Cambridge Raceway has grown steadily from humble beginnings and today holds a prominent place in the racing industry.

The foundations for the then Cambridge Trotting Club were laid at a meeting in the Town Hall council chamber on October 28 1919.

In 1987 the club was renamed the Cambridge Harness Racing Club and in 1998 it amalgamated with the Te Awamutu Harness Racing Club to become the Cambridge-Te Awamutu Harness Racing Club.

At the meeting of October 1919, Mr. R. Fellowes, one of the conveners, said it was proposed to form a trotting club and that interest had been shown around the town with several persons promising to take up debentures.

Mr. Fellowes chaired the meeting at which Mr. P.H.Wood was elected secretary and Messrs J.P.Robinson, W.McMillan, G.Barclay, G.B.Carpenter, A.Stenning, W.J.Murdoch and A.A.Brook were chosen for the provisional committee.

Matters moved rapidly with an application to the Trotting Association for recognition and at a meeting in the Oddfellows' Hall on November 1919 the Cambridge Trotting Club proper was formed.

The main problem facing the club in the early days was the finding of sufficient money to run a meeting but in November 1920 the programme was drawn up for the first race fixture. The seven race programme offered a total of 600 pounds in stakes and was duly run in February 1921. The first totalisator meeting was run in 1925 and resulted in a healthy profit.

These meetings had been held in the Showgrounds and in 1925 successful arrangements were made with the Waikato Central Agricultural Association whereby the Trotting Club took over the lease on the course and buildings.

At the 1926 annual meeting, president Mr. A.E.Harris reported erection of a new official stand, stalls for 105 horses, women's rest rooms, men's toilets, bar accommodation, additions to the totalisator and a new birdcage.

The race meeting that year was transferred to Alexandra Park (Auckland) but the next year Cambridge came back home and the day's turnover, 17,466 pounds, was the largest for any one day trotting club in the province. The Waikato Hunt meeting of that year was reported as exceptionally successful with an attendance at the Labour Day fixture of 12,000 and a turnover of 42,000 pounds.

In 1928 the club purchased from Mr. James Taylor a section of land which formed part of the course and for the next few years the annual reports present little of note except the continued profitability of the annual race fixtures.

The Northland Club held a successful meeting at Cambridge in 1933 and two years later, when the Taranaki Club was forced to forfeit a permit, the extra day was given to Cambridge who also picked up the permit relinquished by Te Aroha.

The winter meeting of 1928 was held at Claudelands (Hamilton) while on the home course major reconstruction was undertaken to cater for the rapidly increasing number of horses trained in the district.

Cambridge racecourse was taken over as a military camp from the outbreak of World War II in 1939 and racing activities were severely curtailed.

By 1942 the Waikato Clubs were combined for the holding of three race meetings in Hamilton. This procedure was followed for several years and absence from the home track allowed the club to make further improvements to the various tracks.

As matters began to return to normal in 1946, president Mr. A.H.Nicoll stated, "Your club looks forward to a successful era of post war trotting, backed up by ripe experience over the past quarter century. While improvement will continue to be effected by course appointments, it is generally felt the amenities offering now compare favourably with other clubs of similar size."

By the 1946-47 racing season the club was given full use of a permanent second day and four years later a third was added. The Autumn, the club's silver jubilee, saw a record totalisator turnover of 54,395 pounds.

Further progress was reported in December 1951 when the Julius "premier" electric totalisator was used for the first time at Cambridge, and for the first time on a country course in the province.

The Cambridge Picnic Racing Club, formed in 1944, held its first meeting on the trotting course, October 27 1945 with an equalisator tote handling six galloping and two trotting races.

In December 1950, the C.P.R.C. was granted a totalisator licence and changed its name to the Cambridge Jockey Club. At its first meeting with a full totalisator operating and without any trotting races for the first time, the C.J.C. tote turnover was 70,422 pounds and ten shillings, February 15 1951.

The Cambridge Jockey Club assisted in the maintenance and improvements necessary to keep the grounds in tip top order.

In the 1958 annual report of the Trotting Club, president, Mr. Richard Newcombe told members that plans were well in hand for the erection of a new stand expected to cost in excess of $100,000 but which would give up to date facilities. Because of other improvements planned in progress, two of the three meetings were run at Alexandra Park and proved extremely profitable.

Mr. Alex Corrigan of Hawera brought his mobile barrier to Cambridge for the winter meeting, and the foresight of this stalwart, and the local committee who made use of his vehicle, is appreciated by today's generation of trotting supporters.

The Morrinsville Trotting Club began its history of racing in the same season with non totalisator events and a year later, ever willing Cambridge accepted a permit relinquished by the Manawatu Club.

At the annual meeting of 1961 plans were finalised to construct the five furlong raceway and at the same time it was decided to defer the grandstand construction. The Jockey Club transferred its meetings to Te Rapa (Hamilton) and their own training facilities made those of the Trotting Club redundant for gallopers.

