Forbury Park Raceway

rdf:langString Forbury Park Raceway

rdf:langString Forbury Park Raceway is a horseracing venue in the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located close to the Pacific Ocean coast in the suburb of Saint Kilda. The raceway was initially developed in 1870 on an area of reclaimed swamp, with a one-mile track leased to the Dunedin Jockey Club. The site was used for both galloping and saddle trotting events until 1898, at which time the Dunedin Jockey Club moved to a new venue at Wingatui, near Mosgiel. Light harness racing began at Forbury in 1909, at about which time the track was reduced to approximately 1100 yards (1000 metres). The installation of floodlights in 1960 saw the advent of night trotting. The venue is currently used for both harness racing and greyhound racing, as well as for other large-scale outdoor events. It is one of the country's main trotting venues. The Forbury Park Trotting Club marked 100 years of harness racing at Forbury Park with a race meeting on Thursday 26 November 2009, the identical date of the first meeting on the track in 1909. The club itself had been racing for 110 years at that stage as its first meeting was at Tahuna Park in May 1892. It held a centennial meeting in October 1992. Forbury Park was the first club in the South Island to hold a night trotting fixture with the inaugural meeting on Thursday, 26 January 1961. In 1965 the current members stand was built for the Inter Dominion. It was the only Inter Dominion ever held in New Zealand outside of either Auckland or Christchurch. Robin Dundee and Jay Ar dead-heated for first place in the Inter Dominion Pacing Championship. Poupette won the Inter Dominion Trotting Championship. Forbury Park has also hosted Long Track Motorcycle Speedway, hosting the New Zealand Long Track Championship seven times from 1982 to 1988. The first four championships were won by legendary New Zealand rider Ivan Mauger.