Moonee Valley Racecourse

Moonee Valley Racecourse

Aerial view of Moonee Valley Racecourse, looking west
Location Moonee Ponds, Victoria
Owned by Moonee Valley Racing Club
Date opened 1883
Screened on Seven Network
Sky Racing
Notable races Cox Plates

Moonee Valley Racecourse is a horse-racing track in Melbourne, Australia which hosts races for Thoroughbreds. Located six kilometres from the Melbourne CBD, it is the home of the Moonee Valley Racing Club. It is situated in Moonee Ponds which is a suburb of the City of Moonee Valley.

The track is roughly rectangular, with a circumference of 1,805 m and a finishing straight of 173 metres which is the shortest in Australia. The track is constructed of the StrathAyr Turf System, having a lower layer of sand and an upper rootzone layer reinforced with mesh elements. Racing takes place in an anti-clockwise direction, as it does on all Victorian tracks. A 965m harness racing track located inside the turf track was the main metropolitan track for harness racing in Victoria for a number of years. The Moonee Valley grandstands have 12 function rooms, which on non-racedays, can cater for up to 1,200 people.

History

Moonee Valley Racecourse was established in 1883 by William Samuel Cox, who purchased a farm belonging to John F. Feehan for the purpose of establishing a racetrack. Being entirely freehold land owned by a private club, this separates Moonee Valley from other Melbourne racecourse such as Caulfield and Flemington.[1] Expansion of the racecourse facilities occurred in the 1960s, funded by compensation for land acquired for the construction of the adjacent Tullamarine Freeway. In the 1970s harness racing moved to the Valley, when night trotting relocated from the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds,[1] this continued until its contract ended in February 2010 and events moved to the new Tabcorp Park harness track which opened at Melton in July 2009.

In 2009 the Moonee Valley Racing Club announced their redevelopment plans for the racecourse, with the relocation of the existing grandstands to make way for commercial and residential development. The works were estimated to cost $150 million, with $50 million in profit returning to the club.[2] By 2011 the plans had expanded to cover four 20 storey high residential towers, to provide 2000 apartments and townhouses. Costing $1.4 billion, the racing club would receive $300 million.[3] Local residents and politicians are opposed to the plan.[4]

Transport

The racecourse can be reached via the route 59 tram from Elizabeth Street in Melbourne city centre. Moonee Ponds railway station is a ten-minute walk from the racecourse and is located on the Craigieburn railway line.

Races

A horse race underway

Every October the Moonee Valley Racecourse hosts Australasia's richest weight-for-age horse-racing championship, the W.S. Cox Plate. Contested over a distance of 2,040 metres, the race is for three-year-olds and over.

Group races run at Moonee Valley Racecourse include:

Grp Race Name Age Sex Weight Distance Date
1 Manikato Stakes Open Open wfa 1200 October
1 W S Cox Plate 3YO+ Open wfa 2040 October
1 William Reid Stakes/Australia Stakes Open Open wfa 1200 March
2 Alister Clark Stakes 3YO Open sw 2040 March
1 A J Moir Stakes/Schweppes Stakes Open Open wfa 1200 October
2 Jayco Crystal Mile Open Open hcp 1600 October
2 Sunline Stakes 3YO+ F&M wfa 1600 March
2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes Open Open wfa 1600 September
2 Cathay Pacific Gold Cup 3YO+ Open sw+p 2500 October
2 Hollylodge Classic 3YO Fillies sw 1500 March
2 Bill Stutt Stakes 3YO Open sw 1600 September
2 Norman Carlyon Stakes 3YO+ Open wfa 1200 January
2 AAMI Vase 3YO Open sw 2040 October
2 W H Stocks Stakes 4YO+ Mares wfa 1600 September
3 Ian McEwen Trophy Open Open wfa 1000 August
3 JRA Cup Open Open hcp 2040 September
3 Champagne Stakes 3YO Fillies sw 1200 October
3 Red Anchor Stakes 3YO Open sw+p 1200 October
3 Inglis Mile 4YO+ Mares hcp 1600 October

References

  1. 1 2 Andrew Lemon (7 April 2011). "Developer Proposes Housing Plan For Moonee Valley Racecourse". The Age. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  2. ↑ Matt Stewart (7 September 2009). "Mooney Valley Racecourse reveals grand plans for future". Herald Sun. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  3. ↑ Jason Dowling (4 April 2011). "High-rise plan for racecourse". The Age. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  4. ↑ James Twining and Baria Bol (4 April 2011). "Moonee Valley development will make kids worse off: MP". Moonee Valley Leader. Retrieved 8 April 2011.

External links

Coordinates: 37°45′56″S 144°55′52″E / 37.765444°S 144.931002°E / -37.765444; 144.931002

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