The Taranaki Jockey Club was founded in the early seventies, and its principal race, the Taranaki Cup, in the year 1876. Officers for the year 1905–06: Mr. J. Paul (president, Captain Mace, N.Z.C., (vice-president, Mr. J. F. Stohr (timekeeper), A. A. Budge (judge), J. Chadwick (handicapper), Colonel Ellis (honorary treasurer), and M. Fleetwood (secretary); also a strong committee, and a number of stewards. The racecourse, which is about a mile from the centre of the borough, and adjoins the well known Recreation Grounds, contains twenty-live acres of freehold, and thirty-five acres of racecourse and recreation reserve. The improvements consist of a large grand stand, which has seat room for 700 persons, and was erected in 1903 at a cost of £1700. In front and on each side of the grandstand there is an asphalt platform, which gives additional seat accommodation. The ground includes four grass tracks for training purposes, and also a ploughed track in addition to the racecourse. The latter is nearly a mile round, with a six chain curve, and the training tracks are within. The club has about one hundred members, and two race meetings are held every year. The Christmas meeting is devoted specially to hack racing, and takes place on Boxing Day, and the day following; the amount of added money at this gathering is over £1,100. The club's principal meeting is in autumn, and is usually held on the 29th and 30th of March. The added money at this meeting amounts to nearly £1700. The principal event, the Taranaki Cup, is a handicap race of 300 sovereigns.

Mr. Mussell Fleetwood has acted as Secretary of the Taranaki Jockey Club since 1899. He was born in Wiltshire, England, has been a colonist since 1862, and has long been prominently connected with racing in Taranaki.