Flemington Racecourse

Flemington racecourse is located in Melbourne, in the southern 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 each year that provides some of the most exciting thoroughbred racing action 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.

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.

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.

Flemington hosts the spectacular four-day Melbourne Cup carnival in the spring which is the biggest racing event each year in Australia and home to the Melbourne Cup. Flemington is also home to Super Saturday of Racing in the autumn which is an excellent race day of its own.

Autumn racing carnival at Flemington
Held around February & March each year and the biggest race day of the autumn is the Super Saturday of Racing feature race day two Group 1 races, the Australian Cup and Newmarket Handicap the highlights of a huge day of racing. The whole meeting is all group and listed stakes races.

Below are the main races of the Flemington autumn racing carnival.

Spring racing carnival at Flemington
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 of 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 races of the Flemington spring racing carnival.

Flemington is a spacious track with one of the longest straights in Australia at 450 metres which gives all horses an equal chance with luck in running. Flemington also has a 1200 metre straight track for racing which is commonly refered to as "The Straight Six" course.

The track provides plenty of room for competing horses and races can be won by horses who like to lead, race on the pace, or come home late from behind. All kinds of different racing types can win at Flemington if they are up to the task and ridden by a capable jockey.

Circumference: 2,312 metres
Straight: 450 metres
Direction: Anti-Clockwise

Victoria Racing Club
448 Epsom Road,
Flemington, Vic 3031,
Australia
Ph: 03 8378 0720
Fax: 03 9376 5846
Website: Victoria Racing Club Website

How to get to Flemington racecourse
Trains run regularly to and from Flemington with Special race trains departing Flinders Street from Platforms 8, 9 & 10, stopping at Southern Cross station at Platform 13 & 14 and North Melbourne at Platform 5 & 6, then onwards to Flemington. Contact Metlink on 131 638 for further information.

If you fancy catching a Tram then hop aboard the No. 57 tram from the corner of Elizabeth and Flinders St which takes you to Flemington Drive which is off Epsom Road.

Alternatively, catch the Route 472 from Williamstown, Footscray or Moonee Ponds and hop off at Fisher Parade, near the Riverbank entrance or jump on Route 404 from Footscray or Moonee Ponds and disembark on Smithfield Road.

Melbourne has three other city racing tracks which can be found below;

• Caulfield racecourse details & track map
• Moonee Valley racecourse details & track map
• Sandown racecourse details & track map

Visit our Melbourne autumn racing carnival and Melbourne spring racing carnival pages for more information on the two major racing carnivals in Victoria.