Harold Park Paceway
Encyclopedia
Harold Park Paceway was a harness racing
track in Glebe, New South Wales
. It was a half-mile track (804.5 metres) but was just 739m in circumference until some changes in recent years. Races were run over distances of 1,760m, 2,160m, 2,565m and the occasional 2,965m event during the 120 years that it was in use.
Just prior to the turn of the 20th century, and before meetings commenced at Forest Lodge, the present Harold Park course, trotting and pacing was confirmed primarily to match races between enthusiasts without and serious attempt at organisation. Following some preliminary discussions, thirty-three of the sport's keenest supporters met on 4 June 1902 at the saddlery shop of J. McGrath, a well-known harness
maker of the day. Those present at the meeting raised the sum of 19 pounds
17 shilling
s and 6 pence to launch the proposed Club. The general contribution was 2/6 per person, while the maximum donation was 10 guineas by Mr. J.A. Buckland, owner of the famous horse "Fritz."
The Club was incorporated on 10 October 1902, with twenty-two members paying a subscription of two guineas, and the inaugural meeting was held on 19 November 1902, the Forest Lodge course it was then known, being leased from the Metropolitan Rugby Union. Following two meetings at Forest Lodge, racing was continued at the old Kensington Pony course where it was conducted until June 1904. Racing was then resumed at Forest Lodge, which had in the interim period become Epping.
1911 was an eventful year in the history of harness racing in New South Wales
. It marked the recognition by the Colonial Secretary of the Day, of the New South Wales Trotting Club as the Controlling authority of the sport in the state. From that year onwards, successive Governments have continued to give that recognition, until 1976 the control was transferred to the Trotting Authority of NSW. 1911 also included the Club purchasing the course from the Metropolitan Rugby Union for 10,400 pounds.
The track was known as Epping until 21 March 1929, when, due to the confusion of the name with the Sydney suburb, it was renamed Harold Park, after the imported trotter
Childe Harold – one of the great progenitors of the stock of the early night trotting days. The Kentucky
-bred Childe Harold was imported from Glasgow, Scotland by Mr. Andrew Town of Richmond
, New South Wales
.
1 October 1949, marked the advent of night racing, as the result of legislation enacted with the support of all parties in the State Parliament. From its early obscurity, Harold Park has become known worldwide as the venue of one of Australia's most spectacular night entertainments.
Without doubt the most memorable race is that which took place on 13 February 1960, when the "mighty atom" Caduceus
from New Zealand defeated Australia's Apmat in the final of the Inter Dominion before a world record
crowd of 50,346. Over the previous two weeks, the best pacers in Australia and New Zealand had opposed each other in three series of gruelling and testing heats.
Caduceus and Apmat had been singled out as the best two chances in a star-studded final field, and throughout the heat series, it could be seen that the rivalry which existed between these two great horses had been carried on to their drivers Jack Litten of New Zealand on Caduceus, and the local champion, Bert Alley on Apmat.
People crammed every vantage point to watch the race. They were jammed on every square inch of the inside greyhound circuit and packed into what is now the centre-course carpark. Those who were unable to see in the grandstand tore down timber and three ply partitions in the main grandstand. In a spectacular finish, Caduceus passed the post half a length clear of Apmat, with the Victorian
Maestro's Melody a neck away third and Fettle a close fourth.
Caduceus received one of the most deafening ovations ever heard on a racetrack, but whilst the cheers were still sounding, the news was announced that a protest was lodged by Bert Alley against Caduceus being declared the winner.
