The first horse racing in Canterbury was in 1852 when Cornelius Proud cleared part of his property for use as a racecourse, this was used regularly by locals.

[2] A racetrack, 700 person grandstand and recreational park was constructed and held its first meeting on 19 January 1884.

Up until World War I there was a zoo located on site that housed animals such as kangaroos, wallabies, emus, brolgas, curlews, pheasants and kookaburras.

[1] The Sydney Turf Club (STC) acquired the racecourse and held its first meeting in January 1945.

The Australian Turf Club are the current owners and operators of Canterbury Park Racecourse.