We don’t often talk about racecourses on The Roar, but my favourite track to watch racing is Canterbury Racecourse in Sydney. I find the facilities comfortable and the track so tight that you don’t even need to watch the big screen or use binoculars to follow the horses during a race.
In fact, I love Canterbury so much I once wrote a small book on Canterbury Racecourse for a university assignment.
Canterbury, in my opinion, is one of the best racetracks in the country. First and foremost its drainage is outstanding. Unlike almost any other track in New South Wales, Canterbury can cope with a deluge of rain.
When the races would be abandoned at Rosehill or Warwick Farm, the track might only be rated slow or on the better side of heavy at Canterbury.
The tight-turning nature of the Canterbury track means it is one of the fairest tracks in the country. Jockeys are always keen to ensure they don’t end up racing wide at Canterbury, and with short straights and long turns, it adds up to fast-paced racing a lot of the time.
You would struggle to find a bigger advocate of fast-paced racing than myself.
When the pace is fast, the cream rises to the top and the last furlong becomes a slog. Generally the best horse will win a race that is run truly throughout.
Canterbury is by no means perfect. It can be very hard to win from the second half of the field, but I’d argue it’s no harder at Canterbury than what it is at Rosehill or Warwick Farm.
And there’s certainly a lot less track bias at Canterbury than what you’ll find at either Rosehill or ‘the Farm’.
So why is Canterbury the only ATC track that doesn’t host a Group race? Why do I keep reading newspaper articles hinting at racing administrators wanting to sell the Canterbury racetrack?
And why the heck is the Canterbury Stakes (1300m, Group 1, weight-for-age) being run at Randwick (for the first time) on Saturday?
Randwick doesn’t even run 1300m races very often. There hasn’t even been five races run at Randwick over 1300m this season.
Randwick already hosts a Group 1 sprint – the TJ Smith (1200m, Group 1, weight-for-age), which is being run this year on April 12. There is no need for the Canterbury to be run at Randwick.
I’d like to see the ATC move the Canterbury Stakes back to Canterbury next year. I think it should be run on a Friday night in early March.
Moonee Valley successfully hosts Group 1 meetings on Friday nights a few times each season in Melbourne, so the formula can definitely work.
For the race to be moved to Canterbury, the distance of the race will need to be moved back to 1280m, which is the maximum sprint trip at Canterbury. But a reduction in distance will certainly suit those horses who will use the race as their final TJ Smith lead-up.
Until six years ago, there was Group 1 racing at Canterbury almost each season. Many champions have raced at Canterbury.
Octagonal, on route to perhaps the most famous Triple Crown in Australian racing history, won the now defunct Canterbury Guineas (1900m, Group 1, three-year-olds), the old first leg of the Triple Crown, on the Canterbury track in 1995.
The great Manikato won the 1982 Canterbury Stakes at Canterbury. The first time dual-hemisphere champion So You Think was ever seen publicly was at Canterbury for a barrier trial, while the legendary Kingston Town’s first ever start was at Canterbury.
In 2004, I earmarked Wonderful World as a Group 1 horse after seeing him win on debut at Canterbury.
Ten months later he won the Caulfield Guineas (1600m, Group 1, three-year-olds). The following year, he ran second in the Cox Plate (2040m, Group 1, weight-for-age).
In March of 2010, I saw a horse called Once Were Wild completely dominate a lowly race from the front at Canterbury. I followed her to an Australian Oaks (2400m, Group 1, three-year-old fillies) victory six weeks later.
In September of 2012, my colleague at The Roar Andrew Hawkins had been spruiking a New Zealand horse called Dundeel.
So I hopped on a train to Canterbury and watched Dundeel fight his way to a nose victory on his Sydney debut. I immediately fell in love with his desire to win.
Five Group 1s later, It’s A Dundeel, as he is now known, is one of the most famous horses in the world.
Six months ago, I saw Eurozone win on debut at Canterbury, when quite simply, he had no right. I’m looking forward to seeing him win his first Group 1 at some point this year.
Canterbury is a great track. It has idiosyncrasies like ‘the Canterbury plug’, which most horses that race at the track will fall victim to.
The Canterbury plug is how my mates and I describe the last 100m of almost every race at Canterbury. Because the pressure of races at the track is usually so intense, almost every horse that races at Canterbury will plug home (instead of sprint) in the last 100m.
Even Dundeel plugged when he came to Canterbury! Very few horses defy the plug but those that do almost always go on to win Group races.
The last horse I saw defy the Canterbury plug was Eurozone. The next week, we were talking about him on The Roar before many racing fans knew he even existed. A few months later he won a Group 2.