This produced a most unfavourable reaction from the crowd, strange in the circumstances for they had turned against their own local horse. The Stewards, however, dismissed the protest and Caduceus was the winner of one of the most exciting sporting events ever held in Sydney.
has become the signature race at the Glebe circuit since its inception in 1967. It was the brainchild of former President Len Smith. Winners have included some of the greats of harness racing. Horses such as Caduceus, Young Quinn
, Hondo Grattan
, Mount Eden, Halwes, Paleface Adios
, Chokin
, Westburn Grant, Village Kid, Christian Cullen
and Smooth Satin have saluted in this famous dash. Paleface Adios contested the race for seven consecutive years from 1974 to 1980. The Harold Park race record is held by the New Zealand champion Iraklis. The last Miracle Mile run at Harold Park was won by Divisive on 28 November 2008. The Miracle Mile then moved to the new Menangle Park Paceway in 2009. The initial winner was the New Zealander, Monkey King who added the Mile to his NZ Cup and NZ FFA wins in a track and race record time of 1.50.8.later on the race record was held by Halwes for a good time of 1:55.
The Inter-Dominion has been run on several occasions at Harold Park. Notable among the Inter-Dominion pacing winners was Hondo Grattan
who won the first of his two Inter-Dominions in 1973 for Tony Turnbull. In 1980 Koala King
gave Brian Hancock his first Dominion win. 1988 saw Our Maestro give John Binskin his lone Inter-Dominion success for the Bob Knight stable. In 1966 the Tasmanian Chamfer's Star made a clean sweep of the series for driver Brian Forrester. 2002 saw Smooth Satin add the Inter to his Miracle Mile, Ben Hur and Chariots of Fire. In 1994 Weona Warrior gave Brian Hancock another Inter success. Some of the winners of the trotter's edition of the series at Harold Park have included Hano Direct, Yamamoto, Diamond Field and in 1973 the NZ'er Precocious was too good. Patrons who attended the 2002 Inter Dominion Grand Final didn't know at the time that they were witnessing one of the last Inter Dominion's to be run at Harold Park. The 2010 Inter-Dominion series will have rounds of heats at Harold Park and Newcastle with the final to be run at Menangle Park, known also as Tabcorp Park due to sponsorship.
The list of champions who have raced at the famous Glebe circuit reads like a "Who's Who" of harness racing. Champion
Standardbreds from all parts of Australia and New Zealand have achieved great feats on the track and re-written the record book before appreciative crowds.
(near Campbelltown) as from January 2011, following the sale of Harold Park. There has been a successful push for a move to Saturday night metropolitan harness racing with horse racing at Canterbury on Friday nights in Sydney.
On 17 December 2010 the last race meeting was held at Harold Park Paceway with Karlow Mick winning the final event. A special commemorative racebook was issued for the occasion. The winning post was sold for $10,000 to Ray Hadley with the proceeds going to Lifeline
. Other punters took home various other souvenirs from the 120 year old paceway.
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:...
track in Glebe, New South Wales
Glebe, New South Wales
Glebe is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Glebe is located 3 km south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney, in the Inner West region....
. It was a half-mile track (804.5 metres) but was just 739m in circumference until some changes in recent years. Races were run over distances of 1,760m, 2,160m, 2,565m and the occasional 2,965m event during the 120 years that it was in use.
History
Founded in 1902, the course was first known as Forest Lodge, and for the first meeting there were five events with total prize money of ninety-nine sovereigns.Just prior to the turn of the 20th century, and before meetings commenced at Forest Lodge, the present Harold Park course, trotting and pacing was confirmed primarily to match races between enthusiasts without and serious attempt at organisation. Following some preliminary discussions, thirty-three of the sport's keenest supporters met on 4 June 1902 at the saddlery shop of J. McGrath, a well-known harness
Horse harness
A horse harness is a type of horse tack that allows a horse or other equine to pull various horse-drawn vehicles such as a carriage, wagon or sleigh. Harnesses may also be used to hitch animals to other loads such as a plow or canal boat....
maker of the day. Those present at the meeting raised the sum of 19 pounds
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
17 shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s and 6 pence to launch the proposed Club. The general contribution was 2/6 per person, while the maximum donation was 10 guineas by Mr. J.A. Buckland, owner of the famous horse "Fritz."
