ARARAT RACECOURSE
The racecourse can be located on the Western Highway at Ararat in Victoria. The Ararat Turf Club was formed in 1857. Its inaugural meeting lasted 4 days and began on 15th December of that year with a crowd in excess of 26,000 attending over the 4 days.
	The grandstand came about 13 years after that first meeting and was built using bricks from the local mental hospital.
One of its, and Australias, most famous racing incidents happened at the course on 7th December 1970. A horse called Cloverleigh was heading for an assured victory by about 3 lengths when his jockey Kevin Sexton was thrown off. The controversy surrounded whether he was aboard at the winning post. The judge and stewards concluded that he was and he was confirmed the winner. The official photo was not shown for 11 days but when it was it showed that he was thrown before the winning line.
	One of its feature races is the Renown Silverware Ararat Pacing Cup. In its latest running on 3rd January 2009 it was Count De Lira who was successful in the Sprint getting the better of Few Good Men in a driving finish.
If you have badges, racecards, pictures of the racecourse or further details about the course, including your memories, then email johnslusar@fsmail.net