THE Adaminaby Racecourse has been operating as a very successful country racecourse since its inception in the mid 19th century, with the first meeting recorded as having taken place on Monday April 6, 1863, when it was known as the Seymour Races. Also called the Chalkers at one time, the event would eventually become better known as the Adaminaby Races in 1882, following a meeting held on June 28 in the same year. The card that year comprised of a Maiden Plate, which was won by a horse named Deerfoot, owned by Mr J Higgerson. Deerfoot did very well, winning by two lengths. The racecourse was relocated to its present location when the township of Adaminaby was moved to make way for the Snowy Scheme and the creation of Lake Eucumbene. The racecourse buildings were transported from their original site in the old township of Adaminaby, seeing as the old course was set to end up under water, and then re-established on the present site on Bobeyan Road. The Adaminaby Racecourse, ensconced on its new site, made its movie debut when it became the chosen location in 1959 for the film, The Sundowners, which brought Hollywood stars Robert Mitchum, Debra Kerr and Peter Ustinov to the Snowy region, and in 1984 the racecourse made its second big screen appearance when it stood in for Mexico in the Australian film Phar Lap starring Tom Burlinson. The races quickly became a popular social event around the region and the November race meeting is one of the biggest annual events held in the Snowy Mountains. The Adaminaby Cup has also proudly enjoyed strong local sponsorship for many years. Today, the race meeting attracts racegoers from as far afield as Sydney and Canberra and, of course, from right across the Snowy region. It is a very popular event and with its relaxed picnic atmosphere, it makes a great day out for the whole family. The local community do a fantastic job in stepping in to help with preparing the track, plus the working hours needed for planning and hosting such a fabulous event. This year will see the races continuing with the theme tradition, with this year’s being Traditional and Heritage and the organisers are hoping to see as many racegoers as possible arriving in theme dress. Fashions on the field, another popular part of race day, will have lots of categories this year too, including tiny tots boys and tiny tots girls (both for those aged six years and under), best dressed boy and best dressed girl (for 13 years and under), best dressed filly and best dressed colt (14 - 18 years), fashionista on the field (19 - 40 years) and classic lady on the field (over 40 years). The full list of categories can be found in the race book on the day. Buses will be travelling to and from Cooma, leaving from the bus zone situated in Bombala Street at Centennial Park, at 11.15am and returning to Cooma from the races 40 minutes after the last race is run, generally around 4.20pm. Tickets are $40 per person, which includes bus travel and gate entry. Tickets can be purchased from Mack’s Auto and Tyre Plus and as seats are limited, it is recommended those wishing to travel by bus should purchase their tickets prior to Thursday November 21. The races this year are shaping up to be better than ever, so mark the date on the calendar. This is an event you won’t want to miss.
