WA horseracing has a distinct personality of its own, visibly different from other horseracing activities in Australia, and probably with the rest of the world. Its class and grandeur can be clearly seen in its rich history. Take a look at how it all began.
The first time-honored tradition of the horserace meeting ever recorded took place at Fremantle located in Western Australia back in October 2, 1833, while the Western Australian Turf Club (WATC), the controlling body that oversees everything in the races was formed some years later in 1852. Such activities came to pass because of a certain General Regulations and Instructions Relative to Crown Lands government notice back in 1829 where territory is to be divided progressively into counties, townships and sections. To be able to meet the expenditures of such counties and towns, racecourses and other income generating activities must be generated to sustain the territories.
The first horses set foot on Australia on January 26, 1788. From there flowed a variety of thoroughbreds whose bloodlines have survived to this day through Australian Thoroughbred pedigrees. Horse imports into the Australian landscape and the first recorded public auctions took place somewhere in 1805. More English-bred racing horses were imported after the 1830s as more horse racing clubs sprouted in the countryside, particularly in Western Australia.
Betting in WA horseracing is generally divided into four main avenues over time. There exists licensed on-track specialized bookmakers who offer fixed-odds betting, and this applied mostly on wins and in places. Another system, called off-track betting was administered in traditional methods by different state governments by the Totalisator Agency Boards (TAB). These organizations mainly offers “pari-mutuel betting,” which can be best described as having odds not fixed yet involving “the house.” This is accomplished through taking fixed cuts before distributing what remains to folks with their winning bets.
Most of these “TABs” organizations within WA horseracing premises have been privatized lately, with many of the existing pubs offering betting services that are securely linked to privatized offshoots of these companies. In some regions, there had been a reported tradition of prospering illegal off-course bookmaking activities known to many as SP bookmaking. This historically involved considerable turnovers, though it never became clear if it still remains the case up to this day.
To top everything off, there is the person-to-person exchange betting activities happening online that up to this day had remained popular and convenient to many bettors, particularly in Western Australia. Here, members were given free rein to place their own prices and delegate a certain percentage of their winnings via commissions.
WA horseracing and Australian Thoroughbreds are also a story on their own as breeding activities have long been involved in horse importation in the region. Australian-bred stallions on the other hand, particularly those exported to America were doing well themselves and have secured a good reputation for themselves. Throughout its rich history, horseracing has become an important element of the Australian spirit and culture. Over the years, it had developed a lively and colorful language.