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Adelaide in South Australia is home to an exciting and elite range of Group races that are held as part of the 2024 Adelaide Autumn Racing Carnival.

Morphettville Racecourse, approximately five kilometres out of the Adelaide CBD, is the premier South Australian track and the location of the Adelaide Racing Carnival. Conducted by the South Australian Jockey Club (SAJC) the major period of racing at Morphettville runs from March until May annually.

Before the carnival gets into full swing, the Group 3 Lord Reims Stakes (2600m) runs in early March as a lead-up to the iconic Adelaide Cup, which is contested over the same two mile distance as the world famous Melbourne Cup in the spring.

From mid-March things heat up with Adelaide Cup Day and the opening Group 1 race contested at Morphettville each season takes place on either the last Saturday in April or first of May with the running of the Australasian Oaks.

Other highlights during the Adelaide Autumn Racing Carnival including the South Australian Derby for the three-year-old stayers and The Goodwood sprint worth half-a-million in prize money and attracts stars from right around the country.

Adelaide Autumn Racing Carnival Race Days

There are a host of major Morphettville race days held during the annual Adelaide Racing Carnival:

• Adelaide Cup Day
• Auraria Stakes Day
• Robert Sangster Stakes Day
• SA Derby Day
• Goodwood Day

ADELAIDE CUP DAY

Monday March 11, 2024 – Morphettville Racecourse

The first official race meeting of the carnival takes place on a Monday in mid-March making for a long weekend in South Australia to celebrate Adelaide Cup Day. The highlight race of the day is the Group 2 $350,000 Adelaide Cup (3200m), which is an open handicap and the most prestigious distance race of the carnival.

2024 AURARIA STAKES DAY

Saturday April 13, 2024 – Morphettville Racecourse

Auraria Stakes Day runs in mid-April and is headlined by the Group 3 $150,000 Auraria Stakes (1800m) for the three-year-old Australasian Oaks-bound fillies. In 2024 the program was also host to the weight-for-age Group 3 RN Irwin Stakes (1100m) for horses that are traditionally targeting a Group 1 The Goodwood run. Also on the program are the Listed Port Adelaide Guineas (1800m) which has produced a number of subsequent SA Derby winners over the years. The two-year-old fillies also have a black-type target on the card in the form of the Listed Dequetteville Stakes (1050m).

2024 ROBERT SANGSTER STAKES DAY

Saturday April 27, 2024 – Morphettville Racecourse

In 2024 the opening Group 1 Morphettville race meeting of the autumn is Robert Sangster Stakes Day featuring two Group 1 races in late April. The feature race on the card is the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m), which is a weight-for-age event for fillies and mares currently offering $1 million in prize money and won by the likes of Black Caviar (2012) and Allinghi (2005). The Group 1 Australasian Oaks, which is a 2000m race for three-year-old fillies at set weights worth $1 million in stakes, also takes place at the meeting. The Goodwood-bound sprinters do battle in the Group 2 $250,000 Tobin Bronzeu Stakes (1200m) which was formerly known as the Euclase Stakes. The Group 2 $250,000 Queen Of The South Stakes (1600m) along with three Group 3 support acts are also on the program.

2024 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN DERBY DAY

Saturday May 4,  2024 – Morphettville Racecourse

The Adelaide Group 1 events continue in the form of the South Australian Derby (2500m) in mid-May, which offers a total of $1 million in prize money and that attracts stayers from local and interstate stables. Runners may come off a Morphettville lead-up in a race like the Chairman’s Stakes or Australasian Oaks. The other Group status race on SA Derby Day is the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth II Cup that was previously known as the Port Adelaide Cup.

2024 THE GOODWOOD DAY

Saturday May 11, 2024 – Morphettville Racecourse

With a final million-dollar in prize money up for grabs, Adelaide’s premier sprint race is the Group 1 The Goodwood (1200m) run in mid to late May. The race is now a set weights plus penalties event and continues to draw ace sprinters from interstate stables with standout winners including Black Caviar (2012) and Black Heart Bart (2016). The Goodwood Day also hosts four Group 3 events making for a top day of racing and betting. The Group 3 RA Lee Stakes (1600m) is a great race for milers, the two-year-olds face off in the Group 3 National Stakes (1200m), the Group 3 SA Fillies Classic (2500m) is a top event for the Australasian Oaks graduates and the Group 3 Proud Miss Stakes (1200m) is open to fillies & mares only.