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Horse racing & greyhounds

Victorians love their racing. Whether it's the thrill of watching a winner storm past the post, the exciting atmosphere or the fashion, there's something at race meetings for everyone.

Thoroughbred racing

Sometimes referred as the sport of kings, thoroughbred horse racing is a pastime that is easily accessible to anyone, all around the state of Victoria. With race meetings on almost every day of the year, and ranging from world class events in Melbourne to annual picnic race meetings at some of the smaller country race clubs, there is certainly no shortage of events to be found.

Country Victoria is home to more than 60 racing clubs, of which 15 are picnic race clubs. Picnic races are small meetings, often with amateur horses and jockeys, and are a fun and inexpensive day out for the family. In all, there are 39 picnic meetings across Victoria, staged from November to mid-April. Some of the picnic race clubs hold just one meeting a year, while others race more regularly.

One of the major country carnivals is the three-day event held at Warrnambool each May. Held on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the first week of the month, it features a number of jumps races, including the Galleywood Hurdle and the Grand Annual Steeplechase.

Melbourne has four major race tracks - Flemington, Caulfield, Moonee Valley and Sandown. These conduct top-class meetings all year round. The main meeting of the week is held, usually each Saturday, at one of these four venues. There are also mid-week races held in Melbourne, generally on Wednesday.

By far the most popular period of racing in Victoria each year is the Spring Racing Carnival. Spanning 50 days, from late September to mid November, the carnival includes around 80 meetings across the state. There are twenty country cups contested during this time.

The biggest events of the Spring Carnival, however, are the Melbourne meetings. This is the time of year that international horses come to town to contest the biggest races Victoria has to offer - the Caulfield Cup, the Cox Plate, and "the race that stops the nation", the Melbourne Cup.

With prize money of over $2.5 million on offer, the Caulfield Cup is run over 2400 metres on the third Saturday of October at Caulfield racecourse. It has been run each year since 1879 and, as well as being a classic race in its own right, is also an important lead-up race to the Melbourne Cup.

The following Saturday sees the running of the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley race track. Run over a distance of 2040 metres, it is arguably the top weight-for-age race in Australia. Established in honour of the founder of Moonee Valley, William Samuel Cox, it was first run in 1922 with a purse of 1000 pounds on offer. Today, prize money totals over $3 million.

The third of the three big races of the Spring Carnival, the Melbourne Cup, is held at Flemington Racecourse on the first Tuesday in November each year. Run over a distance of 3200 metres, with total prize money amounting to over $6 million, it is the richest race in Australia. First run in 1861, the Melbourne Cup was born out of a desire by the Victoria Turf Club to introduce a race with a difference.

The Spring Carnival isn't just about the horses. The fashion, food and on-course entertainment are almost as famous as the races themselves. In fact, some people even admit to attending the meetings and never seeing the horses run.

Further information:
- Melbourne Cup: www.melbournecup.com
- Spring Racing Carnival: www.springracingcarnival.com.au
- Racing Victoria: www.racingvictoria.net.au

Harness racing

Harness racing - or the trots as it's sometimes called - involves horses racing in a specified gate and pulling their rider behind them in a two-wheeled cart. Melbourne's main venue for harness racing is Tabcorp Park at Melton South.

The majority of meetings at Tabcorp Park occur on Friday nights. The biggest race to be held there is the Victoria Cup, contested over 2240 metres each December. It is considered by many to be Victoria's best harness race.

With numerous harness racing clubs around the state, there is a meeting held almost every day of the year, some during the day, and some at night. Country clubs also stage their own cup meetings. Although the prize money on offer may not be as great as the state cup, there is still the prestige of winning a cup at stake.

Further information:
- Harness Racing Victoria: www.harness.org.au/vic.cfm
- Tabcorp Park: www.tabcorppark.com.au

Greyhound racing

Whilst it doesn't have as strong a following as horse racing events, greyhound racing is still a popular spectator sport. With a total of 14 tracks around the state, and with racing scheduled most days of the week, and both day and night meetings available, there aren't too many times when a greyhound racing meeting won't be taking place somewhere in Victoria. Clubs generally hold either one or two meetings a week.

Two of the top events on the Victorian greyhound racing calendar are the Australian Cup, run at The Meadows, and the Sandown Cup, which is the most valuable Australian race for stayers. Other clubs also run their own cup meetings throughout the year.

Further information:
- Greyhound Racing Victoria: www.grv.org.au