The Grafton Racecourse is located close to 630 km from Sydney and the town itself is known as the Jacaranda City. For all the thouroughbred fanatics out there, Grafton is highly regarded as one of the country capitals of Australian racing. It is operated by the Grafton Race Club and hosts 40 race meets a year. The Clarence River Jockey Club also has 25 race meets a year there and was established in 1861 and has made its name as one of the best major race clubs in the country. As you can see, the track is busy no matter what time of year. It has a total circumference of 2300 meters. The track comes alive and is well known for the Jacaranda Festival which is held in October and November. Only Melbourne is able to rival the rich history for being the best horse racing in Australia.
The Grafton Cup is run on the second Thursday in July and the locals love their racing so much, that the Grafton Cup day is a half day holiday. Most people in the northern NSW have ambitions to win the Grafton Cup, as it is one of the most prestigious races in the area. The day before the Grafton Cup, country racing’s biggest major sprint, the Ramornie Handicap, is held. The Grafton Cup is partially famous for the amount of bookmakers that can be seen standing at the race meeting, which makes it easy for punters to get their safe bet set. The track is friendly towards punters and generally the more you bet, the higher your chances are of winning.
Some of the other races held in July are the Coffs Coast Prestige Ladies Day, or better known as the Coff’s Coast Prestige South Grafton Cup. It features a $45,000 prize pool. WHK Ramornie Day hosts the WHK Ramornie Handicap and has a prize pool of $130,000. Wykes Tyrepower Grafton Cup Day is Graftons biggest social event of the year and is offers a $150,000 competitive prize. Then there is the Maclean Bowling Club Maclean Cup, which only offers a $25,000 prize pool but is a great way to the get the family involved in horse racing as there are all kinds of family events taking place on this date.
The Grafton Racecourse is located at Course Street, Westlawn, NSW 2460 or by telephone at (02) 6642 2566 and fax at (02) 6642 1177. Grafton racecourse features a public and members stand, bar facilities, restaurant and snack bar plus a function centre catering for your non-racing events. Its beautiful scenery, wonderful atmosphere, superb climate and easy accessibility make it attractive for ardent horse racing enthusiasts. Stop on out and see what the excitement is all about!
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