2023 Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival Dates

The 2023 Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival takes place from late January - April each year and is headlined by events such as the Ladbrokes 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

2023 Mornington Cup Field & Betting Update

The 2023 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 ‘Super Saturday’ in March featuring the 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 Sandown 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.

2023 BLUE DIAMOND PREVIEW DAY

Thursday January 26, 2023 – Ladbrokes Park Hillside (Sandown)

In 2023 Ladbrokes Park Hillside hosts Melbourne’s major Australia Day race meeting and the line-up is headlined by the:

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

2023 AUSTRALIA STAKES DAY

Saturday January 28, 2023 – Moonee Valley Racecourse

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)

2023 CHAIRMAN’S STAKES DAY

Saturday February 4, 2023 – Ladbrokes Park Hillside (Sandown)

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)

2023 CF ORR STAKES DAY

Saturday February 11, 2023 – Ladbrokes Park Hillside (Sandown)

The countdown to the 2023 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 $750,000 C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m)
Group 2 $300,000 Rubiton Stakes (1100m)
Group 2 $300,000 Autumn Stakes (1400m)
Group 2 $300,000 Blue Diamond Fillies Prelude (1100m)
Group 3 $300,000 Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Prelude (1100m)
Group 3 $200,000 Kevin Hayes Stakes (1200m)
Group 3 $200,000 TS Carlyon Cup (1600m)

2023 BLACK CAVIAR LIGHTNING DAY

Saturday February 18, 2023 – 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 $1,000,000 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (1000m)
Group 3 $200,000 CS Hayes Stakes (1400m)
Group 3 $200,000 The Vanity (1400m)

2023 LADBROKES BLUE DIAMOND STAKES DAY

Saturday February 25, 2023 – Ladbrokes Park Lakeside (Sandown)

The autumn Melbourne racing action heats up in late February with 2023 Ladbrokes 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:

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 2 $300,000 Peter Young Stakes (1800m)
Group 3 $200,000 Zeditave Stakes (1200m)
Group 3 $200,000 Mannerism Stakes (1400m)

2023 AUSTRALIAN GUINEAS DAY

Saturday March 4, 2023 – Flemington Racecourse

Flemington is in the spotlight again on the first Saturday in March for 2023 Australian Guineas Day headlined by the mile race for three-year-olds. There are now three Group events on the card in total:

Group 1 $1,000,000 Australian Guineas (1600m)
Group 2 $300,000 Blamey Stakes (1600m)
Group 3 $200,000 Frances Tressady Stakes (1400m)

2023 FLEMINGTON SUPER SATURDAY

Saturday March 11, 2023 – Flemington Racecourse

‘Super Saturday’ at 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 Super Saturday but has been moved to its own feature race meeting at the end of the month for 2023. A number of other Group events supporting the elite level race on the card:

Group 1 $1.5 million Newmarket Handicap (1200m)
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)

2023 THE ALL-STAR MILE DAY

Saturday March 18, 2023 – Moonee Valley Racecourse

For 2023 the lucrative $4.25 million The All-Star Mile race will take place at Moonee Valley Racecourse in mid-March the weekend after ‘Super Saturday’. The Valley becomes the second track to host the event twice (following Flemington) having also held the second edition back in 2020.

$4,250,000 The All-Star Mile (1600m)
Group 2 $750,000 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m)
Group 3 $200,000 Typhoon Tracy Stakes (1200m)

2023 WILLIAM REID STAKES NIGHT

Friday March 24, 2023 – 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 $1,000,000 William Reid Stakes (1200m)
Group 2 $300,000 Sunline Stakes (1600m)
Group 3 $200,000 Alexandra Stakes (1600m)

2023 AUSTRALIA CUP DAY

For 2023 the time-honoured Australian Cup race has moved from Super Saturday to run at the end of March at Flemington with prize money boosted to $3 million.

Saturday March 25, 2023 – Flemington Racecourse