Victoria is set to come alive with three months of non-stop racing and celebration as the Spring Racing Carnival gets underway tomorrow (Saturday, 31 August) at Caulfield.
From Melbourne to all points of country Victoria, preparations are underway for prestigious and entertaining race meetings that unite communities and showcase the best horses, trainers and jockeys.
It all begins with a heavyweight showdown between two of the sport’s biggest stars – Pride Of Jenni and defending champion Mr Brightside – in Saturday’s $750,000 Stow Storage Memsie Stakes (1400m).
It’s the first of 21 Group 1 races held during the Spring Racing Carnival which stretches from this weekend through to the soul-stirring Haymes Paint Jericho Cup (4600m) at Warrnambool on Sunday, 1 December.
Offering over $117 million in prizemoney and bonuses, the Spring Racing Carnival is set to cement its reputation as one of the nation’s most popular sporting and social spectacles.
With 26 Country Cups, including once-a-year meetings in tiny towns like Dunkeld, Gunbower, Manangatang and Wycheproof, complementing the Group 1 action in metropolitan Melbourne, there are many ways to engage and celebrate this spring.
While the racing action will be fiercely competitive, the race to be crowned best dressed will be no less intense with race clubs across Victoria running their fashions on the field competitions. And with food, live music and entertainment a festival atmosphere awaits each week throughout spring.
Racing Victoria Chief Executive, Aaron Morrison said: “It’s time to awaken from your winter hibernation because spring is here and that means three months of incredible racing and celebration right across Victoria.
“The Spring Racing Carnival is synonymous with amazing racing and events. It is a time when we celebrate the rich heritage of our racing, crown the new stars of our sport and reconnect with family and friends for some fun.
“Preparations are underway in all corners of the state. Tracks are being mowed, marquees erected, dresses and suits purchased, and horses being trained for their moment in the sun.
“There are opportunities every weekend throughout September, October and November to enjoy the action trackside or from afar so grab your calendar and start making plans.
“The scene will be set this Saturday at Caulfield when two of our very best horses in Pride Of Jenni and Mr Brightside clash in the Memsie Stakes, and the racing rivalries are set to continue right through until the end of November.
“Whilst the marquee races in Melbourne command most of the headlines, there are 26 Country Cup meetings that will form an integral part of the Spring Racing Carnival bringing together communities for a day of celebration at the races.
“I wish all trainers, owners and jockeys the best of luck over the Spring Racing Carnival and know that they’ll put on a great show across the next three months.”
The $5 million Sportsbet Caulfield Cup (2400m, 19 October), $5 million Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m, 26 October) at The Valley and $8.4 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington remain the headline acts of the Spring Racing Carnival and the destination for many stars.
Changes are afoot early in the Carnival though with a revamp of the Moonee Valley Racing Club’s feature sprint races meaning there’s more Group 1 action to enjoy in September.
The $750,000 Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes (1000m) moves to Saturday, 7 September, paving the way for the $2 million Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes (1200m) to move to Grand Final Eve (Friday, 27 September) where it will headline a huge night at The Valley.
Major enhancements from the 2023 Spring Racing Carnival have been retained with the Schweppes Caulfield Thousand on Saturday, 16 November meaning Group 1 racing extends beyond the Melbourne Cup Carnival for a second year.
The four-day Melbourne Cup Carnival, which in 2023 saw the emergence of Ciaron Maher’s wonder mare Pride Of Jenni, sees some adjustments to the support program on Penfolds Victoria Derby Day (Saturday, 2 November) which serves as the entrée to Flemington’s feast of world-class racing.
The Lexus Melbourne Cup will again stop the nation on Tuesday, 5 November, with Mark Zahra bidding to become the first jockey since Glen Boss in 2005 to complete a hat-trick of wins in Australia’s most iconic race.
With a trio $3 million races, TAB Champions Stakes Day at Flemington has quickly established itself as a focal point of the spring racing action and that will be the case once more on Saturday, 9 November.
Beyond that, the three-month racing roadshow takes in all corners of country Victoria including Gunbower who are set to host their first Cup meeting on the banks of the Murray River since 2019 after the COVID pandemic and weather put paid to their past four editions.
To learn more about the 2024 Spring Racing Carnival and view a full calendar of race meetings visit: www.thisishowwespring.com