Katie Cunningham | Presented by Victoria Racing Club

ADVERTORIAL

The Melbourne Cup is the race that stops a nation®. But given it only happens once a year, it’s a long wait from one November to the next.

The good news? You don’t have to hold out until spring for thrilling racing events. The Flemington Racing Spectacular boasts an impressive autumn racing calendar, including premium events like The All-Star Mile. Which means you can now get your racing fix across three Saturdays of Group 1 racing at Flemington.

There’s plenty of exciting on-track action on offer, with three feature race days to be at. Here’s what you need to know about this year’s big autumn racing calendar.

Howden Australian Guineas Day — Saturday March 1

The Group 1 Howden Australian Guineas bring together the nation’s best three-year-old horses to compete over the iconic Flemington mile.

The race has a prestigious honour roll with previous winners including Hitotsu, Grunt, Miss Finland and Apache Cat.

Sepals strengthened his Guineas credentials with a commanding victory in the Group 3 C.S Hayes Stakes (1400m) on Black Caviar Lightning Race Day. Since 2015, four Guineas winners have won the C.S Hayes Stakes in the lead-up.

Angel Capital heads the market and his jockey will be sporting new silks after Yulong purchased the son of Harry Angel ahead of the Group 1 mile contest. He finished just under four lengths off Private Life in the 2024 Caulfield Guineas (1600m).

Also on the card is the $300,000 Group 2 TAB Blamey Stakes (1600m) and the $1 million Inglis Sprint (1200m).

Super Saturday featuring the All-Star Mile — Saturday March 8

Super Saturday is the jewel in the crown of Flemington’s autumn racing schedule. 

And the big news this year is that Super Saturday is now home to the All-Star Mile, which carries Group 1 status for the first time. It was announced in August that Flemington had been chosen as the home of the All-Star Mile for the next three years, meaning this is just the beginning of even bigger Super Saturdays at Flemington.

Also on the day is the unmissable Group 1 Yulong Newmarket Handicap (1200m), a showcase of the country’s best sprinters. It’s widely regarded as Australia’s biggest and best sprint race, having even been voted the world’s best sprint race by Longines World Racing Awards.

This year marks the 152nd running of the Yulong Newmarket Handicap, which boasts an impressive honour roll of legendary sprint champions and unforgettable underdogs.

The mares got the better of the three-year-old colts in the Black Caviar Lightning (1000m), with Skybird surprising at the longest starting price in the sprint race’s history.

After a fourth-placed finish in the Lightning, 2024 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) winner Switzerland sits atop of the betting for the Newmarket with three-year-olds accounting for 48 wins in the six furlong handicap first run at Flemington in 1874.

TAB Australian Cup Day — Saturday March 29

The Flemington Racing Spectacular comes to a thrilling conclusion on Saturday March 29 on TAB Australian Cup Day.

The marquee event is where you can experience the excitement of the high-stakes $2.5 million Group 1 TAB Australian Cup (2000m), where legends like Dulcify, Bonecrusher, Octagonal, Lonhro and Makybe Diva have all left their mark over the years.

With back-to-back winner Cascadian retired, Flemington will crown a new Australian Cup hero to cap off the Flemington Racing Spectacular.

Chris Waller will have a say in the race with horses like Atishu and Buckaroo earmarked to target the 2000-metre Group 1 feature.

Caulfield Cup winner Duke De Sessa, 2023 Lexus Melbourne Cup winner Without A Fight and last year’s Cup hero Knight’s Choice are all in the mix.

That’s not all the day has in store. The undercard features the highly anticipated $500,000 Listed Lexus Roy Higgins (2600m), offering the first golden ticket for the 2025 Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m).

It’s an action-packed day – and, like all of Flemington’s autumn racing calendar, one not to be missed.

Tickets on sale now at vrc.com.au.