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It's 30 years since Queen Elizabeth II opened a grandstand named in her honour at Thoroughbred Park in Canberra - and provided an opportunity for one of the great photographs of larrikin PM Bob Hawke. While the Queen's chief purpose during her 1988 visit to Canberra was to open the new Parliament House and celebrate Australia's bicentenary, she also performed many other official duties including opening the purpose-built Queen Elizabeth II Grandstand on May 8 of that year. The same day she indulged her love of the gee-gees by attending the QEII Bicentennial Stakes, organised by the ACT Racing Club. The Queen watched Beau Zam trained by Bart Cummings take out the race, sitting in the grandstand a little more impassively than Hawke who unashamedly cheered on the victor over New Zealand performer Bonecrusher. The race day was attended by 16,000 people. To celebrate the anniversary, a gallery of items showcasing horse racing in the ACT region since the 1800s is now set up in the foyer of the Canberra Racing Club at Thoroughbred Park. The public is invited to come and have a look at the local equine history.

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