Victoria's Spring Racing Carnival

Australia’s Major Horse Racing Event Occurs in October and November

Aug 14, 2009

The Spring Racing Carnival in Victoria provides a fantastic 50 days of thoroughbred racing and supporting social events in Melbourne and throughout the State.

The Melbourne Cup is often fondly referred to as “the race that stops a nation” and every Australian knows that the two-mile horse race is held on the first Tuesday in November. However many people don’t realise that Melbourne Cup day is just a part of the Melbourne Cup Carnival which is part of the much larger Spring Racing Carnival.

Victoria’s Spring Racing Carnival combines world class thoroughbred racing with a wide mix of fashion, entertainment and social events including cocktail parties, winery lunches and stud tours. The 50 days of the carnival have a party atmosphere that is unrivalled by any other sporting event in Australia, and you don’t need to belong to the racing fraternity to enjoy it.

Dates of Victoria’s Spring Racing Carnival

The 2009 Spring Carnival runs from Wednesday 30 September to Wednesday 18 November 2009 and includes 85 race meetings that are a combination of racing held by the metropolitan clubs in Melbourne and the country clubs scattered through the state of Victoria. The group one races that carry large prizemoney take place at the metropolitan clubs while the country clubs hold their own Cup meetings.

Spring Racing in Melbourne

In Melbourne there are carnivals at each of the big racecourses of Caulfield, Moonee Valley and Flemington. There is also the Sandown Classic held at Betfair Park which was known as Sandown Racecourse until November 2008. The major Melbourne horse racing dates are:

Caulfield Racecourse

Flemington Racecourse

Country Racing During Victoria’s Spring Racing Carnival

Over 60 country race meetings are held throughout Victoria during the Spring Carnival, including over 20 country cups meetings at towns such as Geelong, Bendigo, Cranbourne, Ararat, Avoca, Ballarat, Benalla, Donald, Dunkeld, Kyneton, Mansfield, Manangatang, Moe, Murtoa, Sale, Seymour and Mt. Whycheproof. Each country race meeting offers a unique experience with great support from the local communities and the ultimate winner of the Melbourne Cup has often started in one of these Country Cups.

The Spring Racing Carnival is a great way to sample the Sport of Kings. For those with a sense of fashion it is also a wonderful opportunity to wear something eye-catching and there are absolutely fantastic prizes to be won on course for fashions in the field. The races are one of the few places in Australia that people wear hats or fascinators.

For those that enjoy betting there are plenty of opportunities with the TAB and lots of bookmakers, although many people enjoy racing carnivals without ever going near the betting ring. Melbourne is also a great place to visit during the spring as their are plenty of other events and attractions to see. However, accommodation can be hard to get around Melbourne Cup time so it is best to book well in advance.

The copyright of the article Victoria's Spring Racing Carnival in Horse Racing is owned by Jo Jackson. Permission to republish Victoria's Spring Racing Carnival in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.