Northerly his racing colours of yellow, black Maltese Cross and quartered cap earned him the nickname of "The Fighting Tiger". After winning a string of minor races in Perth, Northerly burst on the scene with his victory in the 2000 Railway Stakes in his native Perth where he accounted for the state's best milers by nearly three lengths. Following a first-up second in 2001 in the unsuitably short Australia Day Stakes in Perth, Northerly arrived in Melbourne for an autumn campaign aimed at the Australian Cup. He won his first race in Melbourne, the Carlyon Cup over 1,600 metres, by almost
Wetherby Racecourse first took place on Scaur Bank (now officially known as King George V playing fields, although still most commonly referred to as 'Scaur Bank' or 'The Ings'). In 1891 racing moved to a new site situated off York Road. From the 1920s to the 1950s the racecourse was served by Wetherby Racecourse railway station. In the 1930s the first terraces were erected. A new two-tier stand was erected adjacent to this in the 1970s, and then in 1999 the new Millennium Stand was opened, providing the racecourse with executive banqueting and conference facilities. Up until 1963, Racecourse Specials ran to