The South Australia town of Bordertown boasts a population of just under 3,000, although it can call on a further 600 residents from the neighbouring towns of Mundulla and Wolseley. The town has its own racecourse where racing is administered by the Bordertown Racing Club, and has staged races on its current track since 1945, although prior to this it did hold meetings on two former tracks on the outskirts of the town which have now been developed into residential areas. The Racing Club also includes members from the town of Keith which is very much focussed on the training, breeding and general enjoyment of horses. Its principal race is the Bordertown Cup over 2000 metres, contested at its main meeting, normally on the second Sunday in December, with recent winners shown below. Currently race meetings are held 4 or 5 times a year, always on a Sunday and generally in February, July, October and a main meeting in December, this marking a considerable increase compared to 5 years ago when there were only two meetings per year. |
| Local Patrons |
Bordertown Racing Club |
| Principal Races |
Bordertown Cup |
1913 The Bordertown Cup over 1 ¼ miles, worth £40, was won by Lord Thunderer owned by Mr A Schubert and ridden by A G Carter
1914 The Bordertown Cup over 1 ¼ miles, worth £50, was won by Yalta owned by Mr D L McRae and ridden by J D Campbell
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In 1915 the annual races were held on Commonage Paddock on St Patrick’s Day in front of a smaller than average crowd who enjoyed warm weather. The principal race, the Bordertown Cup, was won by Prince Aryan owned by Mr Kent.
1915 The Bordertown Cup over 1 ¼ miles, worth £45, was won by Prince Aryan owned by Mr Kent and ridden by W Shaw
1916 The Bordertown Cup, over 1 mile 1 furlong, was won by Lost Sheaf who defeated Merri Waltz and Silver Streak |
In 1917 the meeting was given the name the ‘Bordertown Patriotic meeting’.
1917 The Bordertown Cup was won by Merri Bridge owned by Mr Jas Cordner
1918 The Bordertown Cup was won by Merrilinga owned by Mr Jas Cordner and ridden by E Gould
1919 The Bordertown Cup was won by Prakrit owned by Mr A W Orchard and ridden by Walters |
The 1920 meeting was held on 15th January 1920, a month earlier than usual, as an experiment designed to guarantee a good crowd and good weather. The main event, the Bordertown Cup, was won by Jessie Sterling for Mr M Mullins.
1920 The Bordertown Cup worth £30, was won by Jessie Sterling owned by Mr M Mullins and ridden by Kiely
1921 The Bordertown Cup was won for the second year in succession by Jessie Sterling owned by Mr M Mullins and ridden by Hopwood
1922 The Bordertown Cup, over 1 mile 1 furlong, was won by Povant owned by Mr W R Cross and ridden by L Cross
1923 The Bordertown Cup was won by Marble Saint who defeated Covess and Coal King
1924 The Bordertown Cup over 9 furlongs, worth £25, was won by Walparie owed by Miss D Daenke
1925 The Bordertown Cup, over 9 furlongs, was won by Here’s Luck owned by Mr R Miles who defeated Disturbance |
By 1926 the Bordertown Racing Club, presided over by Mr W McGrice, decided that in 1927 the Club and Picnic Club should hold a joint meeting on 20th November 1927 when the programme would consist of:-
£20 Bordertown Hurdles
£12 Mundalla Plate
£12 Bordertown Novice Race
£22 Bordertown Cup
£10 Bordertown Trials Stake
£12 Wolseley Welter
1926 The Bordertown Cup was won by Cannawigra owned by Mr J A Rankine and ridden by Lawrence |
Bordertown Cup Winners
2009 The Bordertown Cup worth $20,000, was won by Regansburg (10/1), trained by Mike Whittle and ridden by Justin Potter 10 ran
2010 The Bordertown Cup worth $20,000, was won by Lady Avacan (Evens fav), trained by Sue Jaensch and ridden by Jordan Frew 7 ran
2011 The Bordertown Cup worth $20,000, was won by Club Royale (11/1), trained by Lee Creek and ridden by Holly McKecknie 7 ran
2012 The Bordertown Cup worth $20,000, was won by Sandhill Prince (7/2), trained by Sam Turner and ridden by Jake Toeroek 8 ran
2013 The Bordertown Cup worth $20,000, was won by Star Act (25/1), trained by Lindsay Cadzow and ridden by Amy Herrmann 10 ran
2014 The Bordertown Cup worth $20,000, was won by Texan Warney (7/2), trained by Darryl Dodson and ridden by Holly McKecknie 10 ran
2015 The Bordertown Cup worth $20,000, was won by Sandhill Chief (9/2), trained by Sam Turner and ridden by Matthew Poon 10 ran
2016 The Bordertown Cup worth $20,000, was won by Viva Espana (7/2), trained by Wayne Walters and ridden by Katie Walters 9 ran
2017 The Bordertown Cup worth $20,000, Heat 3 of the Limestone Coast Cup Series, was won by Straight Jacket (4/1), trained by Symon Wilde and ridden by Declan Bates 11 ran |
| Course today |
The racecourse continues to operate successfully today. |
| If you have photos, postcards, racecards. badges, newspaper cuttings or book references about the old course, or can provide a photo of how the ground on which the old racecourse stood looks today, then email johnwslusar@gmail.com |
Much of the information about this course has been found using internet research and is in the public domain. However, useful research sources have been:-
London Illustrated News
Racing Illustrated 1895-1899
The Sporting & Dramatic Illustrated
Northern Turf History Volumes 1-4 by J.Fairfax-Blakeborough
The Sporting Magazine
A Long Time Gone by Chris Pitt first published in 1996 ISBN 0 900599 89 8
Racing Calendars which were first published in 1727 |
