The town of Wauchope is situated on the banks of the Hastings River, on the north coast of New South Wales, about twenty kilometres west of Port Macquarie. Wauchope is now the centre of the local dairy and cattle farming industries, and the gateway to many national parks and state forests.  The economy of the town in the early days was traditionally dependant on the timber industry. More timber was transported out of Wauchope than any other town in Australia, and timber from Wauchope was even used in the construction of the Sydney Opera House.

The population is small, but the community is very close and friendly. The Wauchope Jockey Club is endeavouring to get all business and industries involved in keeping the atmosphere of the racing and the Wauchope Cup as it was envisaged when racing formed the heart of the social life of the community, back in the last century.

Wauchope Racecourse Hosts Ten Meetings Annually

Wauchope Racecourse has a 375 metres home straight, and the racetrack is 1600 metres long. The main track is well grassed and there is also a good sand track for training. All the tracks are well fenced for security. The racecourse does rise and fall in places, but the last piece of the track to the post is down hill. There has been racing on the present racecourse since 1945. Wauchope Jockey Club hosts ten meetings annually, including the Wauchope Cup in June each year. The Wauchope Cup is run over a distance of 1450 metres, and carries prize money of 27,000 dollars.

If the racecourse where the Wauchope Cup is usually run is not ready, due to the renovations to the track that is taking place, the nearby race track at Kempsey Park will be used to host the event..

Smaller Races just as Exciting

Horse racing has been, over the centuries, one of the most popular sports events in most countries of the world. All rules and regulations for racing in each country are strictly observed, formed by the example set by the English Jockey Club in 1750. There are now hundreds of horse races taking place every weekend and weekday, in every country. Many of the big events are well known all over the world, like the Melbourne Cup in Australia. Or the Ascot races held in England. Many, however, are held in small country towns, and these can also provide the thrills of the race and the betting that will always go with it.

There are different types of horse racing, for example the maiden races, for horses that have not won a race before, the handicap races and the stakes races. These last are run by the better horses and tend to have the biggest prizes. The trend these days is for many of the punters who enjoy betting on horse races to place their bets online. More and more of these online betting sites are offering excellent customer service, together with the convenience of safe and secure financial transactions. Another benefit they often provide is the information and statistics that punters require regarding each horse race, the form of the horses, condition of the tracks the jockeys riding the horses and the position at the gate that the horse has drawn. The top betting sites have therefore developed into interactive resources that punters can access with ease.