The Story of Horse Racing in New Zealand

The Story of Horse Racing in New Zealand
From One Man's Dream to a Nation's Passion
Presented to the Racing Committee — a tribute to those who built this sport from the ground up, and those who carry it forward today.
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Prologue
A Nation Built for Racing
Long before New Zealand had roads, railways, or cities, it had horses. And wherever horses gathered, men raced them. Horse racing in Aotearoa is not merely a sport — it is a chapter of the nation's founding story, woven into the fabric of colonial life, community identity, and the indomitable spirit of settlers who carried their greatest traditions across the world's most formidable oceans.
This is that story. From the first hoof-print on New Zealand soil to the sport that endures today — 185 years of passion, competition, and stewardship.
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Chapter One
The First Horses Arrive
23 December 1814 — Bay of Islands
The first horses to set hoof on New Zealand soil were brought ashore at Rangihoua, Bay of Islands, on 23 December 1814 — carried aboard the ship Active by Reverend Samuel Marsden. They were a gift from Governor Macquarie of New South Wales to the Māori people.
They were working animals — practical necessities in a land being shaped by human hands. But horses carry something beyond utility: the ancient instinct to run, and the ancient human instinct to watch them.
On 2 March 1840, the first horses arrived in Wellington, among them the first acknowledged thoroughbred to reach New Zealand: Figaro, bred by T. Icely of New South Wales. A thoroughbred on New Zealand soil. The stage was set.
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Chapter Two
The First Men to Race
January 1841 — Auckland & Wellington
It could not have been long before someone looked across a paddock at a neighbor on horseback and thought: I wonder which of us is faster?
Auckland Town Plate
5 January 1841 — The first recorded race meeting took place at Epsom, Auckland. Citizens gathered with a subscription of three sovereigns each. Stewards included officers of the 28th and 80th Regiments. No professional jockeys, no grandstands — just men, horses, open ground, and the will to compete.
Wellington Anniversary
January 1841 — The first anniversary of Wellington's settlement included a hurdle race on the third day of festivities, won by Henry Petre riding his own horse, Calmuc Tartar. The settler and his horse — the original racing story.
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Chapter Three
Others Started Racing
1841–1857 — Settlements Across the Colony
Word traveled fast in small communities. What one man began, his neighbors continued. Racing sprang up organically across every new settlement — not by decree, but by desire.
Nelson, 1841
A hurdle race was run "through fern and flax, up hill and down hill." Nelson would establish some of the finest early racing, with thoroughbreds imported specifically for competition.
Wellington, 1842
The first formal race meeting at Petone beach — Figaro defeated Calmuc Tartar in a ten-guinea sweepstake. A grandstand soon rose at Burnham Water — likely the first racecourse in New Zealand.
Wanganui, 1848
Racing arrived with Militia officers at the helm, founding what would become New Zealand's longest-surviving racing club — still racing today.
Canterbury, 1851
The first anniversary of the Canterbury settlement was celebrated with four horse races over a course in Hagley Park, the track still in its native tussock.
Hawke's Bay, 1857
Racing arrived in a region that would play a significant and lasting role in the national story of the sport for generations to come.
In England, the sport was run by the nobility. In New Zealand, it was built by ordinary citizens — using their own horses.
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Chapter Four
They Decided to Start a Club
1860s–1890s — The Rise of the Racing Club
As racing grew, so did the need for permanence. Informal committees gave way to something more enduring: the Racing Club. In the larger towns, clubs formed to take control of the sport — building courses, setting rules drawn from the traditions of the English Jockey Club, printing programmes, and appointing stewards. The democratic spirit of the colony ran through every fence rail and starting post.
1
1863 — First NZ Champion Race
Silverstream, Otago — the first £1,000 stake in New Zealand racing, won by the mare Ladybird.
2
1874 — Auckland Racing Club
Formed on 9 January from the merger of the Auckland Jockey Club and Auckland Turf Club, with their first meeting held at Ellerslie.
3
1883 — First New Zealand Cup
Run at Christchurch and won by Tasman — the race that would become the jewel of New Zealand racing.
4
1897 — NZ Racing Conference
Formally established after a decade of metropolitan club conferences, with Sir William Russell of Hawke's Bay as founding president.
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Chapter Five & Six
Growth, Grandeur & Challenge
1900–1945 — A Golden Age of Infrastructure
The Racing Conference brought order to a sport that had grown organically across every corner of the country. The early twentieth century was racing's golden age — grandstands rose, racecourses were formalized, and the sport embedded itself as a cornerstone of New Zealand community life.
Milestones of the Era
1913 — World's first totalisator machine installed at Ellerslie Racecourse — a New Zealand world first
1930 — Phar Lap, New Zealand-born, wins the Melbourne Cup, thrilling two nations during the Great Depression
1937 — NZ Thoroughbred Owners' & Trainers' Association formed
WWII — Racecourses requisitioned for military use; patriotic meetings held under great difficulty
37
Wins for Phar Lap
Out of 51 career starts — NZ's greatest equine export
42
Melbourne Cups
Won by NZ-bred horses since 1882 — a remarkable dominance
50+
Active Clubs
At the sport's peak — racing in every province of the nation

