Launched in 2015, the inaugural Country Championships proved a resounding success for the racing industry and generated unprecedented interest and coverage.
An initiative of Racing NSW, The Country Championships was created to support and promote NSW racing in country areas, ensuring that horses from across the state are part of The Championships in Sydney in the autumn.
About The Series
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The Country Championships consists of a series of seven races, each held at a club representing one racing region in NSW.
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Each race will be worth $150,000 in prizemoney and will be contested by eligible horses that must be under the care of a country trainer in that region.
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The first and second horse in each regional race, plus the winners of two wild card races, will qualify for the $1,000,000 Evergreen Turf Country Championships Final to be held at Royal Randwick in Sydney on Day 1 of The Championships, Saturday 4 April 2026.
2026 - The Evergreen Turf Country Championships
Race Clubs
The Evergreen Turf Country Championships showcases some of New South Wales’ best racetracks. Covering all corners of the state. It is a great chance to visit Country NSW and cheer for your home team. Find out more information on each race club by reading the links below
SUN 15 FEB
COFFS HARBOUR
The Coffs Harbour Racing Club and Function Centre is located on the Coffs Coast and hosts 16 race meetings throughout the year with the most notable being the Big Dance eligible Coffs Harbour Cup.
The town itself is about 530km north of Sydney with the track located just a few minutes from the centre of town. The Racing Club encourages locals and visitors alike to come and experience the fun of racing on the coast.
Coffs Harbour last played host to the $150,000 Evergreen Turf Northern Rivers Country Championships back in 2023.
Aside from the Cup meeting in August, the Pink Silks race day in January is one of the more popular events on the racing calendar.
The club’s Function Centre can also accommodate a broad range of functions and enquiries are welcomed for all manner of events.
It has grown to become one of the premier venues in the region, offering four different options to suit all tastes and needs and by providing exceptional hospitality services.
Hosting a variety of non-race specific events each year including music concerts, markets, trade shows, birthday parties, special occasions, weddings, business meetings, conferences, exhibitions, festivals and more.
SAT 21 FEB
MUDGEE
Mudgee is a widely recognised as a contemporary country tourist destination and many visitors to the region add a Mudgee Race Meeting to their weekend away which enhances their experience, enjoyment, and memories.
The town is situated about 260km north west of Sydney via the scenic Blue Mountains.
Renowned for its beautiful wineries, wine festival and cellar doors, fabulous restaurants, cafés and foodie culture; and the many sporting, artistic and social activities that combine to build a thriving event calendar each year.
There’s also boutique shopping, markets and great coffee to boot. Accommodation wise, there really is something for everyone, from high-end hotels and properties and guesthouses to niche cottages, glamping and caravan parks.
On the racing front, Mudgee is recognised as one of country NSW’s premier racecourses and located in the middle of the impressive Mudgee Wine Region and showcases eight race meetings annually.
The Mudgee Cup (each December) is regularly a sellout, while the respected Gooree Cup and the annual Charity Shield race Day are also popular local events.
Additionally, the Mudgee racecourse is home to Australia's oldest picnic races, the Bligh Races (since 1878).
The Charity Shield Race Day often coincides with the $150,000 Evergreen Turf Central Districts Country Championships and the race returns to Mudgee in 2026.
SUN 22 FEB
PORT MACQUARIE
Port Macquarie Race Club is the leading club on the New South Wales Mid North Coast. Located 2.5km from both the Port Macquarie CBD and Airport, 5 hours north of Sydney and approximately 2 hours from Newcastle (all dual carriageway).
The current layout opened in 1968 (reconstructed in 2015 and resurfaced in 2024) was based on the old Rosebery track. Symmetrical layout consisting of 2 x 400m turns and 2 x 400m straights.
PMRC conducts 21 TAB race meetings annually and hosts a further 2 race meetings conducted by the Wauchope Jockey Club. The annual Port Macquarie Cup, a Big Dance eligible race, 2000m is conducted on the Friday following the Labour Day long weekend in October and preceded by the Cup Prelude 1800m, the last Sunday in September.
Outside of the Cup the most popular racedays are New Years Day and Easter Saturday. A feature Fillies and Mares event the $60,000 Queen of the North is held in late January each year.
Port Macquarie last hosted the Mid North Coast Country Championships in 2019.
SAT 28 FEB
WAGGA WAGGA
The Murrumbidgee Turf Club conducts 25 thoroughbred race meetings each year and is the largest racing and training centre in southern country NSW.
The annual highlight of the MTC is the prestigious Wagga Wagga Gold Cup carnival, which is the largest tourist attraction in the Riverina, drawing a crowd in excess of 14,000 people.
The club boasts picturesque gardens, great venues and ample parking makes us the ideal place to hold your cater for wedding receptions, seminars, conferences, award nights, expos, fairs & family reunions.
There are three exceptional venues for hire – the Members Area, Champagne Bar and Green Ridge Room.
