Clifford Park is home to the Toowoomba Turf Club, one of Australia’s leading provincial race tracks.
Clifford Park was acquired as a 160-acre block in 1861 and the first meeting on it was conducted by the Darling Downs Jockey Club at the course then known as Drayton and Toowoomba Racecourse on March 6, 1862.
Toowoomba Turf Club was formed and conducted its first meetings on June 3 and 4 that year. The first recorded Toowoomba Cup was run in 1919.
In 1992, Toowoomba Turf Club made Australian racing history by staging the first race ever run under electric lights, the Fosters Toowoomba Cup, which was won by Waigani Drive.
On September 4, 1996 Toowoomba Turf Club staged the first ever night race meeting in Australia.
Historically known as the ‘Home of Twilight Racing’, Clifford Park continues to regularly race under lights, hosting over 45 TAB race meetings each year.
In 2014, a grass course proper (StrathAyr) was installed as well as a refurbishment of the Main Bar, Bistro and the Weetwood Room.
The Darling Downs is the home of thoroughbred racing and breeding in Queensland enabling an active industry for employment, economic growth and development.
Today, the Toowoomba Turf Club plays a vital role within the community, assisting local charities, schools, sporting groups and clubs to raise much needed funds for their future development.