Rosehill Gardens Racecourse

Rosehill Races — Easter Saturday — being there with the 25,000 or so other racegoers for Golden Slipper Day. Apparently it’s one of the biggest days of the racing calendar — a must see for over the top fashionista sistas. The highest heels and craziest fascinators you will ever see. Nowhere else do people wear these kinds of clothes — not weddings, not cocktail parties, not proms — it’s crazy!
The ladies go totally over the top to show off their ‘racy fashion looks’ (pun intended!). And the guys don’t look so shabby either. Dashing in their suits and ties!
So many beautiful people — it’s a people watchers paradise. If you’ve never been to the horse races then you are missing out on a unique cultural event.
So it was the Golden Slipper yesterday and I was there performing as Zelda Ukulele Performer at the Figtree Bar (which is right near the entrance of the train station) and what a fun vibe — the bar was packed all day. The 5-​Seeds Promo gals and I were working up a great vibe and as the shadows of the day got longer the punters got braver and at one stage the whole bar joined in with me for a great old ukulele singalong to some of the more iconic songs such as ‘The Gambler’, ‘Eye of the Tiger’, ‘Jolene’, Baby (Justin Bieber’s hit) and the anthem for the Y Generation ‘What’s Up!’.
Lots of fun and you really get to meet some lovely friendly people — young and old from all over Sydney — it’s a top day.
So next time Golden Slipper Day rolls around jump on a train and join in the fun. You’ll love this all-​day party atmosphere.

Conveniently located next to the train station — literally, the entrance is on the platform — this is a pretty good way to spend a Saturday afternoon! Don your best suit (well, maybe your 2^nd best, this isn’t the Melbourne Cup!), have a few beers, aim to win some money with your betting bible in your inside pocket, lose miserably, few more beers, head home/​to the pub. Sounds good to me. Although, the wait in between races can get a bit tedious, especially as the beers aren’t cheap — but it’s still pretty fun.
It’s a relatively old course, but on a nice, sunny day, you’re not really bothered by that, as you spend most of the day outside. My last experience there was for our football end-​of-​season get together, and although it was busy, it wasn’t crowded, so it made for a good, casual afternoon. Obviously it’ll be much busier during the Sydney Carnival, but on any other Saturday, it’ll be pretty relaxed. No reason not to look your best though!

Walking into Rosehill racecourse from the train station right out front, I have the pleasure of walking through the public area and straight into the members. What a privilege!
My first thoughts are that it’s quite old. And it is but as I keep walking away from the public (I’m not really a snob!) I notice there is a new outdoor area that is quite spacious and overlooks the whole course. This is where we decide to base ourselves for the day. The girls can sit at the table and look pretty and look at other pretty looking girls whilst the guys can wander around and visit the tab area or the bookies ring out back. If time permits maybe they’ll have a glance at some of the pretty girls that just happen to be in eye shot.
We all meet up at ‘base’ to watch the horses parade and view the race and this routine happens about eight times throughout the day as that’s how many races are run. It does vary slightly. The girls do visit the tab and bookies and the guys do rest their legs and drinks at the table. It’s quite an enjoyable day and does help if you have a winner. Not just for the thrill of it but also to pay for a drink or something to eat.
There are enough food options to please most people. The deck has a hot food section where you can grab a pizza or salt and pepper calamari or there are the usual sandwiches and salad alternatives. And those who go to the races for a hot dog, ham roll or pie, don’t fret you can have those too!
If you can’t manage to score a ticket into the members then the public area is fine. There is a nice big grassy area that can fill out depending on the size of the crowd but no matter how big or small the day is, you’ll always come across a bucks or hens day enjoying a drink. or few.
If you are luckier than those who score a members badge and manage to find yourself in one of the new pavilion rooms then all the better. Prices are extra and will vary on what day you go or what package you decide on but at a glance from afar it maybe does look worth it.
All in all it’s a great day out and if you do find a winner or two you can jump in a cab and move on to your next destination. Those of us not lucky enough to snare a winner crawl back to the station exchanging stories about what could have been.