They Once Raced Here - On the TV

I haven't posted anything for a while but I haven't been idle either. Volume IV in the series is well under way but something else has consumed some time.

I've been working with a great team at Racing.com on putting together a series for broadcast based on my work. The first episode was aired on Friday and then again Saturday on Racing.com. The reason we picked this past weekend was that the course we've started with is Woodend, and this Saturday was the Woodend Cup. The thing is that the Woodend Cup hasn't been run at Woodend since 18 March 1982, and races haven't been held there since 24 July 1982.

Woodend in one of the better examples of former racecourses in Victoria. There's a still a grandstand, stewards tower, finishing box, and a distance marker. And even better Leigh and the team obtained race footage from the course in 1980.

Following is a link to the online version of our episode and here you'll see Ed Sadler and me exploring what was, and still is, is at Woodend. The episode has come up really well and a lot of that is due to the great camera and production work of Leigh Turner.

I've added links here to the video and the online news story on their website:

https://www.racing.com/videos/2025-01-31/they-once-raced-here---woodend

https://www.racing.com/news/2025-01-31/news-feature-they-once-raced-here-woodend

There were a few things that I have that didn't make it in mainly because you can't use everything. I love maps so here's a plan of the course in 1913, that comes from my book.

And we're not done. I let slip in the first episode that we'll be going to Newstead, and we already have. All going well that one will come out next. After that we have more planned but you'll just have to wait and see where Ed and I go next.

Have fun out there.

Chris