The New South Wales town of Adaminaby lies in the Snowy Mountain region of the state to the north-west of Cooma. It is in an area of outstanding beauty, catering for tourists interested in fishing and winter sports, although the population of the town barely numbers 300. Despite this it runs its own successful country racecourse and has done so since the middle of the 19th century, with the first recorded meeting taking place on Monday 6th April 1863 when the meeting was known as Seymour Races. By 1882 the races were known as Adaminaby Races, with a meeting staged on 28th June 1882, the card comprised of a Maiden Plate won by Deerfoot owned by Mr J Higgerson, who won by 2 lengths; a Match and a number of Saddle and Bridle races which were popular at that time. After racing a dinner was held at the Rose Inn under the direction of the landlord Jas Berrigan. |
Extract from the earlier Seymour Races,'The earliest record of a race meeting at Seymour, also known as Adaminaby or Chalker’s, was on Easter Monday 6th April 1863. The card consisted of a $10 Maiden Plate over 1 ½ miles, a $12 Town Plate and a $10 Ladies Purse. It was clearly not the first such race meeting on the course because the newspapers commented, ‘As usual the Messrs Chippendale had it all their own way, and deservedly so for the trouble they go to of breeding and training good horses’. The Maiden Plate went to IO, a bay filly owned by Mr Chippendale, defeating Mr Delany’s Rory and one other. The Town Plate followed and was won by Mr Chippendale’s Annie Laurie who beat Charley owned by the ‘4 mile team’. In the Ladies Purse Rory owned by Mr Delany was second, while Charlie captured the Beaten Horses Stakes'. |
