Australia Bush / Picnic Races - Page 3 - Horse Racing Forum - PaceAdvantage.Com

trytrytry · 05-08-2020, 02:06 PM

Love this thread! well done

Scanman · 05-09-2020, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trytrytry

Love this thread! well done

Many thanks. I'll keep them coming.

Scanman · 05-09-2020, 02:14 PM

Lots of these types in Queensland, so I'll continue from there.

Cloncurry -

Cloncurry is well into the bush about 18 hours northwest of Brisbane. This dirt track is a 1900 meter "D" shape. They race 5 days each year.

Dalby -

Dalby is just a short 2 1/2 hour ride west of Brisbane. This provincial grass track is a 1600 meter oval that features a 700 meter off-set chute behind the backstretch, as well as a 500 meter chute that forms an "L" shape leading to the home turn/stretch. They get 9-11 days a year.

Deagon

Deagon is a suburb of Brisbane just about 30 minutes from the CBD. It was primary used as a training track and up until recently and would only get one day a year for a picnic meeting. But recent expansion to the stable area and other redevelopment has lent to more race days, as well as it's focus as a training facility. They've gone from 5 days in 2017, to 10 days in 2018, and held 14 race meetings in 2019. The track is a 1600 meter grass oblong with a short 250 meter homestretch.

Eidsvold -

Eidsvold is 4 1/2 hours north/northwest of Brisbane. This picnic circuit grass track is circular shaped and measures around 1500 meters. They get 1-2 days a year.

Esk -

This clip looks like a personal video, but it does give a decent look at the track.
Esk is a about an hour and a half northwest of Brisbane. The track is a grass 1600 meter square with what looks like a 9 hole golf course in the infield. They typically get 3 days a year.

For today's bonus track I'll stay in Africa.

Ngong -

Ngong is located in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. It is adjacent to the Ngong Forest Sanctuary and very close to the Nairobi National Park. The track is a 2300 meter grass oval, with a chute that allows for maximum 1400 meter straight race. It features a 18 hole golf course on the grounds and of course a golfer is expected to retrieve any ball hit on the racecourse before continuing play. They race twice a month between the months of October to July.

46zilzal · 05-10-2020, 09:51 AM

My boss at Woodbine's father passed away and he promised that he would take his dad's ashes to one of his favorite race tracks in Australia. He prepared his visit so at the same time he was a guest of the organization that ran the TV racing throughout the country. He related that they had it coordinated so that a race ran about 3 or 4 mins apart with no two running at the same times in a very strictly coordinated schedule.

How did they get all these tracks to do this? If you missed your starting time on their schedule (unless there was a mishap in the gate, something like one horse ran off after breaking through, rider was hurt etc.) you LOST the parimutuel revenue for that contest.

He said:"they stayed on time regularly."

Scanman · 05-10-2020, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 46zilzal

My boss at Woodbine's father passed away and he promised that he would take his dad's ashes to one of his favorite race tracks in Australia. He prepared his visit so at the same time he was a guest of the organization that ran the TV racing throughout the country. He related that they had it coordinated so that a race ran about 3 or 4 mins apart with no two running at the same times in a very strictly coordinated schedule.

How did they get all these tracks to do this? If you missed your starting time on their schedule (unless there was a mishap in the gate, something like one horse ran off after breaking through, rider was hurt etc.) you LOST the parimutuel revenue for that contest.

He said:"they stayed on time regularly."

I've never heard that, but it is easily believable. In my many trips, I would pop into a pub after racing, have dinner, and watch the evening greyhounds and trots (or the odd evening thoroughbred card). The races would never overlap and it always seemed that one would have a few minutes between races to get a bet on.

It is certainly something we could learn from the Aussie racing community.

Scanman · 05-15-2020, 06:18 PM

More from Queensland.

Emerald -

Emerald is a little over 9 hours northwest of Brisbane. The track is a 1600 meter grass oval. This country venue gets 9 days a year.

Gatton -

Gatton is an hour and a half west of Brisbane. The track is a 1700 meter grass trapezoid. Definitely a very odd layout. They are considered a provincial track and generally gets 13 days a year.

