At the annual meeting of members of the Waikouaiti Racing Club in September 1950, A. R. (Archey) Aitchison suggested the formation of a trotting club in the district. A meeting was scheduled for the 18th of that month at which the Waikouaiti Trotting Club was formed, with Aitchison president.

The club’s first non-tote meeting was held at Waikouaiti on Easter Saturday, 24 March 1951, the equalisator handling £1650 on a programme of six races.

After five such meetings, the club held its first totalisator meeting on Easter Saturday, 31 March 1956. Bill Carling was the initial secretary and he held the position until the late 1970s.

The club races annually on the Waikouaiti racecourse (a grass track of just under 1600 metres in circumference with a 400-metre straight) by arrangement with the racing club. The actual track is domain land.

Prominent Waikouaiti trainers have been T. W. (Tom) Allcock and D. C. (Doug) Marsh. Allcock made his mark purchasing Oreti for 200 guineas at the 1958 national yearling sales and developing him to win five races before handing him to Clarry May to train at Methven. Oreti won another eight races including a Methven Cup and Caltex Cup at Invercargill and was sold to America, where he took a mark of 1:58 4/5 and pushed his earnings to $127,337.

J. F. (Jack) O’Connell, another prominent trainer in the district in earlier days, produced a good number of winners including Desborough, Molly Desborough, King Potts, Tom Gundy, Black Storm, Ada Scott and Defiance.

One of the more notable performances at Waikouaiti meetings was by Gay Gordon in winning the TAB double at Easter 1965 for owner-trainer Peter Harris. He won the Waikouaiti Cup of two mile in 4:24 and three races later the President’s Handicap, of a mile and five furlongs, in the excellent time of 3:28 3/5. He sired Mighty Gay, who won the 1973 Waikouaiti Cup for Washdyke’s George Shand.

The club paid out $28,650 in prizes at its 26th meeting in 1981 – a far cry from the $125 at its first meeting and £2000 at its first tote fixture.