The Birregurra-Winchelsea St Patrick’s Racing Club held its first meeting on March 29, 1948 to raise money for church funds. The course was situated on land leased from Maurice Darcy near Birregurra and provided a true country atmosphere, with crops grown in the centre of the track. Initially there was only one furlong of railing while the rest of the course was marked with flags until the club was financially able to complete the railing.

Franci Beau, a five-year gelding owned by R.W. Farquharson, of Birregurra, won two races on the day–the Barwon Downs handicap and then with a five pound penalty, won the Mt Pleasant Handicap. Sea Glow provided the ‘sensation’ of the day as it was first past the post in the Barwon Downs Handicap but was disqualified for allegedly running inside the pegs.

The club’s foundation president was T.A. Darcy, who was a councillor and later became member for Polwarth. In 1952 Winchelsea departed from the club and it became known as the Birregurra St Patrick’s Race Club. Birregurra had a reputation as a ‘pretty good betting area’ and at the ’55 race meeting, 30 bookmakers operated at the course. On April 17, 1963 Strato Streak won the cup and the following week set an Australasian record in winning a hurdle event at Moonee Valley.

During those early years race officials operated under difficult conditions with few facilities for jockeys and trainers. The weighing machine was borrowed from the local butter factory and the hospital supplied a stretcher, which was fortunately rarely needed. The ‘ambulance’

was a ute, which circled the track with the stretcher in the back!

As time went on however, the deteriorating condition of the Birregurra course forced the club to negotiate with representatives of the Colac Turf Club to hold the picnic meeting at the Colac racecourse. The first meeting at the Colac racecourse was in 1972 and was promoted as an Irish day with a Melbourne Irish pipe band providing entertainment and Irish-bred stallion Drumfire being paraded before the cup presentation.

In 1980 the club became known as the Colac St Patrick’s Race Club. It is the only amateur Picnic Race meeting in Western Victoria.