Everything to know about this year’s spring racing carnivals
It wouldn’t be spring without Victoria and NSW’s racing carnivals. Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s events.
The arrival of spring signals one thing for Australia’s sporting and style calendar: racing season.
World famous events such as Victoria’s Melbourne Cup and Sydney’s Everest Race bring people from all walks of life together for unforgettable moments both on and off the track in October and November each year.
And when it comes to race day style, the stakes can be higher for those participating in fashions on the field than for those involved in the actual races.
“Racing fashion is all about elegance and glamour,” the official 2019 ambassador of the Moet & Chandon Spring Champion Stakes Day, Abbey Gelmi, told news.com.au.
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“Know the fashion conventions for each season,” she advised, adding that this spring was all about lighter materials such as lace, silk and straw.
“We’re seeing a lot of colour and pinks in particular this spring racing season. I think statement sleeves are having a moment and I’m expecting headwear will be pared-back, but personally I love a bold piece of millinery.”
With these tips in mind, here are the spring racing events to mark on your calendar and bring your best style to.
EVEREST RACE
When and where: Saturday, October 19 at the Royal Randwick Racecourse.
The TAB Everest Race — billed as “the world’s richest race on turf” — has put Sydney on the map for spring racing.
With $14 million in prize money up for grabs, the race has made headlines both in Australia and around the world, adding a point of difference to the spring racing season because the race is designed for sprinters.
Modelled on the United States’ Pegasus system, there are 12 slot (starting position) holders who pay money to pick their own runner to line up in the 1200m weight-for-age race.
CAULFIELD CUP
When and where: Saturday, October 19 at the Caulfield Racecourse.
With a long, famous history, the Stella Artois Caulfield Cup is the Melbourne Racing Club’s flagship event, and “the ideal lead-up race to the Melbourne Cup.”
This year is the $5.15 million race’s 142nd running — the world’s richest turf handicap over 2400 metres, under handicap conditions.
The Caulfield Cup welcomes a global field on and off the course — with trainers, jockeys and racing enthusiasts from all around the world — and punters are likely to see many of the same horses race in the Melbourne Cup a few weeks later.
COX PLATE
When and where: Saturday, October 26 at Moonee Valley Racecourse.
Following on from the Caulfield Cup is the Ladbrokes WS Cox Plate, held a week later.
Named after William Samuel Cox — founder of the Moonee Valley Racing Club — the race, held over a distance of 2040 metres and offering prize money of $5 million, was first run in 1922.
It’s contested by the best middle distance and staying horses in Australia — and increasingly, from around the world — as the weight-for-age conditions make the race “a pure test of the best horse, and give the race its enormous appeal and history.”
DERBY DAY
When and where: Saturday, November 2 at Flemington Racecourse.
Widely regarded as one of racing’s most prestigious days, the AAMI Victoria Derby Day heralds the start of Victoria Racing Club’s Melbourne Cup carnival.
One of only two Derby’s run in Australia, the event features a card of nine Group races — four at the elite Group 1 level.
The race — worth over $2 million — is Australia’s premier staying classic for three-year-olds. The Group 1 races are held over 2500 metres, and are not usually a target for international horses.
The day’s fashion stakes are equally as impressive, with attendees embracing a monochromatic dress code.
MELBOURNE CUP
When and where: Tuesday, November 5 at Flemington Racecourse.
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Renowned as “the race that stops the nation”, the Lexus Melbourne Cup Day is a staple on the Australian sporting calendar — and is arguably the country’s most famous horse race, first run in 1861.
Held on the first Tuesday of November each year, the race — over a distance of 3200 metres — is more gruelling than any other major event in Melbourne’s spring racing carnival.
The Melbourne Cup, run at 3pm AEDT and with prize money of $8 million, features more and more internationally-bred and trained horses each year, and is a “must-do sporting spectacle to witness live.”
KENNEDY OAKS DAY
When and where: Thursday, November 7 at Flemington Racecourse.
The official ladies day of the Melbourne carnival, Kennedy Oaks Day is held on the Thursday after the Melbourne Cup.
Renowned for its feminine style and grace, the day’s significance on the fashion calendar is further reinforced by the crowning of the Myer Fashions on the Field Women’s Racewear national winner.
The racing highlight is the $1 million Group 1 Kennedy Oaks, which sees the best three-year-old staying fillies battle for victory in “the ultimate test of their staying credentials.”
VRC STAKES DAY
When and where: Saturday, November 9 at Flemington Racecourse.
The Seppelt Wines Stakes Day — the final day of Cup Week — is dubbed as a celebration of the week that’s passed, filled with "quality racing, fashion and entertainment.”
The family-friendly day out features two Group 1 races: the $2 million Group 1 Seppelt Mackinnon Stakes — dubbed as the “ultimate weight-for-age test for middle distance horses at Australia’s premier track” — and the $2 million Group 1 Darley Sprint Classic, which “sees some of the world’s fastest horses fly up the famous Flemington straight.”
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