I’m writing this article because I love Canterbury Racecourse. And I don’t like the future I’m seeing for it.
Canterbury deserves more than hosting midweek meetings. It deserves to host at least one genuinely good race.
I’m prepared to back in Canterbury to the point where I’d declare Canterbury would put on a good race if the ATC moved the Canterbury Stakes back to its rightful home.
The Canterbury at Randwick? It’s just not racing!
John
Guest
Remember when they used to have a hurdle race every year at Canterbury!? Great times, btw there is no group races at Warwick Farm these days either.
Rosso
Guest
For a track so close to the City..it should be used more often
Justin Cinque
Expert
I know the six furlong mark at Canterbury quite well. Lots of birdlife (the animal that is) down there these days. Probably has always been the case. I agree, it does feel like you're at the races. I love how it's a 30 second walk from the betting ring to the yard and then another minute to the stand to watch the races. It's so comfortable in that sense. At Randwick, and even Flemington, everything takes five minutes to get to. I wouldn't say Canterbury hooked me on racing. That track was Rosehill, but Canterbury is the track that made me realise how much I love racing.
Justin Cinque
Expert
You're spot on about the 70s in that sense... I can't help but feel I've gone back in time when I'm at Warwick Farm. The atmosphere would've been different, but the facilities probably looked the same. I guess Randwick is the only track that can pull a half decent crowd but I don't think the old STC tracks have had a lot of favours since the merger. They need a spark! I tend to agree Glenn - racing is definitely not what it once was. But the good horses are still there, and they're great to follow!
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
Justin, I grew up next to the Canterbury Racecourse and used to wag school on a Wednesday afternoon so I could get the last few races. I may have ended up growing water melons or something if not for the local track that "hooked me" at a tender age. I used to run around the track to get fit for soccer and even got 'sprung" once by a noisy copper when I was giving my GF a cuddle at the then six furlong mark. Ah well, it was midnight I suppose. The place has always had a wonderful atmosphere and makes you feel like you are at the races. It would be a tragedy if they sold it but I am sure they will one day.
Glenn Innes
Guest
Actually it is not like racegoing in the seventies because in the seventies there were lots of people there and heaps of bookmakers and loads of mainstream media coverage etc.etc. I guess the demise of group racing at Canterbury is due to the fact that Randwick is the only track in Sydney that can pull a half decent crowd these days.If the tracks were privately owned like in the States Rosehill Warwick Farm and Canterbury would all be in the dustbin of history. For much of my life racing was both my bread and butter and my sporting passion but these days there is something dreary and vaguely depressing about Australian racing. The times when sports editors would say if it's a slow news day put a racing article on the back page are long gone what was once mainstream is now very much off Broadway with the partial exception of the Melboune Cup - and even that is really just a big piss up. I have no answer to the problem but in Australia sadly the greatest sport of all (in my opinion) is a sport on the verge of needing a hospice....very depressing!
Alice
Guest
Are they still planning to sell Canterbury? Every now and again that rumour pops up in my mail. Sad because it's such a beautiful track and a lot of fun to visit.
peeeko
Roar Guru
Agree with all your points here Justin, everything is about randwick these days. The new admin is definitely eastern Sydney centric.
Justin Cinque
Expert
And if anyone is wondering what race should be run at G1 in the spring at Canterbury - it is the Spring Champion. Randwick has the Randwick Guineas. That's the race that replaced the Canterbury Guineas. It seems only fair for the Spring Champion then to be moved to Canterbury. Horses that like a nice, tight-turning track should have a chance to win an age-specific Group 1 race on a tight circuit. After all, their ancestors had that chance with the Canterbury Guineas.
Justin Cinque
Expert
I agree completely Luke. We don't want Sydney to become the new Adelaide. The Parks track over there is rubbish. They might as well run Saturday meetings at Gawler instead. I agree about night racing. As I wrote above, the STC/ATC thought/think that night racing will work just because they turn on some lights and put seven races on. Make it special and people will come! Run a Group 1 race at Canterbury in spring and another under lights in autumn. Run a 900m race each meeting and give a car to the fastest time holder at the end of the season. Run a 2800m race each meeting and run a big final on the last night meeting of the season. They haven't done any of this, and really, it hasn't been good enough for ages. The STC had a reasonable go at it ten years ago but Thursday night was not the slot. It can work on Fridays but Racing NSW/ATC don't want it to. It seems like they'd be happy to sell the joint for the best price.