Chapter Seven & Eight
From Rebuilding to Reform
1945–2026 — The Modern Era
Racing's post-war recovery was swift and enthusiastic. Attendance grew, prize money increased, and New Zealand-bred horses made their mark internationally. But the 21st century brought twin challenges of modernization and consolidation — met with the same spirit that built the sport in the first place.
1
Post-War Boom
1958 — Night trotting introduced. 1972 — NZ Racing Authority established. 1982 — Maree Lyndon wins the NZ Cup, a pioneer for women in racing.
2
Restructuring
1999 — Conference becomes NZTR. 2003 — Racing Board takes oversight of all three codes. 2018 — Messara Report commissioned.

3
Reform Era
2020 — Racing Industry Act passed — the most significant legislation in racing history. TAB NZ established. 2021 — Auckland Thoroughbred Racing formed through historic merger.
4
Today & Tomorrow
2025 — New CEO Matt Ballesty appointed. Industry focus on welfare, traceability, and sustainability. 50 clubs race across 36 tracks at 34 venues nationally.
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The Racing Clubs
Racing Clubs Across All of New Zealand
A living network — from the pioneers of 1841 to the 50 clubs racing today
The clubs listed below represent the enduring heartbeat of New Zealand thoroughbred racing. Many have had storied histories — closing, reforming, merging, and renaming across the decades. Together, they form a national network stretching from Northland to Southland.
North Island (23 Clubs)
Auckland Thoroughbred Racing — Ellerslie & Pukekohe Park
Waikato RC — Te Rapa, Hamilton
Matamata RC · Cambridge RC · Rotorua RC
Taupo RC · Bay of Plenty RC — Tauranga
Whangarei RC — Ruakaka (NZ's finest all-weather track)
Hawke's Bay Racing Inc. — Hastings
Wanganui JC — NZ's oldest surviving club, since 1848
Manawatu RC — Awapuni, Palmerston North
Wellington RC — Trentham
Plus Dargaville, Gisborne, Wairoa, Taranaki, Stratford, Opunake, Feilding, Rangitikei, Waverley, Pahiatua, Wairarapa-Bush
South Island (22 Clubs)
Canterbury JC — Riccarton Park, Christchurch
Otago RC — Wingatui, Mosgiel
Southland RC — Ascot Park, Invercargill
South Canterbury RC — Phar Lap Raceway, Timaru
Marlborough RC — Omaka, Blenheim
Oamaru JC — Premier winter track
Gore RC · Winton JC · Riverton RC
Alexandra JC — Central Otago since 1886
Plus Tasman, West Coast, Greymouth, Banks Peninsula, Hororata, Ashburton, Geraldine, Kurow, Waimate, Waikouaiti, Beaumont, Wyndham
50
Active Clubs
Racing across New Zealand in 2025–26
36
Race Tracks
Spanning both islands, from coast to high country
185
Years of Racing
Since the Auckland Town Plate of 1841
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Epilogue
What Endures
The men who ran those first races in 1841 could not have imagined what they were beginning. They were settlers in an unfamiliar land, doing what came naturally — competing, celebrating, gathering together around something magnificent and fast.
They built clubs not for themselves, but for the generations that would follow. They wrote rules, appointed committees, raised grandstands, and laid racecourses — not because it was easy, but because they understood that lasting things require structure, and that great sports require great stewardship.
One hundred and eighty-five years later, the sport lives on. The horses are the same. The passion is the same. The responsibility is the same. That stewardship passes now to those of us who sit in these rooms today.
"In England, the sport was run by the nobility. In New Zealand, it was set up by ordinary citizens, using their own horses."
— Te Ara: The Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
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