South Australian Jockey Club

First Racing Events

The first horse racing events in South Australia took place at a largely-attended picnic meeting held over 1 and 2 January 1838. In August 1838, riding his grey gelding Charley, Fred Handcock won the first steeplechase event ever held in South Australia. Various racing events (including match races) continued throughout the 1840s, but without a regulating body.

Early foundations of the S.A.J.C.

The first incarnation of the South Australian Jockey Club (S.A.J.C.) was in 1850, when it ran a race programme at Brighton on 14 February. Thomas Shayle was the Hon. Sec. and Edward Strike the Clerk of the Course.

Many subsequent clubs were formed and folded (one in 1869 through bankruptcy then revived in 1873 after its debts were paid by a consortium of businessmen), variously named South Australian or Adelaide Jockey Club and races were run under Jockey Club rules within and outside these organisations at various locations: Dry Creek, the East Parklands, Thebarton and Glenelg.

The second S.A.J.C.

The Club was re-formed in 1875 with Stewards: Sir John Morphett, Sir Henry Ayers, John Crozier M.L.C., W. Cavenagh, M.P., and Philip Levi. The Committee consisted of: G. Bennett, Henry W. K. Simms, M.P. Judge: Mr. E. M. Bagot. Starters: Henry Hughes and G. Bennett. Clerk of the Course: J. Boose. The first handicapping committee consisted of William B. Rounsevell, Gabriel Bennett and Henry Hughes.

Thomas Elder donated a considerable property at Morphettville, known as the "Elder Course", to the Club, which held its first meeting there on 3 January 1876. The committee, with an income stream from the "tote" (totalizator) borrowed heavily to fund improvements to the course. A breakaway group, the Adelaide Racing Club acquired the lease to the "Old Adelaide Racecourse" (later known as Victoria Park) from the Adelaide City Council and until amalgamation, continued to hold race meetings there.

In 1883 Parliament passed the Totalizator Repeal Act, which had the immediate effect of making South Australian race-courses much less profitable, and the Club, whose finances were in a precarious state, was forced to relinquish the Morphettville racecourse to the Queensland Mortgage Company. The 1885 Adelaide Cup was held at Flemington and the Club was defunct.

The current S.A.J.C.

In 1888 Parliament reversed its ban on the Totalizator, and three sport-loving businessmen T. F. Wigley, Sylvester Browne, and R. B. Pell purchased the Morphettville course for £8,000, speculating on a resumption of racing, A. O. Whitington, who had previously had a supervisory role at race meetings, and whose employers John and William Pile were prominent racegoers, was approached by T. F. Wigley to help revive the Club, and Whitington convened a meeting in the arbitration room of the Stock Exchange in Pirie street on 19 September 1888, presided by Sir Richard Baker. Those present included Sir Richard Baker, Tom Barnfield, William Blackler, Irwin A. Bleechmore, P. Frederick Bonnin, Dr. Thomas Cawley, Hugh Chambers, John Deeney, Daniel Dunlevie, James A. Ellery, William Filgate, James Hay, Ernest W. Howard, Henry Hughes, Philip Lee, W. B. Rounsevell, A. Simms, H. Simms, W. K. Simms and T. F. Wigley. The outcome of the meeting was that Whitington was appointed Club Secretary, Baker, Rounsevell, Wigley, Pile, Chambers, Bonnin, and Ellery were appointed committee members, and the Morphettville course was leased by the Club for £900 per annum with a right to purchase after four years for £12,000. In 1895 thanks to "the tote" and Whitington's careful stewardship, the SAJC was able to exercise its "right to purchase" from Browne, who had meanwhile acquired Pell's then Wigley's shares.

In 2008, firstly Victoria Park, and then in 2009 Cheltenham Park were discontinued as racing facilities in South Australia, and now races are conducted at one metropolitan course: Morphettville. Major races include the Group 1 Goodwood Handicap (1200m), Group 2 Adelaide Cup (3200m), Group 1 SA Derby (2500m) and the Group 1 Australasian Oaks (2000m).

Races

The following is a list of group races, which are conducted by the South Australian Jockey Club (SAJC).