropolitan headquarters used to be at Harold Park PacewayHarold Park Paceway
Harold Park Paceway was a harness racing track in Glebe, New South Wales. It was a half-mile track but was just 739m in circumference until some changes in recent years...
, located at Glebe in Sydney until it was sold for over $150million. This enabled a new state of the art 1,400 m track at Menangle to be built. Other major TAB tracks in the state include Newcastle, Penrith, Bankstown, Bathurst, Wagga and Young. On 17 December 2010 the last race meeting was held at Harold Park Paceway with Karlow Mick winning the final event. The winning post was sold for $10,000 to Ray Hadley with the proceeds going to Lifeline
Lifeline
Lifeline or Lifelines may refer to:Non-Medical In-Home Services to the Elderly:* Lifeline utility, in New Zealand, an essential service during major emergencies* Crisis hotline:** Lifeline , Australia-based, now international...
. Koala King
Koala King
Koala King was a former champion Australian Standardbred pacing horse of the 1970s and 80s who won a host of Australasian Pacers Grand Circuit and feature races including the 1980 Inter Dominion Pacing Championship at Harold Park Paceway and the 1981 A G Hunter Cup...
holds the record for the most wins here, with his tally of 40.
QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
Queensland Harness Racing (QHR) control harness racing in Queensland. The state's major metropolitan track is Albion Park in Brisbane. TABTotalizator Agency Board
Totalisator Agency Board in Australia and New Zealand, universally shortened to TAB, is the name given to monopoly totalisator organisations. All were originally government owned...
-covered tracks are also located at Gold Coast and Redcliffe.
Queensland horses dominated many feature races around the country in 2006/2007, including the Be Good Johnny
Be Good Johnny (horse)
Be Good Johnny is an Australian born Standardbred pacer trained, owned and driven by John McCarthy of Logan Village, Queensland. He started his career later than most at age 5 coming second in a trial at Albion Park on 17 February 2004. His first win came in his next race 2 March 2004 in a C0 to C1...
winning the Miracle Mile
Miracle Mile (race)
The Miracle Mile is an Australian harness racing event that was held at Harold Park Racetrack each November up until 2008 when the race was switched to Menangle Park. Prizemoney has long been among that of Australia’s leading harness races and has often included bonuses for speed...
, Blacks A Fake
Blacks A Fake
Blacks A Fake is a brown Standardbred gelding that won the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010 Inter Dominion Championships, making him the only four-time winner of Australasia's premier harness race. He finished second, beaten by a long neck, in the 2009 Inter Dominion to Mr Feelgood...
winning the Victoria Cup, the Inter Dominion
Inter Dominion
The Inter Dominion is a harness racing competition that has been contested since 1936 in Australia and New Zealand. The host of the series is rotated between the six harness racing states of Australia and the North and South Islands of New Zealand...
and the M H Treuer Memorial.
South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
Harness racing in South Australia is controlled by Harness Racing South Australia (HRSA). The state's premier track is Globe Derby Park in Adelaide. TABTotalizator Agency Board
Totalisator Agency Board in Australia and New Zealand, universally shortened to TAB, is the name given to monopoly totalisator organisations. All were originally government owned...
-covered tracks are also located at Victor Harbour and Port Pirie.
TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
Harness Racing Tasmania (HRT) is the controlling body of harness racing in Tasmania. The state's major tracks are located at Hobart and Launceston, with major meetings held in the Sunday twilight timeslot.Harness racing is conducted at the following Tasmanian clubs:
- Burnie Harness Racing Club
- Carrick Park Pacing Club
- Devonport Harness Racing Club
- King Island Racing Club
- Launceston Pacing Club - The Tote Racing Centre (Mowbray)
- New Norfolk Pacing Club
- North Eastern Pacing Club
- Tasmanian Pacing Club - Tattersall's Park (Elwick)
- St Marys Pacing Club
VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
Harness Racing Victoria
Harness Racing Victoria is a statutory body for which the Victorian Minister for Racing, The Hon. Rob Hulls is responsible. Harness Racing Victoria’s function is to administer, develop and promote the sport of Harness Racing in Victoria....
(HRV). The state's metropolitan track is Tabcorp Park, Melton. Victorian harness racing meetings are usually held seven days a week, with major provincial tracks including Cranbourne, Bendigo, Ballarat, Kilmore, Shepparton and Mildura.
Vicbred, an Australian racing and breeding program with annual prize money and bonuses totalling $4.35 million and HRV's Free to Race policy were designed to encourage more owners into the harness racing industry.
In 2009, Harness Racing Victoria opened a new racing complex at Melton
Melton, Victoria (suburb)
Melton is the central suburb in the city of Melton, located in the outer west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is within the Local Government Area of the Shire of Melton....
, which incorporates a 1,000 metre track as well as a host of amenities such as restaurants, gaming machines, hotel accommodation and conference facilities. The new Melton track has replaced the existing metropolitan track at Moonee Valley.
Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
Racing and Wagering Western AustraliaRacing and Wagering Western Australia
Racing and Wagering Western Australia, or RWWA is a controlling authority for thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing in the state of Western Australia....
(RWWA) are the controllers of harness racing in Western Australia. Gloucester Park
Gloucester Park
Gloucester Park is a harness racing course in Perth, Western Australia. In the suburb of East Perth, the oval course is adjacent to the WACA Ground...
in Perth is the headquarters of harness racing in Western Australia. TAB
Totalizator Agency Board
Totalisator Agency Board in Australia and New Zealand, universally shortened to TAB, is the name given to monopoly totalisator organisations. All were originally government owned...
-covered tracks are also located at Pinjarra and Northam.
See also
- Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting
- Harness racingHarness racingHarness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...
- Harness racing in New ZealandHarness racing in New ZealandHarness racing in New Zealand is more often called trotting in the "old school" rather than the more fashionable name of "harness racing". The sport is long standing with events being held as early as 1864...