Cover image courtesy of National Thoroughbred Week
National Thoroughbred Week will enter its second year in 2026, building on the strong foundations laid by its debut program and continuing its focus on opening the industry to a broader audience.
The initiative invites the public behind the scenes of the thoroughbred world, with training stables, breeding farms, re-trainers, race clubs, veterinary hospitals and equine organisations all playing a role in showcasing the care and expertise involved across a horse’s life cycle.
Opening the doors to the industry
The expanded 2026 program will run from Friday 20 to Monday 30 November, offering flexibility for hosts to tailor events across the 10-day period.
Participants can choose to welcome the general public, or focus on more targeted groups such as schools, universities, aged care or community organisations, with attendance numbers set to suit each operation.
The concept remains simple - to provide access and insight.
“The concept is all about opening those doors and having people come in and experience aspects of the industry, whether you’ve got a little interest, or you do have an interest in racing already, or an interest and you want to get in and see what really happens behind the scenes,” said National Project Lead Tai Ryan.
“Whether you’ve got a little interest, or you do have an interest in racing already, or an interest and you want to get in and see what really happens behind the scenes.” - Tai Ryan.
“So much of what we see is just race day, or it’s seeing a yearling at the sales. It’s important for people to see how does that yearling get there, and how does a thoroughbred get trained, how do you turn them into an athlete?
“So it’s seeing all that behind the scenes stuff, and then the jobs that are available as well.”
Tai Ryan | Image supplied
Flexibility for hosts a key focus
A key message for 2026 is that participation does not need to be large-scale to be effective, with organisers encouraging a broad range of approaches.
“We don’t want potential hosts to feel like each event has to be this huge big open day where they’ve got 100 people coming through the gates, it doesn’t have to be an event that they open to the public necessarily,” Ryan said.
“They could have a nice relationship with the local school or the local footy club or the local aged care facility, and then they can bring in guests that way. Godolphin in Melbourne did that last year with the Ronald McDonald House. Coolmore had a couple of local schools come through.
“So it doesn’t have to be this giant big public event, it literally can be whatever fits hosts and diversity across the board is actually what we want.”
Families from Ronald McDonald House | Image courtesy of Godolphin
Building on a strong debut
The 2025 program featured a wide range of events, including stable tours, morning trackwork, farrier and dentistry demonstrations, industry information sessions and race day experiences.
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) was among the key supporters of the pilot initiative.
“Following the success of the inaugural National Thoroughbred Week across Australia and New Zealand, we’re incredibly excited to see the initiative return in 2026 and continue building stronger connections between the public and our industry,” said NZTR Head of Thoroughbred Welfare Catlyn Calder.
Catlyn Calder | Image supplied
“The response to the pilot event showed there is genuine public interest in understanding more about our thoroughbreds and the people behind them. We saw communities engage with the industry in a positive and meaningful way, and that’s something we want to continue growing in 2026.”
“We saw communities engage with the industry in a positive and meaningful way, and that’s something we want to continue growing in 2026.” - Catlyn Calder
Godolphin also supported the program, opening its Victorian and New South Wales farms to visitors.
“We were delighted Godolphin hosted an event at Woodlands, there was great attendance,” said Godolphin's John Sunderland.
John Sunderland | Image courtesy of The Hunter Valley Times
“We had various areas showing what we do on the stud farm, from mares and foals, to some retired stallions and some retired Off The Track horses too. Lifetime care is an important part of what we all do in the thoroughbred industry, and at Godolphin we take that very seriously.”
“Lifetime care is an important part of what we all do in the thoroughbred industry, and at Godolphin we take that very seriously.” - John Sunderland
At a stable level, trainers also embraced the opportunity to showcase their operations.
“Anytime we can publicise the stable is great,” said Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup.
“We had a morning event, from seven until 10. That way people got to see a little bit of what happens in the stables. It was a basic morning of work to show off the running of the stables and I’m positive towards it - the week will gain a fair bit of traction.”
Brad Widdup | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Positive response from hosts and attendees
Feedback from participants highlighted strong engagement across a broad cross-section of the community.