The Club was incorporated on 10 October 1902, with twenty-two members paying a subscription of two guineas, and the inaugural meeting was held on 19 November 1902, the Forest Lodge course it was then known, being leased from the Metropolitan Rugby Union. Following two meetings at Forest Lodge, racing was continued at the old Kensington Pony course where it was conducted until June 1904. Racing was then resumed at Forest Lodge, which had in the interim period become Epping.
1911 was an eventful year in the history of harness racing in New South Wales
New South Wales
New 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...
. It marked the recognition by the Colonial Secretary of the Day, of the New South Wales Trotting Club as the Controlling authority of the sport in the state. From that year onwards, successive Governments have continued to give that recognition, until 1976 the control was transferred to the Trotting Authority of NSW. 1911 also included the Club purchasing the course from the Metropolitan Rugby Union for 10,400 pounds.
The track was known as Epping until 21 March 1929, when, due to the confusion of the name with the Sydney suburb, it was renamed Harold Park, after the imported trotter
Trotter
Trotter may refer to:* Del Boy, Rodney and Grandad - Fictional Trotter Family from BBC sictom Only Fools and Horses* Clan Trotter, a lowland Scottish family* Trotter, a horse trained for harness racing* Italian Trotter, a breed of horse...
Childe Harold – one of the great progenitors of the stock of the early night trotting days. The Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
-bred Childe Harold was imported from Glasgow, Scotland by Mr. Andrew Town of Richmond
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...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New 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...
.
1 October 1949, marked the advent of night racing, as the result of legislation enacted with the support of all parties in the State Parliament. From its early obscurity, Harold Park has become known worldwide as the venue of one of Australia's most spectacular night entertainments.
Without doubt the most memorable race is that which took place on 13 February 1960, when the "mighty atom" 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 in the final of the Inter Dominion before a world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
crowd of 50,346. Over the previous two weeks, the best pacers in Australia and New Zealand had opposed each other in three series of gruelling and testing heats.
Caduceus and Apmat had been singled out as the best two chances in a star-studded final field, and throughout the heat series, it could be seen that the rivalry which existed between these two great horses had been carried on to their drivers Jack Litten of New Zealand on Caduceus, and the local champion, Bert Alley on Apmat.
People crammed every vantage point to watch the race. They were jammed on every square inch of the inside greyhound circuit and packed into what is now the centre-course carpark. Those who were unable to see in the grandstand tore down timber and three ply partitions in the main grandstand. In a spectacular finish, Caduceus passed the post half a length clear of Apmat, with the Victorian
Victoria (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....
Maestro's Melody a neck away third and Fettle a close fourth.
Caduceus received one of the most deafening ovations ever heard on a racetrack, but whilst the cheers were still sounding, the news was announced that a protest was lodged by Bert Alley against Caduceus being declared the winner.
This produced a most unfavourable reaction from the crowd, strange in the circumstances for they had turned against their own local horse. The Stewards, however, dismissed the protest and Caduceus was the winner of one of the most exciting sporting events ever held in Sydney.
Races
The Miracle MileMiracle 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...
has become the signature race at the Glebe circuit since its inception in 1967. It was the brainchild of former President Len Smith. Winners have included some of the greats of harness racing. Horses such as Caduceus, Young Quinn
Young Quinn
Young Quinn a New Zealand standardbred racehorse was successful in period where his competition in the sport of trotting was particularly strong. Foaled in 1969, he was by Young Charles out of Loyal Trick by Hal Tryax . Named after Brian "Snow" Quinn a champion New Zealand sheep shearer, he was...
, Hondo Grattan
Hondo Grattan
Hondo Grattan was a Standardbred pacer from Bathurst, New South Wales known as the "Bathurst Bulldog". He won the Inter Dominion Pacing Championship in both 1973 and 1974, becoming the first horse to successfully defend an Inter Dominion title. Hondo Grattan was the first horse in Australia to win...
, Mount Eden, Halwes, 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...
