Far from the madding crowd: the world's most remote racecourses

Australia


Birdsville, Queensland

A town with a population of 140 regularly welcomes 8,000 plus visitors from far and wide for it's annual two-day meeting in early September, in a location which is 850 miles west of Brisbane and 370 miles southeast of Alice Springs.

They've been racing in this corner of the Simpson Desert since 1882, but Birdsville rose to prominence among the dozens of Outback meetings in 1979 when Australia's Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser, paid a visit.

The runners leave large dust clouds in their wake on the dirt track oval, while racegoers are invited to take their chances against a travelling troupe of boxers in Fred Brophy's tent.

Wagga Wagga, New South Wales

Equidistant between Sydney and Melbourne, for many years Wagga Wagga's chief racing claim to racing fame outside Australia was as the home town of legendary jockey Scobie Breasley.

But the Wagga Cup Carnival has become an institution to rival any of the country meetings scattered across New South Wales and Victoria, drawing large crowds on the first Friday in May as the Murrumbidgee Turf Club turns on the style.

And with the Chris Waller-trained Life Less Ordinary carrying off A$156,800 (£83,000) first prize in the 2018 Cup, the turf racing at Wagga is not to be sniffed at.
Asia

Mysore, India

While Mysuru boasted a population of 920,000 in the 2011 census – not exactly in the middle of nowhere then – that still ranked outside the top 50 most inhabited cities in India.

From its foundation in 1891 through to the building of the current sight in 1920 and throughout most of its history, Mysore was something of a curiosity in Indian racing, hosting a single six-day meeting each year.

But since 2000, the calendar has expanded and in 2018 devotees were treated to a demonstration from Sir Cecil – the 'Indian Frankel' – who dominated his rivals in October's Mysore Derby



Ootacamund, India

Arguably even more of challenge to reach is Ootacamund, a hill station which serves as an outlet to the Madras Race Club from April to September, when conditions become too steamy at the main Guigny track in Chennai.

As late as December 2018, the MRC were involved with legal wrangles with the government of Tamil Nadu as to the future of the site and the future of racing at "Ooty" is far from secure.

Yakutsk, Siberia

Racing horses has long been a mainstay of the Yhyakh festivals held in the Sakha Republic of Eastern Siberia, celebrations which coincide with the summer solstice in June.

These traditionally feature the native Yakut horses but the Equestrian Federation sought to build on this heritage in recent years, introducing thoroughbreds into the nation's breeding programme and – according to the English language Siberian Times – maintaining a permanent track in the capital, Yakutsk, with races staged during the summer months.
The Americas

Great Falls Turf Club, Montana, United States

The United States's most sparsely populated region is undoubtedly the prairie north west, meaning any racecourse is likely to be some way from its nearest neighbour.

The grandstands during the Great Falls Turf Club's state fair meeting at the Montana Expo Park
Fans of filmmakers the Cohen Brothers might point to the fact that Fargo is home to North Dakota Horse Park but, with the twin cities of Minneapolis/St Paul a three-and-half-hour drive down the I-94 freeway, the Roughrider State has nothing on neighbouring Montana, which is 147,000 square miles in area and has just the one functioning track at Great Falls, a city of a little under 60,000 inhabitants.

Nor is there likely to be a huge influx of visitors from any neighbouring metropolis for the main state fair meeting in July, since the track at the Montana Expo Park is a ten-hour drive over the Rockies from Seattle, while even racing-starved Canadians face a five-hour trek south from Calgary on off days for the city's Century Downs.

27 de Abril and Tucuman, Argentina

Argentina has a proud tradition as the most advanced South American racing nation, with Buenos Airies boasting two of the continent's finest tracks at San Isidro and Palermo.

Nearly 600 miles north west of the capital, reclaimed land on the banks of the Dulce river in Santiago del Estero was converted into the rough dirt oval of the Hipodromo 27 de Abril back in 1975.

Speed is the governing passion here and as well as more familiar race distances, cards often feature sprint matches in cordoned lanes over little more than 300 metres.



