The home of Ballarat and District Trotting Club, Bray Raceway, marks its 50th anniversary on Thursday.
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Victorian Premier Sir Henry Bolte opened the track on October 27, 1966, with an estimated 14,000 in attendance.
Bray Raceway was named in honour of the club's president at the time, Keith Bray
The BDTC will celebrate the occasion at its Friday, November 4, race meeting.
The development of Bray Raceway marked a return to an earlier venue for trotting.
The club ran race meetings at the Miners Racecourse on the site immediately after World War Two before moving to the Ballarat Showgrounds in 1952.
Aachen Princess, driven by Norm Gath, won the first race on the opening night, which featured eight races. Gath went on to complete a double.
Legendary New South Wales reinsman Vic Frost is the last surviving winning driver from the meeting.
Frost landed the money on odds-on favourite Ringo, which started off a handicap of 24 yards.
Bill Davies, another all-time great also of the sport, also drove a double.
