About Coffs Harbour Racing Club
The Coffs Harbour Racing Club and Function Centre is located on the Coffs Coast and hosts sixteen racing events throughout the year with the most notable being the Coffs Cup.
Conveniently located just a few minutes from the centre of town, the Racing Club encourages locals and visitors alike to come and experience the fun of racing on the coast! The Function Centre can also accommodate a broad range of functions and enquiries are welcomed for all manner of events.
Our Story
The first race meeting in Coffs Harbour was held in May, 1885. It was a resounding success with between 400 and 500 people in attendance. Whilst several other meetings were held following this first meet, it was not until 1908 that the Coffs Harbour Jockey Club was established. During the First World War special race events were held with profits being donated to patriotic funds. By 1917, the course covered an area of 160 acres and also had a large grandstand and observation stand.
Racing continued into the 1920s but through the 1930s and early 1940s, the club and racing in Coffs went into decline. Fortunately, in 1946, a new generation of racing enthusiasts got behind the drive to improve the Jockey Club and its membership and through 1947 and 1948, extensive changes were made with improvements to the track, buildings and with the connection to town water. More than 2,600 guests attended the first race day at the new look club and track in August, 1948.
The inaugural Coffs Cup was held in July, 1949 with A.R. Smith winning over a distance of 7.5 furlongs on Young Garland. However by 1952, the Club was struggling to maintain strong attendance figures and sadly, closed between 1956 and 1963.
After a history of many stops and starts, by the late 1960s the scene was set for the Coffs Harbour Racing Club to once again come of age. At one stage the Club offered the highest purse by a Country Racing Club.
Over the years, the Coffs Harbour Racing Club has hosted many legends – both two legged and four legged.
Facilities for trainers, officials and the public have also significantly improved over the years with a major refurbishment of the grandstand building, course and facilities in 2000. Upgrades and improvements continue and the Racing Club is very well supported by local businesses and the communities of the Coffs Coast.
Just as Coffs Harbour continues to expand, grow and diversify, so too the Racing Club has continued to expand its facilities and in 2009, a state of the art Pro-Ride synthetic training surface was installed.
The Function Centre has also grown to become one of the premier venues in the region, offering four different options to suit all tastes and needs and by providing exceptional hospitality services. Hosting a variety of non-race specific events each year including music concerts, markets, trade shows, birthday parties, special occasions, weddings, business meetings, conferences, exhibitions, festivals and more.
