News

National Jockey Celebration Day will again be held nationally this year on Saturday 2nd August as race meetings around Australia pause to observe a minute silence in honour of jockeys who have died in races and to pray for safety as the new season begins. Jockey Celebration Day, held on the first Saturday in August…

August 1st is the Horses’ Birthday. But instead of buying a cake, how about making a donation to the Racing Chaplaincy? The racing chaplains provide pastoral care to the people who work in the racing industry – one of the nation’s largest employers! Watch our Online Event live Friday, 1st August 2025 (7:30pm AEST) ARCC…

ARCC is offering to sponsor one Amateur competitor in the 2025 Equimillion, which will take place across the October long weekend at Sydney International Equestrian Centre. The intention of this sponsorship is to enable someone to compete who would not be able to without a sponsor. The calendar for the events across the weekend is…

“God has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3)

ARCC has made a submission to the Queensland Racing Review.  We encourage the adoption of the strategic objective that everyone involved in any of the three codes of racing across Queensland go home safely at the end of each day. ARCC’s key recommendations to QRR: The Australian Racing Christian Chaplaincy recommends that: You can read…

12 months ago, Italian-born jockey Stefano Cherchi passed away in Canberra following a racing accident. At Wednesday’s race meeting (April 2nd), the Canberra Racing Club conducted an intimate ceremony, led by Course Chaplain Bob Prior, to commemorate his life. A memorial plaque was unveiled in the Mounting Yard and fellow riders laid roses in Stefano’s…

New female chaplain for Sydney racing We are excited to announce the appointment of Mrs Debbie Priestley as part-time chaplain with a particular focus on women in the Sydney racing community. Debbie, a high school teacher by trade, loves God, loves people and loves horses, and is natural fit for this role. *** UPDATE ***…

ARCC served up pancakes to the strappers and racing participants at Kembla Grange races on Tuesday March 4th (Pancake Day / Shrove Tuesday / Mardi Gras) Thanks to the staff at Kembla for their assistance. They went down a treat!

We are excited to announce we have appointed the Rev. Gary Bennetts to the ARCC Committee. Gary has a longstanding connection to the racing industry. His father has been actively involved in racing throughout his life, and Gary gained firsthand experience while working part-time as a race day staff member for the Australian Jockey Club…

Merry Christmas! 2024 marked the 15th year that Rev Colin Watts has been fulltime chaplain to the horse racing industry and we thank all those who have supported us over the years as we continue those in need . It is our hope and prayer that you enjoy a happy and holy Christmas. God bless!