Australian horse racing takes place on a weekly basis with meetings conducted daily by Metropolitan, Provincial, and Country Race Clubs. The racing season begins each year on August 1st and concludes on June 30th.
Saturday is considered the main day for racing in Australia with meetings held in each State in both the city and country almost every weekend. Midweek racing generally sees multiple Metropolitan meetings on a Wednesday while country clubs race regularly on any given day.
Racing Carnivals are run in each state of Australia throughout the year, with the biggest being the spring carnival in Melbourne, Victoria, where the Melbourne Cup is the showpiece, while Sydney, New South Wales hosts the 2yo dash for cash, the Golden Slipper in the autumn.
The States of Australia and relevant carnivals are outlined below:
- Victoria (Vic)
- New South Wales (Nsw)
- Queensland (Qld)
- South Australia (SA)
- Western Australia (Wa)
- Tasmania (Tas)
- Australian Capital Territory (Act)
Victoria
Metropolitan racing is held in the city of Melbourne, and home to the Melbourne Spring Carnival which is the highlight of the racing year in Australia.
Weight-for-age racing kicks off early in August with Group 2 & 3 racing which takes place until Group 1 racing begins in September with the Manikato Stakes(1200m) at Moonee Valley. A number of high quality group races are then held each each week in Melbourne until the first of the major carnivals commences at Caulfield in October when the MRC hosts its major 3 day carnival with the centrepiece being the $2.5 million Caulfield Cup(2400m) held on the final Saturday.
The $3 million W.S. Cox Plate(2040m) is held the following Saturday and is considered the 'Weight-For-Age Championship” of Australasia. The race has a long history and the best horses from Australia, New Zealand and around the world meet under level weights to etch their name in history for the time honoured race.
A week later the city of Melbourne is abuzz when the Victoria Racing Club hosts the 4 day Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington racecourse. The first Saturday of the carnival is Victoria Derby day which hosts one of the best day's racing anywhere in the world, with 10 group races, including four Group 1 races, headlined by the $1.5 million AAMI Victoria Derby(2500m) for three-year-olds.
The following Tuesday which is always the first Tuesday in November, the $5.5 million Melbourne Cup(3200m) is held in front of a massive crowd of over 120,000 people. The great mare Makybe Diva was the first horse to win the great race three times when she won the event in 2003, 2004, and 2005.
Two days later on the Thursday is Oaks Day which is known as Ladie's Day, and the $1 million Crown Oaks(2500m) is held for Australia’s best three-year-old fillies.
The Flemington carnival concludes with the running of the Emirates Stakes(1600m) two days later on the final Saturday.
Melbourne also hosts an autumn carnival in February and March, and while not as high profile as the spring, it does include a number of major Group 1 races, including the first leg of the 2008 Global Sprint Challenge, the Lightning Stakes(1000m), and the Blue Diamond Stakes(1200m) for two-year-olds,
The VRC hosts the final meeting of the carnival at Flemington with Super Saturday and features three Group 1's which are the Australian Cup(2000m), Australian Guineas(1600m) and Newmarket Handicap. Super Saturday features three Group 1 races, two Group 2’s and 2 Group 3’s and is rated one of the best race days on the Australian calendar.
New South Wales
Metropolitan racing is held in the city of Sydney where racing carnivals are held in both the spring and autumn.
Spring group racing begins in Sydney at the onset of the new racing season in August and a number of Listed and Group 2 & 3 races are held at Randwick, Rosehill and Warwick Farm each week, before Group 1 racing takes hold at Randwick late September.
Two big days of racing take place, with the first day hosting the $400,000 George Main Stakes(1600m), and the following Saturday four Group 1 races are run at Randwick racecourse with the highlight being the $600,000 Epsom Handicap over 1600m. The Sydney spring carnival finishes a week before the 3 day Caulfield Cup carnival commences in Melbourne.
The Sydney autumn carnival is the major racing carnival in New South Wales.
The Sydney Turf Club hosts the world’s richest race for two-Year-olds, the $3.5 million Golden Slipper(1200m) at Rosehill racecourse. Slipper Day now features five Group 1 races in total, including the $2.25M BMW(2400m) and is one of the great days of racing in Australia.