, Chokin
Chokin
Chokin is a New Zealand Standardbred racehorse who was notable in winning the New Zealand Trotting Cup, which is New Zealand's most prestigious horse race...
, Westburn Grant, Village Kid, Christian Cullen
Christian Cullen (horse)
Christian Cullen is a Standardbred stallion and was one of New Zealand's best pacers. Named after the New Zealand international rugby union player, Christian Cullen, he won 22 of his 31 starts, and $NZ1,249,150 in prize money. He is notable in that he won both the Auckland Trotting Cup and New...
and Smooth Satin have saluted in this famous dash. Paleface Adios contested the race for seven consecutive years from 1974 to 1980. The Harold Park race record is held by the New Zealand champion Iraklis. The last Miracle Mile run at Harold Park was won by Divisive on 28 November 2008. The Miracle Mile then moved to the new Menangle Park Paceway in 2009. The initial winner was the New Zealander, Monkey King who added the Mile to his NZ Cup and NZ FFA wins in a track and race record time of 1.50.8.later on the race record was held by Halwes for a good time of 1:55.
The Inter-Dominion has been run on several occasions at Harold Park. Notable among the Inter-Dominion pacing winners was Hondo Grattan
Hondo Grattan
Hondo Grattan was a Standardbred pacer from Bathurst, New South Wales known as the "Bathurst Bulldog". He won the Inter Dominion Pacing Championship in both 1973 and 1974, becoming the first horse to successfully defend an Inter Dominion title. Hondo Grattan was the first horse in Australia to win...
who won the first of his two Inter-Dominions in 1973 for Tony Turnbull. In 1980 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...
gave Brian Hancock his first Dominion win. 1988 saw Our Maestro give John Binskin his lone Inter-Dominion success for the Bob Knight stable. In 1966 the Tasmanian Chamfer's Star made a clean sweep of the series for driver Brian Forrester. 2002 saw Smooth Satin add the Inter to his Miracle Mile, Ben Hur and Chariots of Fire. In 1994 Weona Warrior gave Brian Hancock another Inter success. Some of the winners of the trotter's edition of the series at Harold Park have included Hano Direct, Yamamoto, Diamond Field and in 1973 the NZ'er Precocious was too good. Patrons who attended the 2002 Inter Dominion Grand Final didn't know at the time that they were witnessing one of the last Inter Dominion's to be run at Harold Park. The 2010 Inter-Dominion series will have rounds of heats at Harold Park and Newcastle with the final to be run at Menangle Park, known also as Tabcorp Park due to sponsorship.
The list of champions who have raced at the famous Glebe circuit reads like a "Who's Who" of harness racing. Champion
Champion
A champion is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition.There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, and even further divisions at one or more of these levels, as in soccer. Their champions...
Standardbreds from all parts of Australia and New Zealand have achieved great feats on the track and re-written the record book before appreciative crowds.
Future
A Members Vote on Sunday 26 October 2008 voted in favour of the sale of Harold Park but with the proviso that the land be sold for a minimum of $150 million. The NSW Harness Racing Club will re-locate permanently to Menangle ParkMenangle Park, New South Wales
Menangle Park is a village in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Menangle Park is located 56 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown...
(near Campbelltown) as from January 2011, following the sale of Harold Park. There has been a successful push for a move to Saturday night metropolitan harness racing with horse racing at Canterbury on Friday nights in Sydney.
On 17 December 2010 the last race meeting was held at Harold Park Paceway with Karlow Mick winning the final event. A special commemorative racebook was issued for the occasion. 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...
. Other punters took home various other souvenirs from the 120 year old paceway.
See also
- Rozelle Tram DepotRozelle Tram DepotThe former Rozelle tram depot, located in Glebe, New South Wales, is the largest remaining tram depot in Sydney, and is one of five remaining tram depots in the state of New South Wales. It was the second largest tram depot to service the Sydney network, running at peak capacity of approximately...
- Currently owned by the New South Wales Harness Racing Club and part of the Harold Park Paceway