Canterbury Park Track Guide

Measurements

Track Circumference - 1567m     

Length of Home Straight - 308m     

Track Width at Winning Post - 24m

Racing at Canterbury Park

Canterbury is the major midweek city-based venue, holding multiple meetings through the calendar on a Wednesday. It is also the home of night racing in Sydney, with a season that runs throughout summer. Recently Canterbury has been hailed as having the most durable racing surface, with a great cover of grass and effective drainage ensuring good racing in most weather conditions.

The track itself is tight, very tight, with a sharp home turn before a short straight. Horses that are out wider and don't have the rails to guide them often take a few strides to balance up after they enter the home straight

Horses coming around the home turn at a Canterbury night meeting

Location

Canterbury is located in a very accessible inner west Sydney location. See the Australian Turf Club website for details.

Horses Suited at Canterbury Park

The Type of racehorse that generally prefer Canterbury are strong on-pacers that can maintain a good tempo and handle the tight turns. Keep an eye on your horse throughout the race to see how he handles the circuit, especially the section where the home turn enters the straight.

Track Bias

Canterbury is a track that often has bias. The tight track design and short home straight can favour horses that race on the pace and have a barrier draw that keeps them near the rails. The cause of the ‘on-the-rails’ bias is not completely clear, but it could be due to the advantage of using the rail as a guide around the tight home turn. Horses away from the rail can sometimes take time to balance up once they enter the home straight.