Albion Park Raceway
The Club
The Albion Park Harness Racing Club has celebrated over 40 years in racing history.
The Albion Park Trotting Club, as it was known then, commenced racing in September 1968 and it heralded a new era in the industry in more than one way.
Night trotting had now arrived in Brisbane and the venue was only a stone’s throw from Brisbane's CBD located closely to some of the city’s more affluent suburbs.
The 800 m right-handed track was positioned inside of the unique sand galloping track and the Albion Park Trotting Club became a tenant of the Brisbane Amateur Turf Club which ran thoroughbred racing at Doomben and Albion Park.
This status quo remained until late 1981 when the galloping venue was closed due to declining popularity among thoroughbred participants.
At the same time, the Racing Minister Russ Hinze, a harness racing enthusiast, declared a new complex would be built and harness racing would "graduate" to a 1000m left-handed track with a brand spanking new grandstand.
As such, another milestone was established when the complex was unveiled to a huge crowd in October 1983 and Albion Park was dubbed "the speed pacing capital of Australia".
The third most significant event to happen to Albion Park occurred in 2008 when the Russ Hinze Grandstand was closed due to safety reasons.
The Albion Park Harness Racing Club has hosted seven Inter Dominions: - 1972 (Welcome Advice); 1977 (Stanley Rio); 1986 (Village Kid); 1993 (Jack Morris); 2001 (Yulestar) and 2009 (Mr Feelgood).
The most recent Inter Dominion was conducted at the Gold Coast Parklands complex due to the prevailing grandstand problems.
History was also created in 2001 when the club conducted the trotters' series for the first time with Take A Moment capturing the Grand Final.
The club's founding chairman was Sir Clive Uhr (also the BATC chairman at the time) and others to serve in the prestigious post include Sir Lloyd Rees, Peter Burge, Kevin Seymour, Kevin Bengston, Bob Lette, Dave Knudsen and current chairman Warwick Stansfield.
History
Albion Park had been used for gallops racing for approximately 100 years before the last meeting was held on 30 December 1981.
The Albion Park racecourse was purchased by the Racing Development Corporation (RDC) from the Brisbane Amateur Turf Club (BATC) in 1982 for $9 million.
The acquisition was undertaken by the RDC to facilitate the redevelopment of the venue for harness racing.
The disposal of the venue by the BATC allowed it to finance a new grandstand at Doomben racecourse and to carry out improvements at Deagon racecourse.
Trustees of Albion Park Raceway are appointed under the Racing Venues Development Act 1982. The Trust is a statutory body within the meaning given in the Financial Administration and Audit Act 1977.
The Trust acts as landlord of the Albion Park Paceway, maintaining and operating the complex primarily for harness racing by the Albion Park Harness Racing Club on Saturday nights, and greyhound racing by the Brisbane Greyhound Racing Club on Monday and Thursday nights.
The current Trustees comprise an independent Chair and the QHRB and GRA Chairs ie, 3 trustees.
On proclamation of the Racing Legislation Amendment Act 1998 on 1 July 1999, the State of Queensland assumed ownership of Albion Park.
In June 2002, Cabinet resolved that the Albion Park Raceway asset was to be transferred from ownership by the State of Queensland, to the Greyhound Racing Authority and Queensland Harness Racing Board as tenants in common in equal shares.
With the formilation of Racing Queensland Limited on 1 July 2010 the shares now belong to that organisation.
Description
The Albion Park Paceway is an aggregation of 23 individual titles providing for a total area of 17.3321 hectares.
Order in Council made on 22 April 1992 amended Lot 1 on Registered Plan No 142024 in area by excluding from the control of the Trustees an area of 8,766m2, enabling the land to be utilised as the site for establishment of the Racing Science Centre.
The bulk of the land area is zoned "Sport and Recreation".