“National Thoroughbred Week was an absolutely amazing morning, and it was great to see people from all different walks of life and age groups attend our morning at Rosehill,” said Darren Beadman, Assistant Trainer, Chris Waller Racing.
“National Thoroughbred Week was an absolutely amazing morning, and it was great to see people from all different walks of life and age groups attend our morning at Rosehill.” - Darren Beadman
“We were able to explain what goes on at the track, how the horses go through their paces, and how we monitor their work. We also had displays from the farrier, our feed, and a few horses to meet.
Darren Beadman | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“There was a lot of excitement, and I think people walked away feeling quite amazed at what it takes to have and run a racing stable. I’m sure by word-of-mouth and media support, National Thoroughbred Week will go on to bigger and better things, and we’re looking forward to 2026 when it comes around.”
“Yulong’s experience with National Thoroughbred Week was very positive. Everyone who attended had genuine enthusiasm and was very interested in learning more about the industry. It was an enjoyable two days for everyone involved, and we’d certainly get involved in future events,” said Claudia McDougall, Marketing Manager, Yulong Stud.
“Yulong’s experience with National Thoroughbred Week was very positive... It was an enjoyable two days for everyone involved, and we’d certainly get involved in future events.” - Claudia McDougall
Claudia McDougall | Image courtesy of Yulong Investments
“We had 1089 people. It was absolutely massive, absolutely insane. We thought how good would it be if we could get to 400. It was a great event which gave people an opportunity to see what these horses go through to prepare for their life after racing,” said Jade Willis, JW Equestrian.
Attendees echoed that sentiment.
“We loved every moment; it was beyond what we expected as riders ourselves. The hosts were amazing, and it was inspiring on all levels for both my daughter and me.” Attendee at Jamieson Park, New Zealand.
“Whilst the scale and cost of infrastructure was vastly different at the two stables I visited, what impressed me the most was the thing they had in common - that being outstanding horse people whose passion for and care of the thoroughbreds in their care was amazing.” Attendee at Ciaron Maher Racing, Bong Bong; Jack Pilkington, Hawkesbury.
“The team at Silverdale hosted an amazing day, very impressive. The stud manager had amazing knowledge of all the horses on the property.” Attendee at Silverdale Farm.
Sustainable growth a priority
While the early success has created momentum, organisers are focused on measured and sustainable expansion.
“We want to keep growing it bigger and better, but the main point is we want to scale it for longevity, make sure the event has sustainability,” Ryan said.
“We want to keep growing it bigger and better, but the main point is we want to scale it for longevity, make sure the event has sustainability.” - Tai Ryan
“We don’t suddenly want to jump from last year, we had 106 events, and go to 200 potentially and then find that we can’t service those properly, so we are wanting at least the same amount, increase the amount of people, the awareness and the people that can come, and then have that sustainable growth over the next however long.
“The British version has been going for, I think, five or six years now, and they’ve done the same - they’ve had that slow, steady growth as well. We’re aiming for that sustainability.”
Bring Five Mates promotion | Image courtesy of National Thoroughbred Week
Ryan added that initiatives such as the ‘Bring Five Mates’ concept had proven effective in encouraging broader participation.
“That initiative worked really well and it was easy to push and for industry people to buy into, everyone within the industry has friends that should be getting involved and can see how great and widespread the industry is.”
Looking ahead to 2026
National Thoroughbred Week is now calling for hosts, volunteers and sponsors to become involved in the 2026 program and hosts from last year are keen to be involved again.
“Pretty much everyone that we have spoken to that was involved last year are keen to get involved again this year. So, we definitely think the numbers will be there and hopefully this year we can expand it a little bit more into mainstream media as well,” Ryan said.
“Pretty much everyone that we have spoken to that was involved last year are keen to get involved again this year.” - Tai Ryan
The initiative continues to operate as a not-for-profit organisation led by volunteers, drawing inspiration from international programs while focusing on increasing transparency, education and connection within the thoroughbred industry.
Those interested in hosting an event, volunteering at a national, state, or local level, or sponsoring the program can register via the Volunteer Registration Link or email hello@thoroughbredweek.com.au.
As preparations continue, National Thoroughbred Week is again set to provide a platform for the industry to share its story - on its own terms, and with an increasingly engaged audience.