Gympie -

Gympie is 2 hours north of Brisbane. Unusual to find a dirt track so close to the capital. The track is "D" shaped measuring 1600 meters. They too are part of the country circuit getting 8 days a year.

Gladstone -

Gladstone is 6 hours north Brisbane. The track is a 1500 meter dirt oblong. Another country venue that gets 8 days a year.

Goondiwindi -

The race starts around the 1:10 mark. Goondiwindi is 4 hours southwest of Brisbane. The track is 1400 meter grass mostly circular track, except for the homestretch. There is a 400 meter chute opposite the stands to facilitate sprint races. Also a country track, they get 6 days a year.

The bonus track is again from Africa.

Rehoboth -

No I'm not talking about the Delaware shore, this track is about an hour south of the Namibian capital of Windhoek. Namibia is located in the southwest corner of Africa. The clip isn't all racing footage, but the whole clip is worth the watch.

This track is as bush as it comes. No outer or inner rails, it is completely cut out of the scrub. The track is a 2000 meter oblong and usually has at least one day of racing in May each year.

Scanman · 05-20-2020, 06:45 PM

Still in Queensland.

Gayndah -

Gayndah is 4 hours north of Brisbane. The track is 1700 meters having a reverse "D" shape layout, in that, it has a long backstretch, with a big sweeping home turn and a short homestretch. Like many tracks out in the bush, they try to cultivate a grass surface, but usually ends up with a mixture of both. The clip is a little dated, so maybe now they have a grass track. This picnic circuit track races twice a year.

Gordonvale -

Gordonvale is 19 hours north of Brisbane, but just a short 25 minute drive Cairns, which might explain what looks like a very lush grass surface. Or maybe they are getting support from Gordonvale golf club who placed 9 of their 18 holes in the infield. The track is a 1500 meter rectangle. Also on the picnic circuit, they get 2-3 race days a year.

Innisfail -

Innisfail is 18 hours north of Brisbane, but is another within a short drive from Cairns. The track is a 1600 meter grass oval. This country venue gets 5-8 days of racing each year.

Isisford -

This clip is a bit dated, but I don't imagine much has changed. Isisford is 12 hours west of Brisbane. This bush track is a 1700 meter dirt oval and only races one day a year.

Kilcoy -

Kilcoy is an hour and a half north of Brisbane. The track is a 1270 meter grass triangle with only an 140 meter homestretch. This country track gets 7-10 race days a year.

Today bonus track, another from Africa.

Casablanca -

This is a rather long clip that shows the entire day's racing. You can advance to the races. The first race goes off at the 9:50 minute mark.

Casablanca is a little over an hour southeast of the capital of Morocco, Rabat.
The track is a 1700 meter dirt oval. Looks to be a first class organization/track. Looking forward to visiting this one someday. In addition to the track, they managed to fit a 9-hole golf course in the infield. They host 39-40 race days a year.

Scanman · 06-01-2020, 10:52 AM

Apologies to those who were following this thread. I got stuck in to a media project that I've been working on for the past week or so.

Okay, back to Queensland.

Kumbia -

Kumbia is 3 hours northwest of Brisbane. The track is 1600 meter lightly grassed oval. A true picnic meeting, they only race once a year.

Longreach -

Longreach is 13 hours northwest of Brisbane. The track is a 2000 meter dirt oval. Part of the country circuit, they get 9 days of racing a year.

Monto -

Monto is a little over 5 hours north of Brisbane. The track is 1600 meter grass oblong. Looks to be a very nice venue for the picnic circuit. Only 1 day of racing there.

Mount Garnet -

Mount Garnet is 19 1/2 hours north of Brisbane. The track is a 1600 grass oval that is probalby supported by the golf course running through the infield. Another picnic circiut that gets 2 days of racing a year.

Nanango -

Nanango is 2 1/2 hours northwest of Brisbane. This circle shaped track is a grass 1600 meter layout with a short homestretch. This country venue races 6 times a year.

Bonus Track - Going into the Mediterranean Sea for this one.