A week or two after the Slipper, Randwick is the centre of attention with the Australian Jockey Club's 4 day carnival. Races such as the $1.6 million AJC Australian Derby(2400m), $2 million Doncaster Handicap(2400m), $500,000 AJC Australian Oaks(2400m) all lead up to the running of four Group 1 races on the final day, highlighted by the $700,000 Sydney Cup over 3200m
Queensland
Metropolitan racing is held in the city of Brisbane and the major carnival is held during May and June.
The major Group 1 feature races in Brisbane are the $650,000 Doomben 10,000(1350m) run by the Queensland Turf Club in May at Doomben racecourse, and the $1 million Stradbroke Handicap(1400m) run by the Brisbane Turf Club at Eagle Farm in June. The QTC is also home to the $500,000 Brisbane Cup(2400m) which usually takes place on the Monday after the Stradbroke.
Queensland also hosts another big event with the Magic Millions annual Yearling Sale in January, and the Gold Coast Turf Club hosts a multi million dollar race day for horses purchased through the Magic Millions sales. The race was first run in 1987 and has become one of the most prestigious races in Australia for two-year-olds.
South Australia
Metropolitan racing in South Australia takes place in Adelaide and the major carnival runs through March and May. Morphettville is the predominant racecourse for metroplotan racing and is home to all Group 1 events held in Adelaide.
- South Australian Jockey Club (SAJC)
Morphettville hosts the Group 2 $400,000 Adelaide Cup(3200m) in early March on the Monday of the Labour day weekend, and two Group 1 feature races less than two weeks later on the Saturday which are the $300,000 Australasian Oaks(2000m) for 3yo Fillies and the $300,000 Robert Sangster Stakes(1200m) for fillies and mares.
The May carnival is also held at Morphettville and features two Group 1 events, the $300,000 South Australian Derby and $300,000 Goodwood Handicap.
South Australia also hosts the Oakbank carnival in the Adelaide Hills over the Easter weekend which is predominantly jumps racing mixed with some flat events, and it has gained a life of its own as a place to be over Easter.
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Western Australia
Metropolitan racing is held in the city of Perth and they have two city tracks, Ascot - which races in summer, and Belmont Park - which races in winter, and the major carnival is held at Ascot racecourse over November and December..
- Western Australian Turf Club (WATC)
The major carnival begins in late November over three Saturdays of racing, with the first day featuring the Group 1 Railway Stakes which is an open handicap worth $1 million in prizemoney. The second day hosts the Weight-for-age Group 2 $400,000 Winterbottom Stakes(1200m), while the final day sees the running of the Weight-for-age Group 1 $500,000 Kingston Town Classic over 1800m. The Group 2 Perth Cup(3200m) worth $400,000 is run on New Year’s Day at Ascot racecourse.
Tasmania
- Tasmanian Racing Club (TRC) - Hobart (Elwick)
- Tasmanian Turf Club (TTC) - Launceston (Mowbray)
Tasmania is gaining more prominence in Australian racing and they hold their main carnival in autumn with multiple Group 3 races.
Hobart hosts the $200,000 Tasmanian Derby(2200m) for three-year-olds in late January and the $400,000 Hobart Cup(2200m) a couple of weeks later at Tattersall's Park. The $300,000 Launceston Cup(2400m) is held almost 2 weeks after the Hobart Cup at Tasman Park in Launceston.
Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
Canberra Racing Club has two major race days during the racing season and they are in March and November.
March sees a big day's racing held with two Listed events taking place on a Sunday, the $200,000 Black Opal Stakes for two-year-olds raced under set weight & penalties conditions, and the $100,000 National Sprint(1400m) quality handicap.
The $200,000 Canberra Cup(2000m) is a Listed race that takes place at the end of November and also held on a Sunday.
Northern Territory
Racing in the Northern Territory is not of the highest quality and the major race club is at Fannie Bay, Darwin.
Darwin in the Northern Territory is home to one of the great day's of racing in Australia when the Darwin Cup meeting is run on the first Monday in August each year. The day itself sees racing fans from all over Australia head north to the NT to soak up the sunshine and the carnival atmosphere.
Crowds in excess of 20,000 people congregate at Fannie Bay racecourse to enjoy a top day's racing.
