The Horsham & District Harness Racing Club will celebrate 100 years of Trotting in Horsham at their anniversary racemeeting on Labour Day Monday, March 10th.
This outstanding community event recognizes the formation of the Horsham Trotting Club in March 1913 and the subsequent staging of their inaugural race meeting on May 7th 1913.
“This took place on Wednesday, and it met with unqualified success. The support from district owners was very good and the attendance of the public was very gratifying. The course was in splendid trim, the recent rains having softened it to a niceity.”
Six events were conducted on the “new showgrounds course” over varying distances from One Mile, to One and a Half Miles, and saw 43 starters trot and pace with riders and drivers
The Novice Handicap with a purse of 8 sovereigns, saw the winner Tipit, disqualified by stewards after the race when his rider Mr. E. McRae failed to weigh in at the allocated 11 stone 10 pounds.
Trotting continued from 1913 through to the early 1950’s in a stop and start manner due to the Great War, then followed by the Great Depression of the 1930’s and finally World War 11.
During this span of 40 years, the Club conducted irregular daytime meetings on tracks at both the Showgrounds and Horsham Racecourse and a Trot race was also programmed at the thoroughbred or “gallops” meetings throughout the Wimmera.
Night trotting came to Melbourne in late 1947 and the Horsham Club committee was keen to see the same happen locally.
By 1953 the newly formed Wimmera Trotting Club had raised in excess of 6000 pounds to make the dream a reality.
Opening night on Wednesday January 6th 1954 was the result of a mammoth community volunteer effort and saw 6000 people cram the Horsham Showgrounds to see the spectacular racing action take place under the ribbon of lights.
Still well-known surnames of Cozens, Lush, Exell, Maddern, McGennisken, Parish, Rothacker, McKay and Anyon featured as owners/trainers and or drivers, through the night and topline horses like Efficiency, Patsys Gift, Silver Panther and Gentleman John introduced patrons to the host of greats that would grace the 3 and a half furlong Horsham circuit over the following 38 years.
By the late 80’s however, the showgrounds track and facilities were in dire need of a complete overhaul. A new 800 metre (minimum) circuit just couldn’t be housed on the current site and the Horsham Club faced extinction with the release of the infamous Andersen Report.
A lengthy battle ensued, firstly with Harness Racing Victoria, then with the local Citizens Against The Relocation Of Harness Racing lobby group and finally to obtain industry funding and City Council approval for the proposed project.
The early ‘90’s saw the Club’s survival and relocation to a new “state of the art” 1000 metre track, located on the shared facility at the Horsham Racecourse. On Tuesday May 12th 1992, they staged a wonderful 10 race program in front of a fantastic crowd that refused to let cold and wet conditions dampen their enthusiasm, and the Horsham Harness Racing Club hasn’t looked back since.
On to March 10th 2014 and an equally big attendance is expected to attend the Anniversary celebrations, featuring the 24th annual Noel Smith Memorial Horsham Invitation Drivers Championship, launch of John Peck’s 72 page book Horsham Harness Racing History, the running of the Wonwondah (1962 Victoria Trotters Derby) Memorial, The O’Keefe and accompanied by loads of entertainment, activities and giveaways.
Contact: Jo Cross 0407 871206 or Travis Preston 0458 962848 for further information.
