Flemington racecourse is located in Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, and is the most well known race track in Australia, being famous for hosting our greatest race the Melbourne Cup each November. Flemington hosts two major carnivals in autumn and spring that provide some of the best racing held in Australia each year.
The spring racing carnival has a life of it's own and captures the whole nations's interest and is one of the biggest sporting events on the racing calendar each year. Flemington often hosts crowds in excess of 100,000 people during the spring carnival. Flemington is home to the Victoria Racing Club.
Racing began at Flemington racecourse in 1840 and such is it's great history it was placed on the National Heritage List in 2006. Flemington also provides a top class training centre for horses with many of Australia's best trainers operating stables at the course or very close by. Flemington is home to a number of major races in Australia, including the Melbourne Cup, Victoria Derby, and Crown Oaks.
Victoria Racing Club
The Victoria Racing Club operates racing at Flemington and they have been around since 1864 when two earlier rival clubs, the Victoria Turf Club (1852) and Victoria Jockey Club (1857), disbanded to create the Victoria Racing Club, or VRC as it is commonly known.
Melbourne Racing Carnivals
Autumn
Held around February/March each year and the Super Saturday of racing includes three Group 1 races, the Australian Cup, Australian Guineas, Newmarket Hcp, and the rest of the meeting is all group and listed stakes races.
Below are the main races of the autumn racing carnival.
Australian Cup - Group 1 weight-for-age race over 2000m
Newmarket Hcp - Group 1 handicap race over 1200m down the Flemington straight
Australian Guineas - Group 1 3yo set weights race over 1600m
Lightning Stakes - Group 1 weight-for-age race over 1000m down the straight track
Spring
Held in November, the Flemington spring carnival is a four day event, with the first day being Victoria Derby day and hosts four Group 1 races with the rest of the meeting all group races in one of the biggest days racing anywhere in the world. On the first Tuesday in November our most famous race the Melbourne Cup is held in front of more then 100,000 people in a carnival like atmosphere, while the Crown Oaks takes place on the Thursday, followed by the Emirates Stakes on the final Saturday.
Below are the four major race days of the spring carnival at Flemington.
AAMI Victoria Derby - Group 1 classic race for three-year-olds over 2500m
Melbourne Cup - Group 1 world famous handicap race over 3200m(2 miles)
Crown Oaks - Group 1 classic race for three-year-old fillies over 2500m
Emirates Stakes - Group 1 quality handicap race over 1600m
Flemington Track Details
Flemington is a spacious track with one of the longest straights in Australia at 450 metres, and has a 1200 metre straight track for racing which is commonly refeered to as "The Straight Six". The track provides plenty of room for all types of horses, including leaders, on pacers, fast finishers, and all horses have the ability to win if good enough and ridden by a capable jockey.
Circumference: 2,312 metres
Straight: 450 metres
Direction: Anti-Clockwise
Flemington Track Map
Flemington Contact details
Victoria Racing Club
448 Epsom Road,
Flemington, Vic 3031,
Australia
Ph: 03 8378 0720
Fax: 03 9376 5846
Website: Victoria Racing Club Website
Melbourne has three other city racing tracks which can be found below;
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