The Spring Racing Carnival

The Melbourne Cup is part of a festival of horseracing that includes four huge race-days known as the Spring Racing Carnival. The Melbourne Cup Day is the only day of the Spring Racing Carnival which can lay claim to its own public holiday.

The feature races of the other three days of the event are all excellent races in their own right and all draw massive crowds to Flemington Racecourse. Each day of racing features a card with up to 9 additional races, several of which are group races, making the Spring Racing Carnival one of the most prestigious flat racing meetings in the world.

Victoria Derby Day

The Victoria Derby was first run in 1855. For many years this race was contested only by fillies, and was frequently moved around the racing calendar. Later the race was incorporated into the Spring Racing Carnival as the feature event of the first day of racing, which takes place the Saturday before the Melbourne Cup.

Today the Victoria Derby is run as a grade one race open to three year old thoroughbreds. The horses race a distance of 2500 meters along a left handed course, and the winner claims a A$1,5 million purse.

Crown Oaks Day

The Crown Oaks Day is traditionally held on the Thursday following the Melbourne Cup. First run in 1861, the Crown Oaks Day is the official ‘Ladies Day’ of the Spring Racing Carnival and attracts massive crowds. The ‘Fashions on the Field’ celebrations are another highlight of the day.

The day’s feature race, the Crown Oaks, follows a similar format to the Victoria Derby. However, only three year old fillies participate in the Crown Oaks, taking on the same course and distance as that run during the Victoria Derby for a portion of the A$750,000 pot.

VRC Stakes Day

The VRC Stakes Day is the final day of the Spring Racing Carnival and is organised around the ‘Stakes’, a race first contested in 1881. VRC Stakes Day is traditionally run on the Saturday following the Melbourne Cup, and is regarded as the unofficial ‘Children’s Day’ of the festival.

The Group 1 VRC Stakes is a handicap race open to three year old thoroughbreds. The race is run over a distance of 1600 meters, making it the fastest race of the Spring Racing Carnival. The winner walks away with an A$1 million prize fund.