a group of horses racing at the last race in Hororata

Each year thousands of people attend the New Zealand Trotting Cup Day in Christchurch. Horse racing has been around in New Zealand for over 150 years, with the first recorded full-scale race meeting taking place at Epsom, Auckland on 5 and 6 January 1842 (according to Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.)

If we look through Selwyn’s history books, the Hororātā Domain was home to one of the earliest provincial racing clubs in New Zealand, with the first meeting held on the racecourse in January 1885. two horses trotting with riders on their backs

To enjoy a day at the races back in the early 1900s, people travelled by train from Christchurch to Coalgate and then walked 6km to Hororātā.

The last race meeting was held in March 1984 at the Hororātā Racecourse by the Hororātā Trotting Club and attracted a record crowd of over 4,000 people. While no meetings are held there today, the original racetrack continues to be used regularly for training
and there are still stables onsite.

Selwyn is also home to two of the best horses seen on the racetrack in New Zealand and across the ditch. The horses; Ballymena and Limerick were bred by Henry Arthur Knight on Racecourse Hill in Darfield. Ballymena won the Australian Derby in 1923 and it was estimated that Limerick won $78,000 over the course of his racing career, with many of his wins also in Australia.

In more recent times, Rolleston-based trainer Mark Purdon, with the stables on Levi Road has either individually or in partnership won the NZ Trotting Cup eight times. As a driver Mark has won the NZ Trotting Cup six times, last winning the cup
in 2020.

Celebrated horse Terror to Love also has a connection to Selwyn, being trained at West Melton and winning the cup three years in a row from 2011 to 2013.

To learn more about Selwyn’s history, visit selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz.

horses trotting with riders in carriages 1984 in Hororata

Last modified: 08 Jan 2025 4:21pm