Royal Randwick is the jewel in the crown of Sydney racing. A compelling theatre of sport, culture, fashion and cuisine, racing’s premier playground will entertain you with the extraordinary. Situated minutes from the Central Business District and in close proximity to the airport, Royal Randwick can be found in Sydney’s eastern suburbs where the ‘Sport of Kings’ is celebrated all year round. Particularly coming to life during The Spring and Sydney Carnivals.

The venue sets a world-class standard in racing and hospitality, enriched by over 35 bars and restaurants, reserved dining establishments and cutting-edge facilities for members and racegoers alike. As Australia’s longest-standing racing venue, Royal Randwick has shaped and been a part of Australian culture for over 150 years. Royal Randwick is now offering guests the opportunity to go behind the scenes to showcase the Sydney horse racing experience – from pre-race preparation to the excitement of the race in a premium venue with extensive food and beverage options.

The sport of horse racing has been taking place in Australia since the colonial period. The first ever Australian horse races took place in Sydney in the 1790s, following the arrival of the first horses into the colony in 1788.

The first official race meeting was organised by Governor Macquarie and held at the recently established Hyde Park racetrack in 1810.  The first official horse races in Sydney were held at Hyde Park and Hyde Park remained as Sydney’s main racecourse until 1825 when the new Governor Thomas Brisbane placed a ban on official horseracing. Following the ban, Hyde Park continued to host other games, including cricket and rugby union until 1856, when it became public gardens. This ban was short lived, and the Sydney Turf Club was established in 1825. Racing grew in popularity following then ban, in 1833 the government allocated land in Randwick to become Sydney’s new premier racecourse. The track at Randwick was constructed using convict labour.

The Australian Jockey Club was established in 1842 and moved to Randwick from Homebush in 1860, where it continues to operate from today. The Jockey Club would rent Randwick Racecourse from the Crown for one black peppercorn annually. The first ever derby was held there in 1861, and the Jockey Club Derby included many world-famous horses over the decades including the legendary Phar Lap. Randwick Racecourse continued to draw massive crowds for its time, often numbering in the thousands, so that in 1900 a tram station was constructed to serve the racecourse alone. Randwick racecourse was frequented by the legendary Australian poet Banjo Paterson and was also the landing sight of Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm in the Southern Cross in 1928.  Randwick Racecourse continues to be a popular racecourse today.

Much of the colour of the race day meetings has been provided, not only by the action on the track, but by the spectators and the on-course bookmakers. The interaction between these two groups and the actual racing has often been commented on. One of the most famous to do so was Andrew ‘Banjo’ Patterson, a regular visitor to Randwick, who was an accomplished steeple chase rider, writer and racing enthusiast. Patterson wrote a weekly racing column for the Sydney Mail , and published at least one verse, ‘The Oracle’ (1917), on the Randwick races. The size of the grounds was also handy for special events, such as the landing in Sydney by Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm in the Southern Cross in 1928, following their trans-Pacific flight from the USA.