Nicosia -

Nicosia is located in the capital of island country of Cyprus, about 25 minutes from the city center. The track is a 1300 dirt oval that races twice a week. Looking forward to visiting this one some day. Fortunately, Cyprus is a huge tourist destination and English is widely spoken.

Scanman · 06-06-2020, 11:18 AM

Did I mention that there are a lot of tracks in Queensland. Here's five more.

Roma -

Roma is 5 1/2 hours west of Brisbane. The track is a 1400 meter dirt oblong. On the country circuit, the get 9 days of racing each year.

Stanthorpe -

Stanthorpe is almost 3 hours southwest of Brisbane. The track is a 1600 meter grass oval. This picnic venue only host racing once a year.

Thangool -

Thangool is 6 hours north of Brisbane. The track is a 1600 meter grass triangle. They get 6-8 days of racing each year.

Tara -

Tara is 3 1/2 hours west of Brisbane. The track is a 1700 meter dirt oval and is another picnic track that only races once a year.

Yeppoon -

Yeppoon is 7 1/2 hours north of Brisbane. The track is a 1600 meter grass oval. This country track races 10 times a year.

Bonus Track - I'll stay with the Greek theme.

Markopoulo Park -

Markopoulo Park is located 45 minutes from the center of the Greek capital of Athens. The track is a 2000 meter dirt oblong. Racing is held each Sunday throughout the year.

Scanman · 06-08-2020, 10:23 PM

Finally completed all of the Queensland country/bush/picnic tracks, at least those that I could find a vidoe for. Time to move to New South Wales. These are all picnic meetings that only get one day a year.

Ardelthan -

Ardelthan is a little over 5 hours west of Sydney. The track is a 1600 meter somewhat grassed horseshoe. In that, there is no "first/clubhouse" turn. Watching the video and seeing that the pull up area was located in an adjacent field, I realized that I plotted this track in the wrong location on my Google Earth profile. They race in March.

Barraba -

Barraba is 6 hours north of Sydney. The track is circular with a short homestretch. The circumference is 1450 meters. They race in September.

Bong Bong -

Bong Bong is located an hour and a half south of Sydney. The track is a 1300 meter grass oblong. The unique feature of this track is the hill in the infield that does obsure the view of the backstretch from the stand, but you could see the entire race from the top of the hill, I suppose. Because of its popularity, one cannot attend the races unless they are a member of the Bong Bong Picnic Race Club. They race in November.

Bedgerebong -

Bedgerebong is 5 1/2 hours west of Sydney. The track is a 1600 meter grass reverse "D" shape. They race in February.

Cooma -

Cooma is a just over 4 hours south of Sydney. The track is a 1600 meter grass oblong. They race in December.

Bonus Track - Still in the Med, well just east of it.

Beirut Hippodrome -

The clip is in Lebanese, but if you advance to the 11:55 mark of the clip, you will see the race.

Beirut Hippodrome is in the city center of the capital of Lebanon. The track is a 1200 meter dirt oval. Prior to the COVID shutdown, they generally raced twice a week, usually Wednesday and Sunday. They started back up last Thursday and run again this Thursday.

Scanman · 06-14-2020, 04:01 PM

Continuing in New South Wales.

Bowraville -

Bowraville is a little over of 5 hours north of Sydney. The track is an undulating, circular shaped 1300 meter grass circuit. Considered a country track, they race 3 to 4 times a year.

Broken Hill -

Broken Hill is 12 1/2 hours west of Sydney. It may be the only track that runs left-handed in NSW, probably because of its close proximity to South Australia. A true bush track, it's a "D" shaped dirt layout that measures 1900 meters. A picnic-type track, they host 2 racing days a year.

Balranald -

Balranald is about 9 hours west of Sydney. The track is a grass 1500 meter oblong. Also a picnic track, the race 2 to 3 times a year.

