The small New South Wales town of Mendooran lies close to the Casthereagh River in the Warrumbungle Shire of the state. It is located almost 350 kilometres west of the state capital Sydney, but just 75 kilometres from Dubbo which has its own racecourse. The area was first inhabited by the Wiradjuri people prior to the first Europeans arriving in 1815 when the surveyor John Evans passed close to the region. At that time it was known as Mundooran, a name which continued until the railway came in 1915, after which it switched to its present day name Mendooran. Today the town has a population of about 350 people and runs its own racecourse, where racing is overseen by the Mendooran Turf Club which has a rich history, holding its first meeting on 6th May 1856. Within a year it had extended its racing to two days from Wednesday 5th to Thursday 6th August 1857 and included a hurdle race. Details of that very early race meeting are shown below.

Wednesday 5th August 1857
Mundooran Town Plate (£30) over 1 ½ miles
1. Black Paddy owned by Mr Burgess
2. Dandy owned by Mr Magick
3. Shakespeare owned by Mr S E Tuckerman
Stockman’s Purse (£20) over 1 mile
1. Jerry Sneak owned by Mr Hassall
2. Woodbine owned by Mr Lewis
3. Barebones owned by Mr Hill
Thursday 6th August 1857
Mundooran Hurdle Race of £15 over 2 miles and the distance and 6 leaps
1. Black Paddy owned by Mr Burgess
2. Whistler owned by Mr Cockburn
3. Black Prince owned by Mr S E Tuckerman

Within just 2 years the meeting had become so popular that it extended to a third day, taking place between Friday 9th and Sunday 11th December 1859. The attendance was good and the racing first rate. The opening Maiden Plate over 1 mile was won by Mr S E Tuckerman’s Marquis, beating Lady Bird and Cock Robin, while the Mundooran Town Plate over 1 ½ miles went to Mr S E Tuckerman’s Dandy. On the final day Mr S E Tuckerman claimed the Mundooran Cup with Marquis.

In the 1880s the racecourse was situated at the present Showground, while in the 1890s it moved to the site still being used pre-Second World War. Between the Wars a number of founding members were made Life Members, including Mr C H Digges (Coonamble), Mr R N Monk, Mr John Luckie, Mr F Taylor, Mr T A Mansu, Mr D O’Brien and Mr T P Mansu. The Cup was the highlight of the racing calendar even in the days leading up to the Second World War.

Pre-Second World War winners of the Mendooran Cup
(A full list of winners is available on request)
1934 Mendooran Amateur Turf Club Cup over 1 ¼ miles was won by Bomena (1/3 fav) owned by Mr W R Mills and ridden by Mr L Quinlan, beating Gayfix and Talloonabar
1935 Mendooran Amateur Turf Club Cup over 1 ¼ miles was won by Bomena (4/6 fav) owned by Mr W Mills and ridden by L Quinlan, beating Taemas and Gayfix 8 ran
1936 Mendooran Amateur Turf Club Cup over 1 ¼ miles was won by Bomena (4/6 fav) owned by Mr W R Mills and ridden by L Quinlan, beating Black Arrow and Taemus
In 1936 a comprehensive building programme provided a new grandstand, booths, offices and a new enclosure.
1937 Mendooran Amateur Turf Club Cup over 1 ¼ miles was won by Son of Isreal owned by Mr W R Mills and ridden by L Quinlan, beating Taloonanbah (Evens fav) and Gayfix (20/1) 6 ran
After the meeting, as was tradition, a Race Ball was held at the Hall, with music supplied by the Lorna Lanco Orchestra.
1938 Mendooran Amateur Turf Club Cup over 1 ¼ miles was won by Son of Israel (4/6 fav) owned by Mr W R Mills, beating Salted Almonds and Taemas 4 ran
1940 Mendooran Amateur Turf Club Cup over 1 ¼ miles was won by Montreaux (3/1) beating Ausmita and Caramba

The racecourse continues to be very successful, with the highlights of the racing calendar being the J J McGirr Memorial Silver Horseshoe which is run over 1500 metres, although it began as a 2000 metre race, and the Mendooran Cup over 1200 metres which is normally contested on the first Saturday in September.
Recent Mendooran Cup winners
(A full list of winners is available on request)
2008 Mendooran Cup ($2,800) over 1500 metres was won by Dolpen (3/1) trained by Tracey Bartley and ridden by N Patchett, beating Cristoforo and Trippy 8 ran
2009 Mendooran Cup ($2,800) over 1500 metres was won by Spiritualistic (Evens fav) trained by Cody Morgan and ridden by J Galea, beating Beltana and Prince Raheed 9 ran
2010 Mendooran Cup meeting was abandoned
2011 Mendooran Cup ($2,800) over 1500 metres was won by Carry The Dance (6/1) trained by Garry Lunn and ridden by Kacie Chater 6 ran
2012 Mendooran Cup ($3,400) over 1500 metres was won by Eureka Joh (13/8 fav) trained by Brett Thompson and ridden by James Innes, beating Find Your Manners and Gargle 9 ran
2013 Mendooran Cup ($3,400) over 1500 metres was won by Darkness (4/1) trained by Gavin Groth and ridden by Daniel Northey, beating Lucky Hand and Dandy Kat 8 ran
2014 Mendooran Cup ($3,400) over 1500 metres was won by Subtract (5/1) trained by Sally Torrens and ridden by Sophie Young, beating Shen Long and Subic Bay 6 ran
2015 Mendooran Cup ($3,400) over 1500 metres was won by Ima Secret (16/1) trained by Gavin Groth and ridden by Ms S Bigg, beating Domuar Miss and Dark Mojo 7 ran
2016 Mendooran Cup meeting was abandoned
2017 Mendooran Cup ($3,935) over 1200 metres was won by Vision Retract (10/1) trained by Joseph Hodgson and ridden by Anthony Cavallo, beating Security Code and Clipaholic 10 ran

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774 former courses

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400 former courses

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