SUN 1 MAR
SAPPHIRE COAST
The Sapphire Coast Turf Club is located between Bega and Merimbula on the Far South Coast of NSW. It’s about 430km south of Sydney and around 3 hours drive from Canberra.
It boasts one of the best racing surfaces in country NSW and spectator facilities to match with unrestricted views of the racing action from all vantage points.
The Sapphire Coast track has a circumference of 2000m with banked turns and a width of 30 metres. The track’s home straight is 400m.
The Merimbula Airport, which is ten minutes from Sapphire Coast, offers 2 flights daily from Sydney.
2026 will be the first time the Sapphire Coast Turf Club has hosted the $150,000 Evergreen Turf South East Country Championships.
Prior to hosting the Country Championships, the two-day Bega Cup Carnival on January 31 and February 1 in 2026 is a highlight with Big Dance eligibility on offer for the feature race.
Away from racing, weddings are a specialty at SCTC with all the facilities required to cater for the needs of you and your guests, including ample parking and an array of separate function areas varying in size and design.
It is a completely flexible function venue with experienced staff ready to cater for all requests.
It’s also a perfect country function venue for a corporate event, corporate breakfast, cocktail party, birthday party, Christmas or New Years Eve function.
SUN 8 MAR
MUSWELLBROOK
Muswellbrook Race Club is located approximately 3 hours drive north of Sydney on the New England Highway in the Upper Hunter amongst the largest group of world class Thoroughbred Horse Studs in Australia including Coolmore, Darley, Arrowfield, Newgate and Vinery.
Wineries and Mining are also significant in the resource rich shire of Muswellbrook.
The racecourse is placed 2.5km west of the town centre just off Denman Road. The racecourse precinct is named Skellatar Park after the original estate that the track is situated when owned by the Bowman family from the late 1800's until the 1950's.
With five tracks being utilised; course proper, B-grass, sand, cinders and dirt, it makes Muswellbrook Race Club one of the largest Regional Training Centres in Country NSW.
Beautifully manicured gardens and lovely shaded lawn areas are a feature of Muswellbrook's facilities which have received a multi-million dollar upgrade.
In 2026, Muswellbrook will be hosting the $150,000 Evergreen Turf Hunter & North West Country Championships for the first time. Since the inception of the Country Championships in 2015, the club has been a regular host of the Wild Card for the series.
With 18 race meetings scheduled annually, Muswellbrook Race Club has an excellent reputation and has the support of many leading country, provincial and city trainers.
SUN 15 MAR
COONAMBLE
Until it became host to the $150,000 Western Region Country Championships back in 2020, and has held the event since then, Coonamble’s Gold Cup had long been the club’s signature race with the first recorded running back in 1910.
However, the site of the present racecourse dates back to 1878 when a grandstand was built.
Coonamble is located some 530km north west of Sydney. Records don’t show any Coonamble Cups between 1912 and 1958 but for the past 60 years Cup Day has been an important event in the Coonamble Wool Festival.
You can enjoy a traditional country race meeting at Coonamble set next to the rolling greens of the golf course on the edge of town. With regular events you can view the spectacle from the historic grandstand or gardens while enjoying the bar and catering facilities.
You’ll find us out west where the people are friendlier, the dirt is redder and the beer is colder.
FRI 20 MAR
SCONE
Scone is located 280km north of Sydney in the heart of the Hunter Valley horse country and the current racecourse, constructed in 1994, is only 2 minutes from Scone Airport.
It is known to be the best country circuit in New South Wales and is the only country race club to hold a metropolitan Saturday meeting as part of the two-day Scone Cup Carnival each May.
The Scone Race Club Function Centre offers modern facilities with picturesque views across the internationally renowned race course and to the ranges beyond.
Creating the ideal setting whether it be an intimate private gathering, wedding, meeting or corporate event, the flexibility of inside and out, experience the venue that is the talk of the Upper Hunter.
The town itself is famous for its thoroughbred studs, which are the breeding grounds for countless champions of the turf.
Scone Race Club staged the Hunter & North West Country Championships in 2017 and 2018 and will host the Northern Wild Card for the fourth successive year in 2026.
SUN 22 MAR
GOULBURN
Goulburn has had a long association with racing, with records indicating that racing commenced in 1838 when challenge races were held by NSW Police Troopers. They were held in the vicinity of where the Gordon Hotel is today located.
The town is located approximately 195 kilometres south-west of Sydney and 90 kilometres north-east of Canberra.
The oldest Goulburn Cup Trophy dates back to 1883 and is currently displayed at the Race Club.
In 1999 the Goulburn & District Race Club moved to its new premises in Racecourse Drive off Taralga Road. The Club is now in charge of its own destiny and has no constraints.
It prides itself on providing the best thoroughbred racing in Country New South Wales, with the highest quality facilities for trainers and horses alike.
Goulburn has hosted the South East Country Championships six times and will stage the Southern Wild Card for the fourth time in 2026.