Berrigan -

A long clip, skip to the 3:25 mark for the race. Berrigan is close to 7 hours southwest of Sydney. Strangely enough, I found another NSW track that runs left-handed. The fact that is located only 30 kilometers from Victoria might account for that. The track is an 1800 grass oblong, but its most unique characteristic is the length of its chute leading to the home turn. It measures 1100 meters. I suppose they could run straight sprint there, would just have to have an alternative finish line. This country venue runs 4 to 5 times a year.

Cobar -

Another long clip. Advance to the 4:05 mark for the race. Cobar is 8 hours northwest of Sydney. The track is a 1700 meter dirt oblong. On the picnic circuit, the last couple of years they have racing 2 to 3 times a year.

Bonus Track - Moving east to the Persian Gulf for this one.

Rashid Equestrian Club -

Rashid Equestrian Club is located on the tiny island of Bahrain (home of the US 5th Fleet) in the Persian Gulf. The track is a grass 2400 meter triangle with a 600 meter chute that allow for straight sprints up to 1200 meters. The racing season runs from November to April with meetings scheduled each Friday.

Scanman · 06-22-2020, 09:48 PM

Haven't quite given up on this thread, just got busy with my media project for the last week or so. Still in New South Wales.

Cooma -

Cooma is a little over 4 hours south of Sydney. The track is a 1600 meter grass oblong. On the picnic circuit, they race once a year in December.

Cootamundra -

Cootamundra is 4 hours west of Sydney. The track is a grass 1820 meter square shaped layout. Another picnic track, they race 2 to 3 times a year.

Cowra -

Cowra is 4 1/2 hours west of Sydney. The track is 1600 meter grass oval. This country circuit track races 4 to 6 times a year.

Cessnock -

Cessnock is 2 hours north of Sydney. The track is a square shaped 1600 meter grass circuit. I had the opportunity to visit Cessnock in 2016. Had a wonderful day out and my hosts were fantastic. I walked the course prior to racing, even had a little excitment when a couple of outriders had to chase a few kangaroos off the track. It's a typical country grass venue with a progessive rise in the backstraight leading to the top of the home turn creating a pronounced downhill run to the finish. Jocks and horses who did well here in past were worth following and aided me to have a winning day on the punt. They race 8 to 12 times a year.

Condobolin -

We go out into the bush, where Condoblin is 6 hours west of Sydney. The track is a 1500 meter dirt oval. This picnic venue only races once each year in February.

Bonus Track - Going into the Indian Ocean for this one.

Royal Turf Club of Sri Lanka -

The Royal Turf Club is located in Nuwara Eliya about 5 hours east of the capital city of Colombo. The track is in the shape of a rhombus. The undulating grass surface measures 1800 meters. From what I could determine, it appears that they only host 3 to 4 meetings during March and April.

Scanman · 06-27-2020, 04:10 PM

Still in New South Wales.

Coffs Harbour -

Coffs Harbour is 5 1/2 hours north of Sydney. I had the opportunity to visit this beautiful town along the Pacific Ocean in 2016. My host was wonderful and gave me full access to the racecourse and infrastructure. Had an awesome day and one of my better days at the windows. My course walk was completed about an hour prior to racing. This rather flat, expertly maintained grass oblong, with a big sweeping final turn measures 1700 meters. Just below provincial level, this country venue races 14 to 17 times a year.

Coonabarabran -

Coonabarabran is 5 1/2 hours northwest of Sydney. The track is a grass 1840 meter "D" shaped layout. They run 2 to 3 days a year.

Corowa -

Corowa is 6 hours southwest of Sydney. Right on the border with Victoria, the track is a 1900 meter grass oval. On the country circuit, they race 7 to 10 times a year.

Carrathool -

Back to the bush for this one. Carrathool is 6 hours west of Sydney. Unfortunately, no sound for this clip, but it was the better of the two 1400 meter races. The track is a dirt 1400 meter "U" shaped track. It's one of the many in Australia that does not have a full circuit. A true picnic meeting, they only race once in early March.

Coonamble -

Coonamble is 6 1/2 hours northwest of Sydney. The track is an 1830 meter grass oval. For being out in the bush, they've done well to cultivate what looks like a well maintained grass surface. On the lower end of the country circuit, they race 3 to 5 times a year.

