Clubs & Courses
Whangarei R.C.
Clubs & Courses IndexClub
Whangarei R.C.
The Club is based at Ruakaka Racecourse, adjacent to the Bream Bay coast at the Ruakaka beach. The Club has 7 meetings per season with its main racing period being mid-April to mid-September to take advantage of the well-draining sand surface during the wet winter season. The racing surface is kikuyu turf with rye under-sown for the winter. The venue has a local horse population base of between 60-80 from a small group of trainers who take advantage of the all-year-round access to the beach and two training tracks. The trainers include Chris Gibbs, the family team of Rae Racing, Kim Knight, Terry Powell and several smaller stables located off-site. The course is 90 minutes north of Auckland harbour bridge and 25 minutes south of Whangarei with several accommodation operators based in nearby One Tree Point, Ruakaka and Waipu.
Membership: Annual subscription $50 incl GST is due in line with the racing season of 1 August to 31 July.
Full details of the Club, membership and its activities can be found at www.ruakakaracing.co.nz or email the Club info@ruakakaracing.co.nz to request more information.
Contact details
Open/close
Whangarei Racing Club
Peter Snell Rd
PO Box 159, Ruakaka 0151T: 09 432 7249
M: 027 433 4498
E: info@ruakakaracing.co.nz
W: www.ruakakaracing.co.nz
All meetings
Open/close| Date | Course | Meeting Name/Type |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 7 Jan 2025 | Ruakaka | Industry |
| Sat 28 Jun 2025 | Ruakaka | Other |
| Sat 12 Jul 2025 | Ruakaka | Other |
Featured meeting
The Club races its main Saturdays in June, July, August and September featuring staying races known as the Bream Bay Cup, Northpine Waipu Cup, ITM/GIB Whangarei Gold Cup, Ruakaka Cup and Tai Tokerau Cup. The lower grade racing classes attract the young up and coming horses. A number of spring and summer stars win their early races at Ruakaka as their trainers have been enticed by the good winter condition of the sand-based surface to prepare for the spring features.
The local sponsors bring many guests to enjoy hospitality on these winter Saturdays, but the Club also celebrates with a Mid-Winter Christmas themed function and luncheon for pre-booked groups for several of these Saturdays.
The feature race meeting is highlighted by the Group 3 Cambridge Stud Northern Breeders Stakes that is supported by the running of the Ruakaka Cup over 2200 metres. The Group 3 race has consistently grown in stature since its transition from a race for two-year-olds to a race for three-year -olds. The latest winners include Melt, Madison County, Prom Queen and Catalyst.
In summer, the Club features the Trigg Family Fun Raceday in early January. The meeting attracts the largest attendance of the year being a fun family day with free kids’ activities and many marquees and gazebos are booked by families to enjoy a summer catch up.
The venue has a NO BYO licence for alcohol and the food options are delivered by the course caterer and a food court features local Northland operators.
Check all event details on www.ruakakaracing.co.nz or contact the Club by emailing info@ruakakaracing.co.nz