History

The first recognised race meeting was a two day event 16-17 October 1860 with the Volunteers stakes the main race of the first day and the Publicans Purse the main race of the second day.

The local countryside is very undulating and it proved difficult to find a site for a racecourse. However, in 1885, land was reserved to the north of the town by the New South Wales (NSW) State government and set aside for the sport of thoroughbred racing.

Racing in the early 1900s was very much a bush affair and was not always regular. However, following World War II, the Club developed rapidly, assisted by the wealth of regional agriculture and population growth in Canberra - Australia's newly established Capital City. Canberra is only a few minutes from the racecourse, across the (NSW), Australian Capital Territory (ACT) borders. Queanbeyan is "Country Racing In The City".