Work on the track began soon after the final meeting of the 1961-62 season and to ensure patrons had good viewing a terraced ramp was built at the top end of the home straight.

With the public interest whetted by the smaller track which provided better viewing, the totalisator receipts continued to increase. Champion pacer Cardigan Bay equalled the New Zealand mile record on the course in September 1963, emphasising it was one of the best surfaces in the country.

Continuing with rapid progress, Cambridge went night trotting in 1965, added to the public stand and began steps to freehold all of the land on which the track and buildings were situated. This was done by exchange with Crown Land.

The introduction of permanent mobile starting was reported in the 1966 annual report as was completion of additions to the public stand, doubling the area undercover.

A fourth permit was granted to the club in the early 1960's, a fifth in 1975 and two more in 1977. Number eight was added and a ninth in 1988 granted for 1990.

At the club's January 7 meeting, 1987, a record on course turnover of $322,041 was posted as an enthusiastic crowd cheered the great trotting mare Tussle to victory in the Waikato Times Flying Mile.

A record off course turnover of $2,162,947 was posted at the club's winter meeting, August 5 1988, in the period of boom racing turnovers prior to the sharemarket crash of the late eighties.

With the Morrinsville, Te Awamutu, Bay of Plenty and Matamtata Clubs also using the course there were 19 meetings held on the raceway in 1990.

Early in 1997 discussions commenced with the Waikato and Districts Greyhound Racing Club to relocate from Hamilton to Cambridge. A 600 metres sand loam track was constructed inside the harness oval and on the night of August 1 1997 New Zealand's first combined harness and greyhound racemeeting (20 races) was held at the Raceway.

By the 1997-98 season there were a record 26 harness meetings and 30 greyhound meetings staged at the raceway. However with a reduction in horse numbers nationwide there will be only 21 harness racedays as from the beginning of the 2000-01 season. In addition there are regular organised workouts held at the track on Saturday mornings.

The current members grandstand was opened July 24 1976 at a cost exceeding $750,000, at the time it provided the Raceway with amenities bettered by very few country tracks.

In 1985 a private management company 'Cambridge Raceway Limited' was formed by the clubs' which use the track. Since then many improvements have been undertaken for both the club members and the general public.

These include the half million dollar track revamp completed February 1996 where the surface was relaid the running rail was discontinued and replaced with pylons and the bends cambered. Under the guidance of noted North American track designer Daniel Coon, the Euro Track at Cambridge became recognised as the best surface of its type outside of North America.

The many current records held at the track are a testament to this fact.

Many of the finest pacers in Australasia have raced at Cambridge recording some outstanding achievements, none more so than the great Christian Cullen who scored back to back victories in the 1999 Waikato Times Flying Mile and Cambridge 4yo Classic. The videos of both races may be viewed on our website www.cambridgeraceway.co.nz.

A popular conference and functions venue, Cambridge Raceway also hosts regular events such as the annual A & P Show in December, antique expos, craft fairs, weddings, school balls, vintage car shows and pony club gatherings.

The Raceway is also the base for a large number of trainers both professional and amateur. In the halcyon days of the late eighties well in excess of 100 horses were domiciled on the track. In recent years the resident number of horses stabled on the track has been around 75, with approximately a further 25 being transported in to pace work once or twice a week.

The best year for the district trainers was in the 1987-88 season with 166 winners while in the 1989-90 season local horses trained in the area won just over $1.5 million in New Zealand.

Cambridge has produced many fine horses over the years, probably none better than Young Quinn, trained on the track by Charlie Hunter, who went on to conquer the best in New Zealand, Australia and the United States. The winner of the 1975 Inter Dominion Pacers Final, Young Quinn went on to earn around US$750,000 before retiring.

Other top horses from the area include Testing Times, Precocious, Dictatorship, Rain Girl, Jenner, Western Ridge, Chiola Lass, Swartz Pete, Battle Cry, Teller, Josias, Diogenes, Homin Hosed, Abdias, William Dee, Disco Dancer, Neroship, Last Sunset, Inferno, King Alba and Direct Kiwi.

In addition to Charlie Hunter (a national trainers' premiership winner), others who have been to the fore in their craft include Peter Skousgaard (also once top of the New Zealand trainers premiership), Bob Mitchell, John Langdon, Kevin Holmes (former world drivers' champion), Allan McMillan, John Butcher, George Mitchell, Ivan Dickie, John Dickie, Robert Mitchell, Sean McCaffrey and Reg Weatherley.

This website is the first fully operative site of any harness club in New Zealand, we trust you find it both informative and interesting. The race fields, recent workouts results and selections will be available on the website as they become available.

Our internet presence will include all the latest news from the Raceway's desk as well the very latest updates on our races including results, photo finishes and audio of the last 800 metres of each race.

For our major features a full video download is available - check out Christian Cullen's epic victories of 1999.