Bendigo racecourse is one of Victoria’s major provincial racing venues, located 150km northwest of Melbourne.

Racing began in the famous gold mining centre of Bendigo in 1858 with the formation of the Bendigo Jockey Club. The first Bendigo Cup was run in 1868 and in 1873 Bendigo Jockey Club converted the Bendigo racecourse to left hand running.

With the switch to racing in the anti-clockwise direction the grandstand which stood on the opposite side of the course was replaced by a new structure.

Bendigo racecourse underwent a major reconstruction in 1998 that saw the course proper circumference extended to 1995m with a home straight of 400m.

The big oval course is 24m wide and caters for races from 1000m to 2400m plus jumps races over 3000m. The course features two starting chutes, one providing for races over 1000m and 1100m and the other for races over 1500m and 1600m.

The 1600m start provides a long straight run of 800m to the well-cambered horseshoe turn that leads into the long home straight.

Bendigo Jockey Club conducts over 20 race meetings each year with the highlights being the Bendigo Cup in October and the Golden Mile in April.

The Bendigo Cup is a Group 3 race under handicap conditions and is now run as one of the final lead ups to the Melbourne Cup.

Horses can use it for other races at Flemington too such as the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Charlie Appleby has won the Bendigo Cup twice in 2016 (Francis Of Assisi) and 2017 (Qewy) for Godolphin.