Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival
Encyclopedia
The Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival is a horse-racing meeting held over two days by the Oakbank Racing Club at the Oakbank Racecourse
located in the Adelaide Hills
in South Australia
. The carnival is a mixture of flat and jumping races with between two and four jumps races on day one and two feature jumping races on day two.
Day one is held on Easter Saturday and is one of the highest attended race days in Australia. The Von Doussa Steeplechase takes place on day one and is a preliminary to the Great Eastern Steeplechase
held on Easter Monday. A "classic" hurdle race takes place on Monday as does the feature flat race, the Onkaparinga Cup.
The meeting is conducted by the Oakbank Racing Club and is popular with families and groups. Although ostensibly a horse race meeting, Oakbank is an event in itself with carnival rides, picnics and other activities. Many families camp for the whole weekend in the paddocks adjacent to the track, and some have done so all their lives.
Patrons travelled by train from Adelaide to nearby Balhannah
station [2 miles from the course] from 1884. When the branch to Mount Pleasant
opened in 1918, a special platform was constructed adjacent to the course, permitting special race trains to run direct to the course the following Easter. The line to Mount Pleasant closed on 3 March, 1963, thus the race trains ran no more.
A notable horse to have raced at Oakbank was Zama Lad, who won the Harry D Young Hurdle four years straight in the 1980s.
Oakbank Racecourse
Oakbank Racecourse is home of the Oakbank Racing Club, a club which, until 2009, raced just twice annually, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday and has done continually since 1876, except during World War II when it was held at Victoria Park and Morphettville Racecourse due to the army taking over...
located in the Adelaide Hills
Adelaide Hills
The Adelaide Hills are part of the Mount Lofty Ranges, east of the city of Adelaide in the state of South Australia. It is unofficially centred on the largest town in the area, Mount Barker, which has a population of around 29,000 and is also one of Australia's fastest growing towns.- History :The...
in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. The carnival is a mixture of flat and jumping races with between two and four jumps races on day one and two feature jumping races on day two.
Day one is held on Easter Saturday and is one of the highest attended race days in Australia. The Von Doussa Steeplechase takes place on day one and is a preliminary to the Great Eastern Steeplechase
Great Eastern Steeplechase
The Great Eastern Steeplechase is an Australian Thoroughbred steeplechase horse race held annually at Oakbank, South Australia on Easter Saturday and Monday at the Oakbank Racecourse as part of the Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival....
held on Easter Monday. A "classic" hurdle race takes place on Monday as does the feature flat race, the Onkaparinga Cup.
The meeting is conducted by the Oakbank Racing Club and is popular with families and groups. Although ostensibly a horse race meeting, Oakbank is an event in itself with carnival rides, picnics and other activities. Many families camp for the whole weekend in the paddocks adjacent to the track, and some have done so all their lives.
Patrons travelled by train from Adelaide to nearby Balhannah
Balhannah, South Australia
Balhannah is a town in the Adelaide Hills about 30 km southeast of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It was established in 1839 as a farming community. The fruit cold store built in 1914 was one of the first in Australia and is still in use. It is on the main interstate railway between...
station [2 miles from the course] from 1884. When the branch to Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant, South Australia
Mount Pleasant is a town situated at the northern end of the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia, 55 kilometres east-north-east of the state capital, Adelaide . It is located in the Barossa Council and Mid Murray Council local government areas, and is at an altitude of 440 metres above sea level...
opened in 1918, a special platform was constructed adjacent to the course, permitting special race trains to run direct to the course the following Easter. The line to Mount Pleasant closed on 3 March, 1963, thus the race trains ran no more.
A notable horse to have raced at Oakbank was Zama Lad, who won the Harry D Young Hurdle four years straight in the 1980s.