Geelong Harness Racing Club History

The inaugural trotting meeting conducted by the Geelong club was in 1956 at the Corio Oval.

The sport remained at that venue in the heart of Victoria’s second largest city until the late 1970s when the establishment of the Australian Animal Health Laboratory forced the Club to relocate to its current site on the Princes Hwy in Corio.

Under the guidance and vision of Ray Beckley, a new complex was built in 1978 and subsequently named Beckley Park.

A huge crowd of trotgoers descended upon the track on September 20, 1978 as the traffic came to a standstill for more than two kilometres on the Geelong bound lanes of the Princes Hwy.

Supreme Power driven by the legendary Graeme Lang etched his name into the history books by taking out the opening event on the then spacious 850 metre circuit while champion trotter Maoris Idol gave his rivals a start and a beating in the Trot.

The champion WA pacer Preux Chevalier used Beckley Park as his training base during his successful 1985 Inter Dominion campaign.

In 1996 the track underwent a renovation and was extended to 980 metres in circumference and is widely regarded as one of the fairest tracks in the state.

Beckley Park was the official quarantine centre and venue for the first round of heats for horses competing in the 2008 Inter Dominion Series.

The original open air grandstand was enclosed in 1998 before a major upgrade was undertaken by the club in 2020.

The works comprised a full replacement of the grandstand roof, a refurbishment of the non race day function room and a new dining area to cater for patrons behind glass on the winning post.