Things are slightly less rustic at San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina's most northerly track, which draws crowds of 20,000 every September for the Gran Premio Batalla and is also notable for employing gaucho outriders.
And closer to home...

Ffos Las

For many years Cartmel in Cumbria could claim to the Britain's most isolated track, sitting on the southern edge of the Lake District, well over an hour's drive from Carlisle to the north and Haydock to the south.

But the opening of Ffos Las at Trimsaran in the far west of Carmarthenshire a decade ago brought racing to a part of Wales that had been barren since the closure of Tenby in 1936.

Ffos Las is 85 miles west of Chepstow by road, while Cheltenham is its next nearest neighbour.

Sligo

With 26 courses you're never too far from the action across Ireland but, in terms of distance from a major centre of population, it could be argued that Sligo – two hours north of Galway and an hour on from its nearest racing neighbour at Roscommon – takes the prize here.

That didn't stop the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall from making the pilgrimage in May 2015, presenting the prize to jockey Mark Walsh after the mares' maiden hurdle named in their honour, a race whose winner, Mollyanna, the Duchess went on to purchase.

www.racingpost.com

Sligo is where i would like to go, in fact i have a relative that got married there many years ago but we could not make the wedding at the time, on all accounts it was one massive piss up with the wonderful locals

Cheers

Will be doing Laytown this year. OK, not so remote, but I think, rather peculiar.
Have pencilled-in a bucket list meeting for Pioneer Park, Alice Springs.


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I am amazed that the worlds biggest equine turdheap did not get a mention.

Not quite Horseracing but this pic is from this morning’s Citizen. Kokboru, played with a dead goat (sandwiched between the grey horse and green jockey) in Kyrgystan



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In December 2018, Tellytrack broadcast racing from the French PMU course of Martinique which is an island in the Caribbean about 300km from Barbados and a territory of France. Phumelela should try to get a partnership with PMU to open a racecourse in the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean which is also a French Territory.

The tiny islands of St Kitts and Nevis also has a racecourse.

Mike Holding, the cricketer is an avid racegoer.

Wasn't there a good sprinter in Kimberly called Sligo Bay? Talking quite a few years ago.

Felix wrote: Wasn't there a good sprinter in Kimberly called Sligo Bay? Talking quite a few years ago.

Sligo Bay was trained by the late Peter Miller. Sligo Bay was based in Kimberly but never raced there.

I recall these three horses broke their maiden in Bloemfontein.

Well Judged, multiple winner. I think it won on debut in Bloemfontein.
His Nibs. Graded winner. Broke its maiden in Bloemfontein.

Boogie Woogie or Bamboogie won on debut in Bloemfontein. Both of them were talented but I dont know which one of them won on debut.

I remember the pig buying Peter Miller a horse for R700000 if memory serves, and sending it to Miller. The horse was well named for those parts and was know as Petrus. If thats not an indication of having no respect for stolen money, then I don't know what is.

Correction to my post - Petrus was bought for R1 200 000 in 2008.........

Let that sink in, the pig paid that amount for a horse destined for Kimberley. In todays money thats closer to R2 000 000 than R1 500 000 depending on what factor you use.

I did a search on Petrus and came up with "The Petrus Brief" thread on this forum. It is well worth a read. www.africanbettingclan.com/kunena/abc-fo...e-petrus-brief#71782 What a pity that the majority of seemingly knowledgeable posters on that thread are no longer active. We even have a current NHA handicapper having a dig at MR :) I think that the forum could do with some of those guys coming out of retirement

AndreWest
Magiclips
Karel Mediema
Rob Faux RIP - Miss you my friend
Pirates - we need more of his input

Just an old mans thoughts - the forum seemed a lot more vibrant then

Andrewest not sure if he`s banned or was murdered by Mike de Kock

Magiclips was no longer allowed to post on ABC as part of his new job

Not sure why Karl stopped posting, might have something to do with a handicapping post?

Miss Rob

Pirates used to send me an email every month saying ABC members are &*^%(think he`s quite old, maybe in a home?)

Tell you what Bob going back and reading some of the posts from years back is mightily entertaining.