The first horses that came to Australia arrived on the Lady Penrhyn with the First Fleet in 1788 and thus began horse racing. Horse racing became well established in and around Sydney by 1810. The first official race was organised by officers of Governor Macquarie's 73rd Regiment and held at Hyde Park.
Horse racing is one of Australia's oldest and most popular sports. The first organized thoroughbred race meeting in this country was held in Hyde Park, Sydney, in 1810, with Governor Macquarie in attendance.
Located in Sydney's eastern suburbs, Royal Randwick is Australia's oldest key racing venue, established in 1833, when it was known as Sandy Course. Unlike Flemington, which has had a continuous racing history, Randwick course moved to Homebush in 1838 before returning to Randwick in 1860.
Phantom Rock raced in 1985 and 1986 in provincial NSW, his career spanning 12 starts with no wins but two third placings which earned him a grand total of $200 career prizemoney.
Melbourne Cup, annual horse race, first held in 1861, that is the most important Australian Thoroughbred race of the year and one of the most prestigious races in the world. The Melbourne Cup takes place at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne on the first Tuesday of November, which is a public holiday in the city.
Secretariat – Maybe the most well-known racehorse of all time was the first in racing history to be awarded the Horse of the Year Award. His US Triple Crown performances ingrained his place in history. He became the first racehorse to win the Kentucky Derby – starting from last place – winning in under 2-minutes.
1. Man o' War. Foaled in 1917 at Nursery Stud, in Kentucky, and bred by financier August Belmont Jr., Man o' War has received wide acclaim as the best racehorse of all time.
Sadly, gentle Shergar did not get the happy ending he deserved, and, shortly before 8pm on February 8, 1983, the five-year-old horse was kidnapped from his stable in Kildare, just as he was preparing for his second breeding season.
Established in 1539, Chester is the oldest racecourse still in operation in the world. During the Roman occupation of Britain, most of the modern sixty-five-acre site of Chester Racecourse was not even dry land.
Dating back to 1685, Downpatrick Racecourse is the oldest racecourse in Ireland. It has long been a hub of local life and attracts visitors from far and wide for great sport, entertainment, and fun.
The main road leading to it is a landmark known to racing enthusiasts as “Rue Government”, Champ de Mars racecourse is nestled at the foot of lovely hills. It is the oldest racecourse in the southern hemisphere and the second oldest in the world.
The largest of Australia's racetracks is Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria. Flemington is home to the famous Melbourne Cup in November and the accompanying Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Horses (Equus caballus) were introduced with European settlement both in Australia and New Zealand. Over time, animals escaped and were released and were first recognised as pests in Australia in the 1860's.
Horses were introduced to Australia from Europe by the First Fleet in 1788, and more horses were imported later for a range of uses. Escaped horses went on to form feral populations, which eventually spread across a wide area.
The first horses that came to Australia arrived on the Lady Penrhyn with the First Fleet in 1788 and thus began horse racing. Horse racing became well established in and around Sydney by 1810. The first official race was organised by officers of Governor Macquarie's 73rd Regiment and held at Hyde Park.
Shergar was stolen from the Aga Khan's stud farm by an armed gang on 8 February 1983. Negotiations were conducted with the thieves, but the gang broke off all communication after four days when the syndicate did not accept as true the proof provided that the horse was still alive.
Shergar, a beloved thoroughbred racehorse worth over $15 million, was kidnapped from his stable in County Kildare by a gang of machine gun-wielding men in balaclavas. After failed attempts to demand money for the stallion, gentle Shergar was brutally killed and his body was never found.
In 1981, Swinburn, also 19, was aboard Shergar as the Aga Khan's star horse won at Epsom by 10 lengths and easing up after a performance for the ages. In February 1983, Shergar was kidnapped for ransom by the IRA, who killed him when the abduction went wrong and buried his body in a bog in the north of County Leitrim.
The Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is Europe's richest Flat race, boasting a prize-money pot of €5 million. It is one of the most highly anticipated races in the worldwide racing calendar, with its prestige, value and history attracting spectators and competitors from around the globe to Longchamp in Paris.
Goldin Farms, formerly Lindsay Park Stud, is an esteemed 1257.5-acre horse breeding and training ground in South Australia. Established in 1965 by legendary Australian trainer Colin Hayes AM OBE, it is a world-class breeding and training complex that today draws accolades from industry experts the world over.
Zippy Chippy is a wonderful NY bred gelding. Zippy's greatest accomplishments in racing are perhaps not accomplishments at all. But what made him stand out among the numerous other losers in the industry was the fact that he lost 100 times, making him one of the most losing horses in the history of horse racing.
Damascus' career record speaks for itself. He won at distances of six furlongs, seven furlongs, one mile, a mile and 70 yards, 1 1/16 miles, 1 1/8 miles, 1 3/16 miles, 1 1/4 miles, 1 1/2 miles, and two miles.