The bush race meeting, often held on Boxing Day, or some special holiday, was one of the earliest forms of sport in Australia and these picnic meetings were certainly held in Seymour in the 1840’s.  Indeed, racing on the present course appears to have dated back to the 1860’s.

The first meeting of which a record has been discovered was that on Boxing Day 1853.  Heats were a mile and stakes 1 pound each with 25 pounds “added from the fund”.  There were other sweepstakes of 1 pound each “with 15 pounds added from the fund”, a Publican’s Purse of 15 pounds, and Hack Stakes of 10 shillings each with 7 pounds added.

By 1861 races were extending over two days in March and were being contested for 10, 15 and 25 sovereigns.

One redoubtable horse which performed at Seymour was Zanga, which was reputed at one meeting to have won every race on the programme for which he was entered, including flat, hurdle and steeplechase.

It wasn’t until 1882 that the Seymour Racing Club was formed.  Soon after the turn of the century, the club changed its name to the Seymour Turf Club but after a recess in racing during the Second World War when the army took over the racecourse, reverted to its original name in October 1947.