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Horse Racing in Australia is similar to the UK - all the major racecourses are turf tracks and bookmakers still ply their trade offering odds in competition to the totalisator. The premier racing period in Australasia is the spring carnival in Melbourne during October/early November. The key races during this period are the Caulfield Cup at Caulfield Racecourse, the World Racing Series Cox Plate at Moonee Valley, the Victoria Derby at Flemington and the biggest race in Australia the Melbourne Cup at Flemington. There are other important carnivals throughout the year - including the autumn carnival in Sydney with the world's richest two-year old classic - the Golden Slipper at Rosehill Racecourse - and the AJC Derby and Doncaster Handicap at Randwick Racecourse. In NZ, the premier racing period happens around the New Year and into February, with a series of cup races such as the New Zealand Cup, the Auckland Cup and the Wellington Cup providing the main features. Unlike the US, where there are distinct seasons for different race tracks, Australian and NZ race tracks race all year round, but share the load from week to week. Racing takes place every day of the year, but mostly on a variety of rural tracks. Wednesdays and Saturdays are the usual domain for the main City based tracks. Standardbred or harness racing is also popular in Australia and NZ. The main harness racing tracks in Australia include Moonee Valley in Melbourne, Harold Park in Sydney and Albion Park in Brisbane. Addington is the home of harness racing in New Zealand For harness racing, the premier event held in different cities throughout the year is the Inter Dominion - one for pacers and one for square-gaters (trotters). Greyhound racing is also big in this part of the world, with Wentworth Park in Sydney and Sandown Park in Melbourne being the major tracks in Australia. |