Justin Cinque
Expert
Interesting Drew H. I think the success or failure of the ATC merger lies in the success or failure of The Championships. Without the merger, perhaps there wouldn't be any Championships. They spent $150m on the new stand at Randwick - which has only about 1000 seats to watch the races from. The facility needs to shine during The Championships. The Championships must also shine. Otherwise what has the club done? The ATC don't have a lot of money. Rosehill has been stripped of a mega-day of Group 1 racing on Slipper Day. The BMW is not the race it once was (but then again, it wasn't living up to the prizemoney anyway) and Canterbury is just a Wednesday circuit now. Warwick Farm continues its slow degeneration. Every time you walk through the gates, you take a step back to race-going in the 1970s. As Mark Shean says, you'll get a melanoma in summer and a pneumonia in winter by standing in the WF betting ring. The big winner is Randwick. Everything is geared towards The Championships. They must fire! Thankfully, I think they might.
Justin Cinque
Expert
Yep, I hope they don't sell it. Somehow my gut says it's inevitable. Night racing never worked at Canterbury and I can't fathom why. I think it was because Thursday nights weren't a great spot. Then when they moved it to Friday, it's always an early start which can be hard to make and there's never a good race on. If the club did things more similar to how the MVRC do their Friday nights, it would have more success. Make the experience special. Run a couple of 100k races each night meeting. Run a Group 1 at the track in spring and a Group 1 in autumn under lights. Run a 955m sprint challenge and give a car away to the fastest time holder. Run a 2800m race at Canterbury every night meeting and then hold a seasonal final on the last meeting of the year and offer 100 or 125k in prizemoney. The STC/ATC thought night racing would work just because they turned on some lights. Make it special, make it worth travelling for on a worknight and people will come.
Justin Cinque
Expert
Absolutely Sam! I agree, it would be a great initiative. Sat racing at Bendigo and Newcastle. Saturday night at Canterbury and the Valley! You know, I used to be like you in the sense that Canterbury was a great place to watch the races but a bad one to bet at. But then, I worked out you can do quite well by playing to the pattern of the track. Avoid backing run-on horses, exploit place-betting with on-speed gallopers in good form at a decent price. When I was at uni, say between six and four years ago, I would be at Canterbury races a hell of a lot, and most times, I'd win. And at that stage, I was probably losing my small outlay each Saturday. In any case, I agree completely. More quality racing at Canterbury is a must in my opinion. By the way, I checked the ATC website last night. According to them, Canterbury runs three Listed races - the Classic, the PJ Bell and the Underwood (I think it was the Underwood, could've been the Selwood). Anyway, it was a 1900m Listed handicap. That's it. It's a disgrace because I think it's a great track, as I've written above. The day the ATC or Racing NSW sells Canterbury will be a sad day for me. I really do have an emotional bond with the place. I love watching the races there.
Sam Kelly
Guest
Great piece Justin! While Canterbury isn't my favourite track to bet on, it's one of my favourites to visit. Would love to see more night racing there and higher quality racing at that. Aside from the Canterbury Classic, I don't think there's another stakes race there. Wouldn't it be great to see Saturdays meeting on a Friday night alongside Moonee Valley with fifteen minute gaps between races. You could even pop them both on the Saturday night and have Bendigo and Newcastles Newmarket meeting during the day.
Justin Cinque
Expert
Hi Scuba, thanks for the replay. Not a bad Derby either. That cutaway doesn't look too bad compared to one we sometimes see at Wyong. Still, I'm against the concept. I think the sprint lane has almost completely ruined harness racing.
Scuba
Guest
Justin, the race I remember the most with the cutaway rail is the 1993 AJC Derby, which (I think) may have been about the time the rail went in. Love J Tapp's call in this "Innocent King looks to be struggling" - maybe because he's just nearly been put over the inside fence? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPYQYf6w-_0
Haradasun
Guest
Canny Ballad was home! That photo was BS.
Luke Andrews
Guest
Sydney racing hasn't fully committed to night racing in the same way Melbourne has. Which is odd considering the climatic advantages Sydney has over Melbourne. I guess the powers that be refuse to put too much into Canterbury because at the back of their minds is the long term plan to sell it off. Which is sad as they are wasting a prime asset in the mean time. Hopefully Sydney never gets to the point Adelaide has with one track ensuring the racing becomes repetitive. Btw, what ever happened to the money they got from selling two tracks? It certainly isn't going into prizemoney. But yes Justin, as you strongly argue, Canterbury does deserve at least the one top race named after it. But the current direction at the ATC is all about Randwick.
Will Sinclair
Roar Guru
He's a very shrewd punter as well, is Mr. Haradasun Snr. Unlike his son.
Justin Cinque
Expert
No, don't remember it at Randwick. Must been have been a while back. Tell your father, I think Canterbury is one of the best track layouts in Australia. Warwick Farm, on the other hand, not so much. That is a great job by the way... Racecourse design!