Ellerslie Racecourse, Horse racing stadium in Orākei, New Zealand.
Ellerslie Racecourse is an undulating grass thoroughbred circuit in the Auckland suburb of Ellerslie, with an outer circumference of 1,890 metres and a 380-metre home straight; an inner circuit measures 1,760 metres. Racing runs clockwise (right-handed). The current grandstand was completed in 1960, and the course is ringed by gardens and trees.
The first horse races at this location took place in 1857, organized by Robert Graham on his private land. The site was later acquired by the Auckland Racing Club and developed into an established institution.
Ellerslie hosts two major carnivals: the Summer Carnival over Christmas and New Year, and Auckland Cup Week in March. The New Zealand Derby and Auckland Cup were moved from Boxing Day and New Year's Day to March in 2006. The Great Northern Steeplechase once sent horses up the "Ellerslie hill" three times over 6400 m.
Ellerslie Racecourse Platform station opened in January 1874, and trains remain the traditional way to reach the course; in 1910 extra race-day services were so crowded that some passengers travelled in open cattle trucks. The track is right-handed and undulating, with the course proper just under 1,900 metres and a 380-metre home straight. The jumping circuit left the course before the 1,000-metre mark and climbed about 16 metres up the "Ellerslie hill".
The venue was home to the world's first automatic totalisator in 1913, a machine designed by inventor George Julius. This innovation fundamentally changed how betting was conducted at horse races.
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