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The 2026 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 in February and Flemington’s Newmarket Handicap Day in March.

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 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) lights-up Flemington Racecourse in 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.

Note, in 2026 the races that traditionally run at Moonee Valley Racecourse will be conducted at other major Victorian tracks including Pakenham due to a redevelopment at The Valley.

2026 AUSTRALIA STAKES DAY

Friday January 23, 2026 – Moonee Valley Racecourse (Southside Pakenham in 2026)

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

• Group 2 $350,000 Australia Stakes (1200m)

2026 BLUE DIAMOND PREVIEW DAY

Saturday January 24, 2026 – Caulfield Racecourse 

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

• Group 3 $250,000 Blue Diamond Fillies Preview (1000m)
• Listed $250,000 Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Preview (1000m)
• Group 3 $200,000 Manfred Stakes (1300m)

2026 CHAIRMAN’S STAKES DAY

Saturday January 31, 2026 – Caulfield Racecourse

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

• Group 3 $200,000 MRC Chairman’s Stakes (1000m)
• Group 3 $200,000 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (1300m)

2026 RUBITON STAKES DAY

Saturday February 7, 2026 – Caulfield Racecourse

The countdown to the 2026 Blue Diamond Stakes heats up with the two Prelude races held in early February on Rubiton Stakes Day. Formerly this meeting marked the start of elite-level racing with the CF Orr Stakes, but that middle-distance sprint moved to November in 2025. Now the meeting is host to seven Group status races with the running of the:

• Group 2 $300,000 Rubiton Stakes (1100m)
• Group 2 $300,000 Autumn Stakes (1400m)
• Group 2 $350,000 Blue Diamond Fillies Prelude (1100m)
• Group 3 $350,000 Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Prelude (1100m)
• Group 3 $200,000 Kevin Hayes Stakes (1200m) – run in 2026 as the Peter Le Grand Stakes
• Group 3 $200,000 TS Carlyon Cup (1600m)

2026 BLACK CAVIAR LIGHTNING DAY

Saturday February 14, 2026 – Flemington Racecourse

The Group 1 autumn racing action kicks off in Melbourne at the famous Flemington track for this meeting headlined by three Group races including the new opening elite-level sprint of the season with the running of the:

• Group 1 $1,000,000 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (1000m)
• Group 3 $200,000 CS Hayes Stakes (1400m)
• Group 3 $200,000 Frances Tressady Stakes (1400m)

2026 BLUE DIAMOND STAKES DAY

Saturday February 21, 2026 – Caulfield Racecourse

The autumn Melbourne racing action heats up in late February with 2026 Blue Diamond Stakes Day headlined by the carnival’s feature race for three-year-olds. There are a total of seven Group races on the card including a trio of Group 1 races:

• Group 1 $2 million Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m)
• Group 1 $750,000 Oakleigh Plate (1100m)
• Group 1 $750,000 Futurity Stakes (1400m)
• Group 2 $300,000 Caulfield Autumn Classic (1800m)
• Group 2 $300,000 Angus Armanasco Stakes (1400m)
• Group 3 $200,000  Zeditave Stakes (1200m)
• Group 3 $200,000 Mannerism Stakes (1400m)

2026 AUSTRALIAN GUINEAS DAY

Saturday February 28, 2026 – Flemington Racecourse

Flemington is in the spotlight again on either the last Saturday in February or the first Saturday in March for 2026 Australian Guineas Day headlined by the mile race for three-year-olds. There are currently two Group events on the card in total:

• Group 1 $1,000,000 Australian Guineas (1600m)
• Group 2 $300,000 Blamey Stakes (1600m)

2026 NEWMARKET HANDICAP DAY

Saturday March 7, 2026 – Flemington Racecourse

Flemington brings the Victorian autumn racing action to a peak with the running of the time-honoured Newmarket Handicap sprint event. Previously the Australian Cup also ran on the card but was moved to its own feature race meeting at the end of the month in 2023. Since 2025, the recently upgraded Group 1 All-Star Mile has been part of the Newmarket Handicap card. A number of other Group events supporting the elite level race on the card:

• Group 1 $2 million Newmarket Handicap (1200m)
• Group 1 $2 million All-Star Mile (1600m)
• Group 2 $300,000 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m)
• Group 2 $300,000  Kewney Stakes (1400m)
• Group 3 $200,000 Matron Stakes (1600m)
• Group 3 $200,000 Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap (1400m)
• Group 3 $200,000 Ottawa Stakes (1000m) – formerly held in November
• $150,000 Australian Cup Prelude (1800m)

2026 PETER YOUNG STAKES DAY

Saturday March 14, 2026 – Caulfield Racecourse

A key lead-up to the popular Australian Cup race, the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes runs on its own feature meeting at Caulfield Racecourse in mid-March on the same day Sydney hosts the Coolmore Classic. The sole Group status event on the card is the:

• Group 2 $500,000 Peter Young Stakes (1800m)

2026 WILLIAM REID STAKES DAY

Saturday March 21, 2026 – Moonee Valley Racecourse (Caulfield Racecourse in 2026)

Traditionally one of the biggest autumn meetings at Moonee Valley (moved to Caulfield in 2026), William Reid Stakes Day is held on a Saturday in late March and features five Group races:

• Group 1 $1,000,000 William Reid Stakes (1200m)
• Group 2 $500,000 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m)
• Group 2 $300,000 Sunline Stakes (1600m)
• Group 3 $200,000 Don Casboult Classic (1200m) – formerly the Typhoon Tracy Stakes
• Group 3 $200,000 Alexandra Stakes (1600m)

2026 AUSTRALIAN CUP DAY

Saturday March 28, 2026 – Flemington Racecourse

Since 2023, the time-honoured Australian Cup race takes place on its own feature race meeting at the end of March at Flemington with prize money currently set at $2 million.

• Group 1 $2 million Australian Cup (2000m)
• Group 3 $200,000 Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (1200m)

2026 EASTER CUP DAY

Saturday April 4, 2026 – Caulfield Racecourse

The Easter Cup Day action at Caulfield features a double shot of Group 3 racing with the running of the:

• Group 3 $200,000 Victoria Handicap (1400m)
• Group 3 $200,000 Easter Cup (2000m)

2026 MORNINGTON CUP DAY

Saturday April 18, 2026 – Mornington Racecourse

Part of the wider Victorian Autumn Carnival action, Mornington Cup Day features a key Black-Type staying race often contested by potential Caulfield and Melbourne Cup hopefuls ahead of the spring with the running of the:

• Listed $300,000 Mornington Cup (2400m)