Bonus Track - I'll stay in southern Asia for this one.

Lahore -

Lahore racecourse is located in the northeast part of Pakistan. The track is a 2400 meter grass oval. No website for the track, but from news post and this video, they race during February and March.

Scanman · 07-04-2020, 10:34 PM

Got a mix of country and picnic tracks from NSW.

Deepwater -

Deepwater is a littler over 7 hours north of Sydney. This picnic track is a 1600 meter grass oval. They race once a year in January.

Dubbo -

Dubbo is 5 hours northwest of Sydney. The track is a 2000 meter grass oval. I had the opportunity to visit Dubbo in 2016. I walked the course prior to racing, beautiful cover of grass with no distiguishing features. It rides slightly downhill in the backstretch, with a graduate climb through the homestretch. My hosts were very kind and provided me with all of the ammenites of a member. Had trouble finding winners there, so I had a losing day at the windows. Still a very enjoyable day. On the country circuit, they race 15 to 18 times a year.

Forbes -

Forbes is 5 hours west of Sydney. The track is a 1600 meter grass oval. This picnic venue races twice a year, once in August and once in October.

Goulburn -

Goulburn is 2 hours southwest of Sydney. The track is a 1750 meter grass oval. I visited Goulburn in 2005, but did not have opportunity to walk the track. One of the newer venues, it had no grandstand and a very small indoor concession/betting/office area. Small loss on the punt, but still a fun day out. This country track races 17 to 20 days a year.

Geurie -

Geurie is 5 hours northwest of Sydney. The track is circle shaped, grass 1600 meters with a short 250 meter homestretch. This picnic track race once a year in February.

Bouus Track - I'll stay in south central asia for this one.

Delhi -

Located in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Delhi racecourse is a 1600 meter "U" shaped track. Perhaps, it was a fully enclosed oval at one time, but because of its urban location, it had to cede land to commercial or residential development. The racing season is from September to February, usually running 5 to 7 meetings a month.

Scanman · 07-11-2020, 10:21 PM

Here's a few more from NSW.

Griffith -

Griffith is 6 hours west of Sydney. The track is a 1600 meter grass oval. This picnic venue races once a year in September.

Gundagai -

Gundagai is around 4 hours southwest of Sydney. The track is a circular shaped 1900 meter grass circuit with a short 250 meter homestretch. This country venue races 7 times a year.

Gilgandra -

Gilgandra is 5 1/2 northwest of Sydney. The track is a square shaped 1663 meter grass circuit with a very short 200 meter homestretch. I had the chance to visit this country track in 2010. We were very fortunate that this meeting didn't get abandoned as they had received a lot of rain a couple of days prior. Such that the track I was supposed to visit two days earlier did cancel. There is a river that just about surrounds the track. It was very close to overflowing its banks. I had my family with me on this visit, so I didn't have the chance to walk the track. Thankfully, we did have a bright, sunny day and really enjoyed our day racing having a small win. They get 5 to 6 days a year.

Gulargambone -

Long clip, advance to the 3:40 mark for the start of the race. Gulargambone is 6 hours northwest of Sydney. The track is a 1450 grass rectangle. On the picnic circuit, the race once each year during the Australian spring.

Gunnedah -

Gunnedah is 5 hours north of Sydney. I was scheduled to visit Gunnedah during my 2016 visit, but a wet winter and an overnight deluge led to a waterlogged course/abandonment. One of the many I will have to "backtrack" and try to visit on another occasion. The track is a 1800 meter grass rectangle. On the country circiut, the race 8 to 10 times a year.

Bonus Track - I'll move east towards southeast Asia. There are some really first class racecourses in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any race specific videos from Thailand, so I'll move on to Malaysia.

Selangor Turf Club -

Selangor Turf Club is located 17 kilometers from the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. I love the design of this racecourse as they maximize the use of their land by having a second home turn similar to the extension put in at Los Alamitos. I've seen this design in Europe, but this is first time seeing it in Asia. The outer grass oval is 2200 meters and the inner loop is 2000 meters. They host around 40 meetings a year.