Rosehill Gardens Racecourse is a turf track located in western Sydney in the suburb of Rosehill which was opened in 1885. The circumference of the track is 2048 metres, with the main straight being 408 metres.
The current owners and operators of Rosehill are the Australian Turf Club after the Sydney Turf Club combined with the Australian Jockey Club in 2011. Here is some information on some of the races that occur at the Rosehill Gardens Racetrack.
Rosehill Guineas
The Rosehill Guineas was inaugurated in 1910 and is a Group 1 thoroughbred race for 3-year-olds on set-weight and has a total prize purse of $600,000. The distance of the race has been 2000 metres since 1973 and was upgraded from a principal race to a Group 1 race in 1980. There have been many well-known champion horses to win the Rosehill Guineas over the years including Phar Lap (1929), Tulloch (1957), Kingston Town (1980) and Octagonal in 1996.
H.E Tancred Stakes
This is the newest race on this list, being inaugurated in 1963 as the H.E. Tancred Cup. It was named after Henry Eugene (H.E.) Tancred who was a former rugby player turned Chairman of the Sydney Turf Club until his passing in 1961. It is a turf Group 1 weight for age race for horses that are three years or over and runs at a distance of 2400 metres. It has a total prize purse of $1,500,000 so it is a win that many vie for and a Tancred Stakes bet should be considered if you have done your research.
The race was most recently won by Sir Dragonet in 2021 and ridden by jockey Glen Boss. The first winner was Maidenhead in 1963 and has seen some famous champion horses win the races throughout the years including Apollo 11 in 1973, Bonecrusher in 1986, Octagonal in 1996 and 1997, Ethereal in 2002 and Verry Elleegant in 2020.
The Golden Slipper
The Golden Slipper Stakes is a Group 1 thoroughbred right-handed set-weight race for 2-year-olds, run over a distance of 1200 metres. The most recent win was by Stay Inside in March 2021, ridden by Jockey Tommy Berry. The inaugural event was in 1957 where it was won by Todman, a champion Australian racehorse and sire.
It was the first race in New South Wales to have a total prize purse of $1,000,000 and is currently the richest 2-year-old race in the world with prize money of $3,5000,000. Champion trainer Gai Waterhouse has won the event 7 times and jockeys Shane Dye and Rob Quinton have both won it 4 times so far.
George Ryder Stakes
This Group 1 thoroughbred horserace was first run in 1903 and has gone through many name changes since it began, being named the George Ryder Stakes in 1974. The distance of the race has changed as well, starting at 1300 metres and changing over the years before settling on 1500 metres since 1986.
Several horses have won the race twice including Prince Regoli in 1962 and 1963, Foresight in 1968-69, Manikato in 1979-80 and Emancipation in 1983-84. Champion Racehorse Winx is the only horse to win more than twice with 4 wins in a row from 2016-2019. The most recent winner was Think It Over in 2021.
Rosehill Gardens is one of Australia’s most renowned racecourses and with so many prestigious races being held there, it is well worth a visit.