Royal Randwick Racecourse is located on the eastern suburbs of Sidney. The racecourse is one of the most prestigious venues in Australia and the embodiment of Sydney racing. The racecourse is located minutes away from the city centre and is right by the airport.
The Royal Randwick is known to host all sorts of events from concerts to children events and cultural events, however; the venue comes to life during the Sydney and Spring Carnivals. The racecourse is full of entertainment and sporting enjoyment. Dining and entertainment options match the best across the world with 35 plus restaurants and bars. This combined by the avant-garde facilities makes for a venue perfect for race goers and family fun as well.
Royal Randwick has been part of the Australian racing culture for more than a century. The racecourse was first put into operation in 1833 when the main racing venue was moved from Hyde Park though the first event was private. At the time, the racecourse was known as the ‘any Course’ since this was the condition of the grounds. Racing ceased for a while during the 1840s and resumed again the year 1860.
Queen Elizabeth II visited the Randwick Racecourse in February 1992 and presided over the opening of the Paddock Stand. A request was made to the queen that the racecourse be named the Royal Randwick and she granted it thus changing the name. A letter from Kenneth Scott who was the Deputy Private Secretary to Queen Elizabeth II expressed how much the queen enjoyed her visit to the racecourse and how pleased she was to have opened the new Grandstand and legitimized the course’s name.
Randwick has been hosting some highly anticipated races over the years and also took over as host of The Championships from 2014. The Championships is a two day meeting in April to wrap up the season. The race meeting gives a whopping AUD$20 million in winnings and includes some notable races such as the Doncaster Handicap, Australian Derby and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. In October 2017, the Royal Randwick hosted the most expensive turf race in the world; The Everest. The race comes with prize money of $10 million, making it the richest in Australian racing and across the world too.