2021 Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival Dates

The 2021 Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival takes place from late January - March each year and is headlined by events such as the Blue Diamond Stakes, Australian Guineas and the Newmarket Handicap. The $5 million The All-Star Mile is now the richest race of the autumn and runs in March.

Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival News

Andrew Ramsden Winner Realm Of Flowers into 2021 Melbourne Cup Field

The 2021 Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival features a host of top level racing in the early months of the year alongside and preceding the classic Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.

The Melbourne Autumn Festival runs late January until the end of March. The headline meetings include Blue Diamond Stakes Day at Caulfield in February and Flemington’s ‘Super Saturday’ in March featuring the Australian Cup and Newmarket Handicap.

All of the autumn race meetings in Victoria are hosted by the Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) and take place at the major metropolitan tracks around the state. The carnival is also host to the first Group 1 race of the new season when the CF Orr Stakes (1400m) lights-up Caulfield Racecourse in early to mid-February.

Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival Days

The Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival race days feature some of the country’s top Group 1 events and give punters a host of stars to enjoy a bet on at Ladbrokes.com.au over the start of the year.

AUSTRALIA STAKES DAY

Friday January 22, 2021 – Moonee Valley Racecourse

The carnival’s opening Group 2 event runs at The Valley with the season’s top sprinters contesting the:

Group 2 $200,000 Australia Stakes (1200m)

BLUE DIAMOND PREVIEW DAY

Tuesday January 26, 2021 – Caulfield Racecourse

Caulfield hosts Melbourne’s major Australia Day race meeting and the line-up is headlined by the:

Group 3 $160,000 Blue Diamond Fillies Preview (1000m)
Listed $160,000 Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Preview (1000m)

CHAIRMAN’S STAKES DAY

Saturday January 30, 2021 – Caulfield Racecourse

The MRC Chairman’s Stakes Day card features two Group 3 sprints for horses heading towards Group 1 autumn features:

Group 3 $160,000 MRC Chairman’s Stakes (1000m)
Group 3 $160,000 Manfred Stakes (1200m)

CF ORR STAKES DAY

Saturday February 6, 2021 – Caulfield Racecourse

The countdown to the 2021 Blue Diamond Stakes heats up with the two Prelude races held on the year’s opening Group 1 race meeting. CF Orr Stakes Day features a total of eight Group status autumn features including the year’s first elite level race:

Group 1 $500,000 Ladbrokes C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m)
Group 2 $200,000 Rubiton Stakes (1100m)
Group 2 $200,000 Autumn Stakes (1400m)
Group 2$200,000 Blue Diamond Fillies Prelude (1100m)
Group 3 $200,000 Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Prelude (1100m)
Group 3 $160,000 Kevin Hayes Stakes (1200m)
Group 3$160,000 TS Carlyon Cup (1600m)
Group 3 $160,000 Geoffrey Belmaine Stakes (1200m)

BLACK CAVIAR LIGHTNING DAY

Saturday February 13, 2021 – Flemington Racecourse

The Group 1 autumn racing action in Melbourne moves to the famous Flemington track for this meeting headlined by three Group races:

Group 1 $750,000 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (1000m)
Group 3 $160,000 CS Hayes Stakes (1400m)
Group 3 $160,000 The Vanity (1400m)

TYPHOON TRACY STAKES NIGHT

Friday February 19, 2021 – Moonee Valley Racecourse

Moonee Valley night racing takes place on the eve of Blue Diamond Stakes Day at this Friday evening meet featuring just the one black-type autumn race:

Group 3 $160,000 Typhoon Tracy Stakes (1200m)

BLUE DIAMOND STAKES DAY

Saturday February 20, 2021 – Caulfield Racecourse

The autumn Melbourne racing action heats up in late Feburary with 2021 Neds Blue Diamond Stakes Day headlined by the carnival’s feature race for three-year-olds. There are a total of eight Group races on the card including a trio of Group 1 races:

$1.5 million Group 1 $1.5 million Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m)
Group 1 $500,000 Oakleigh Plate (1100m)
Group 1 $500,000 Futurity Stakes (1400m)
Group 2 $200,000 Caulfield Autumn Classic (1800m)
Group 2 $200,000 Angus Armanasco Stakes (1400m)
Group 2 $200,000 Peter Young Stakes (1800m)
Group 3$160,000 Zeditave Stakes (1200m)
Group 3 $160,000 Mannerism Stakes (1400m)

AUSTRALIAN GUINEAS DAY

Saturday February 27, 2021 – Flemington Racecourse

Flemington is in the spotlight again on the first Saturday in March for 2021 Australian Guineas Day headlined by the mile race for three-year-olds. There are now four Group events on the card in total:

Group 1 $1,000,000 Australian Guineas (1600m)
Group 2 $200,000 Blamey Stakes (1600m)
Group 3 $160,000 Shaftsbury Avenue (1400m)
Group 3 $160,000 Frances Tressady Stakes (1400m)

FLEMINGTON SUPER SATURDAY

Saturday March 6, 2021 – Flemington Racecourse

‘Super Saturday’ at Flemington brings the Victorian autumn racing action to a peak with a double shot of Group 1 racing plus a subsequent five Group events supporting the elite level races on the card:

Group 1 $1.5 million Australian Cup (2000m)
Group 1 $1.25 million Newmarket Handicap (1200m)
Group 2 $200,000 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m)
Group 2 $200,000 Kewney Stakes (1400m)
Group 3 $160,000 Matron Stakes (1600m)
Group 3 $160,000 Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (1200m)

THE ALL-STAR MILE DAY

Saturday March 13, 2021 – Moonee Valley Racecourse

For 2021 the lucrative $5 million The All-Star Mile race will take place at Moonee Valley Racecourse in mid-February. With the event held at The Valley, the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes moves from a Friday night meeting to support the event on the Saturday making for a massive day on track.

$5,000,000 The All-Star Mile (1600m)
Group 2 $200,000 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m)

WILLIAM REID STAKES NIGHT

Friday March 19, 2021 – Moonee Valley Racecourse

One of the biggest autumn meeting at Moonee Valley is held on the final Friday in March and features three Group races:

Group 1 $500,000 William Reid Stakes (1200m)
Group 2 $200,000 Sunline Stakes (1600m)
Group 3 $160,000 Alexandra Stakes (1600m)

MORNINGTON CUP DAY

It may not be a Group status event, but the lucrative Mornington Cup is one of the most popular Victorian Cup races, runs the Saturday after the William Reid Stakes on the Mornington Peninsular and is headlined by the:

Listed $350,000 Mornington Cup (2400m)

EASTER CUP DAY

Saturday April 3, 2021 – Caulfield Racecourse

Officially the last of the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival feature race days, this meeting runs on Easter Saturday each year and is headlined by two Group races: