Flemington Racecourse

Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is the world's richest handicap and the world's richest 3200-metre horse race. The racecourse is situated on low alluvial flats, next to the Maribyrnong River. The area was first used for horse racing in March 1840.[1]

This article is about the racecourse. For the railway station, see Flemington Racecourse railway station.

Flemington Racecourse

Main grandstand during the 2013 Melbourne Cup
Location	Flemington, Victoria
Coordinates	37°47′25″S 144°54′45″E
Owned by	Victoria Racing Club
Date opened	1840 (1840)
Screened on	Seven Network Network 10
Course type	Flat Jumps steeplechase
Notable races	Melbourne Cup Victoria Derby LKS Mackinnon Stakes Emirates Stakes Newmarket Handicap Australian Cup
Official website

Overview

Aerial panorama of Flemington Racecourse. Taken August 2018.

The Flemington Racecourse site comprises 1.27 square kilometres of Crown land. The course was originally leased to the Victoria Turf Club in 1848, which merged with the Victoria Jockey Club in 1864 to form the Victoria Racing Club. The first Melbourne Cup was run in 1861. In 1871 the Victoria Racing Club Act was passed, giving the VRC legal control over Flemington Racecourse.

The racecourse is shaped not unlike a pear, and boasts a six-furlong (1,200 m) straight known as 'the Straight Six.' The track has a circumference of 2.312 kilometres (1.437 mi) and a final straight of 450 metres (490 yd) for race distances over 1.2 kilometres (1,300 yd). Races are run in an anti-clockwise direction.

The course has a crowd capacity of over 120,000 and contains three grandstands. The biggest ever attendance was on Victoria Derby Day in 2006 when 129,069 people saw Efficient win the Victoria Derby.[1] On 28 November, 1986, Pope John Paul II celebrated the Mass on the racetrack inner oval. The racecourse has undergone a facelift in recent years, with the opening of a new $45 million grandstand in 2000 and the opening of a new members' grandstand in 2018. It also contains a bronze statue of the famous racehorse Phar Lap, which was donated to the Club as part of Australia's bicentenary celebrations in 1988. Also in celebration was the commission of Harold Freedman's seven panel mural which traces the History of Racing.[2] The mural is housed is in The Hill Stand, built in 1977.

Flemington Racecourse was added to the Australian National Heritage List on 7 November 2006,[3] announced during the 2006 Melbourne Cup.[4] The site is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.[5]

Flemington Racecourse today hosts many of Australia's top races, including the Melbourne Cup, Victoria Derby, VRC Oaks, Mackinnon Stakes, Newmarket Handicap, Australian Cup and Lightning Stakes.

Transport

The site has its own railway branch line, which operates on race days, bringing visitors to the adjacent railway station. Originally, it was serviced by Salt Water River station, before that was demolished in the 1860s and replaced with a station on the present site. Trains depart from platforms 8 and 9 at Flinders Street Station. The No. 57 tram from the City (Elizabeth and Flinders Streets) stops at the Epsom Road entrance.

Car spaces for the disabled are available and taxi ranks are located adjacent to the main entrances. Shuttle buses run from Epsom Road to the main turnstiles of the racecourse. Lift access is available in the Prince of Wales Stand and to the first floor of the Members Stand.

Races

The following is a list of Group races which are run at Flemington Racecourse. All races in metres.[6]

Grp	Race name	Age	Sex	Weight	Distance	Date
1	Ascot Vale Stakes	3YO	Open	sw	1200	November
1	Australian Cup	Open	Open	wfa	2000	March
1	Australian Guineas	3YO	Open	sw	1600	February
1	Black Caviar Lightning	Open	Open	wfa	1000	February
1	Cantala Stakes	Open	Open	hcp	1600	November
1	Empire Rose Stakes	3YO+	F&M	wfa	1600	November
1	LKS Mackinnon Stakes	Open	Open	wfa	2000	November
1	Melbourne Cup	Open	Open	hcp	3200	November
1	Newmarket Handicap	Open	Open	hcp	1200	March
1	VRC Sprint Classic	Open	Open	wfa	1200	November
1	Turnbull Stakes	4YO+	Open	sw+p	2000	October
1	Victoria Derby	3YO	Open	sw	2500	November
1	VRC Oaks	3YO	Fillies	sw	2500	November
2	A.V Kewney Stakes	3YO	Fillies	sw	1600	March
2	Blamey Stakes	3YO+	Open	sw+p	1600	March
2	Craiglee Stakes	Open	Open	wfa	1600	September
2	Edward Manifold Stakes	3YO	Fillies	sw	1600	October
2	Gilgai Stakes	Open	Open	sw+p	1200	October
2	Linlithgow Stakes	Open	Open	hcp	1200	November
2	Matriarch Stakes	4YO+	Mares	hcp	2000	November
2	Rose Of Kingston Stakes	4YO+	Mares	sw+p	1400	October
2	VRC Sires' Produce Stakes	2YO	Open	sw	1400	March
2	Wakeful Stakes	3YO	Fillies	sw+p	2000	November
3	Aurie's Star Handicap	Open	Open	hcp	1200	August
3	Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes	2YO	Fillies	sw+p	1200	March
3	Bobby Lewis Quality	Open	Open	qlty	1200	September
3	Chatham Stakes	Open	Open	hcp	1400	November
3	Frances Tressady Stakes	4YO+	Mares	sw+p	1400	March
3	Hotham Handicap	Open	Open	qlty	2500	November
3	Maribyrnong Plate	2YO	Open	sw+p	1000	November
3	Matron Stakes	4YO+	Mares	sw+p	1600	March
3	Let's Elope Stakes	4YO+	Mares	sw+p	1400	September
3	Standish Handicap	Open	Open	hcp	1200	January
3	C S Hayes Stakes	3YO	C&G	sw+p	1400	February
3	The Vanity[7]	3YO	Fillies	sw+p	1400	February
3	VRC Carbine Club Stakes	3YO	Open	sw+p	1600	November
3	VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes	Open	Open	qlty	2500	November
L	VRC St Leger Stakes	3YO	Open	sw+p	2800	April

Key

• hcp - handicap
• qlty - quality handicap
• sw - set weights
• sw+p - set weights with penalties
• wfa - Weight for Age

Gallery

180-degree panorama of the racecourse

See also

• Australian horse-racing
• Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival

References

1. 100,000 and more – but nobody's counting Archived 4 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine
2. Insight into a nation's track record
3. Flemington Racecourse National Heritage Listing Archived 27 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
4. Flemington now a National Treasure Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
5. "Flemington Racecourse, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H2220", Victorian Heritage Database, Heritage Victoria, archived from the original on 7 May 2011, retrieved 16 September 2010
6. Australian Group races Archived 16 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine
7. The Vanity 2008 result Archived 27 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• Victoria Racing Club - official website
• Flemington Racecourse at Austadiums
• Horse racing results at Flemington Racecourse