Murtoa Racecourse History

The Murtoa Racing Club staged its first meeting on a Thursday in February 1879, declaring a public holiday so the whole town could go to the races. As in many Victorian country towns, this tradition continued for the best part of 120 years until recently, when the Murtoa Cup, which was originally the Murtoa Handicap, was moved to a Saturday.

The first Murtoa Handicap in 1879 was run over a mile and three quarters for prize money of 30 sovereigns. The race was won by Salisbury, a four year-old entire carrying 9 stone 9 lbs. In 2004 the Cup was run over 2050 metres and won by the seven year-old gelding aquiline with 56kg on his back.

Racing has always been an integral part of the town life in Murtoa, and despite the population drain towards larger towns and cities that has effected many smaller towns in Victoria, racing at Murtoa racecourse has always remained strong and vibrant.

Murtoa racecourse is situated near Lake Marma, and was a dirt track for many years before the grass track and associated training facilities were built in 1964. The grandstand was built in 1925 and is still in use today. Murtoa racecourse has become an important training centre in the Wimmera thanks to its central location and the ability of the track to hold up in wet weather.

The course is also the home of the former Marma Turf Club (now part of the Wimmera Racing Club) for one day each year, New Year’s Day, when a large crowd gathers for the Marma Cup.
The Murtoa Racing Club fought pressure to merge with nearby Horsham for much of its recent history but racing in the town continued to survive and thrive. Murtoa and Marma races are now administered by the Wimmera Racing Club in conjunction with the Murtoa local committee, ensuring a bright future for thoroughbred racing in Murtoa.