Race type - Mixed
Flemington
Course details
Flemington Racecourse is undoubtedly Australia's premier racing venue and is located just 8kms from Melbourne City. Its positioning on alluvial flats close to Footscray Park on the south bank of the Maribyrnong River, help to make it one of the most beautiful racecourses in the world, and it has the infrastructure (grandstands, paddock facilities etc) to match
GUIDE - For Racecourse
Left-handed, pear-shaped circuit of 2,312m in circumference.
Flemington Racecourse is undoubtedly Australia's premier racing venue and is located just 8kms from Melbourne City. Its positioning on alluvial flats close to Footscray Park on the south bank of the Maribyrnong River, help to make it one of the most beautiful racecourses in the world, and it has the infrastructure (grandstands, paddock facilities etc) to match. It's no wonder that racegoers flock to the course in their droves and in particular for its Spring Carnivals, including the Melbourne Cup Carnival. This is the course's jewel in its crown and houses the “race that stops a nation”; the internationally renowned Melbourne Cup, which is always run on the first Tuesday in November. Winning it has become an obsession for some trainers and jockeys and not only those to be found in Australia.
Principal Races
The aforementioned Melbourne Cup is easily the course's most important race, not least for the fact it attracts plenty of attention from outside Australia. It is held during the Melbourne Cup Carnival, which takes place over four individual days in late October / early November (depending on the calendar), with the race that gives the Carnival its name always run on the first Tuesday of the month; November 4 in 2014. Unless you are an Australia born and bred, it is difficult to comprehend the extent to which this race - run over a distance of 3,200 metres for stayers aged three and over - grabs the nation's attention, with millions listening in on the radio or watching on the internet. And it's not just the race that is celebrated with fashion parades, special lunches, hat competitions, school dress-ups, live music performances, local race carnivals, river cruises and, last but not least, barbecues all part of the experience.
But it's not all about the Melbourne Cup at Flemington. The Saturday before is when the Group 1 Victoria Derby is run over a distance of 2,500 metres, strictly for three-year-olds under set weight conditions. Other major races run on Victoria Derby day include the Mackinnon Stakes (2,000m), Coolmore Stud Stakes (1,200m) and the Myer Classic (1,600m). Just two days after the Melbourne Cup (on the Thursday), the track stages the Group 1 Crown Oaks, which is the female equivalent of the Victoria Derby. Appropriately, this is known as 'Ladies Day'. The Emirates Stakes (1,600m) and Patinack Farm Classic (1,200m), a weight-for-age sprint, are the highlights of the Saturday meeting a further two days later. The Turnbull Stakes (2.000m) run in early October here is also worth a mention.
Course Characteristics
The racecourse is itself is pear-shaped and has a circumference of 2.312 metres, with a final straight of 450 metres. Horses race in an anti-clockwise (left-handed) direction and the round course (and final straight) are utlised for all races over 1,200 metres. Races over the latter distance (the equivalent of 6f in the UK) or less (1,000m and 1,100m) take place over the 'Straight Six”, which is formed from the final straight and a chute to make up the distance. There is a further small chute adjoining the round course proper for races over 1,400 metres, while races over 2,500 metres (including the Melbourne Cup) are started opposite the grandstand, which only adds to the sense of occasion.
Due to its size, the track is considered to be very fair by trainers and jockeys alike, even when the moveable inside rail is out by five metres or more, which is done to ensure fresh ground throughout the Carnivals. The final straight is a generous 30 metres across and races can develop near the inside rail, down the centre of the track or towards the outside rail. Drainage here is excellent, which owes much to the local geology, and the going is often a lot firmer (although always safe) than the other tracks in the Melbourne area.
Top Trainers
The Melbourne Cup is synonymous with the name of Bart Cummings, who is unmatched when it comes to training winners. The legendary and outspoken trainer has sent out no less than 12 horses to land the spoils, most recently with Viewed in 2008. In 2013, he joined up with his grandson James to form a training partnership and their runner in 2014, Precedence, will therefore merit plenty of respect. Across the entire season, the most successful trainer since 2010 has been Peter Snowdon, who has sent out 17 winners from 116 runners (15%). Mark Kavanagh is another handler to be feared here with his 12 winners in the same period coming at a more impressive strike rate of 22%.* Peter G Moody, Danny O'Brien and Chris Waller are other names to look out for next to runners in the racecard.
*information correct up to October 30 2014.
Top Jockeys
Only two jockeys have won the Melbourne Cup four times, namely Bobby Lewis and Harry White. In more recent times, jockeys such as Glen Boss and Damien Oliver have come to the fore, with three wins apiece, and the pair are worth following in other races at the track too. Since the 2010 season, Oliver has ridden 14 winners here from 107 runners (13%), while Boss is on a less impressive 11 wins from 115 rides (10%). Other names to watch out for are Craig A Williams, who is statistically the top jockey here in the past five seasons with 22 winners at a strike rate of 14%, along with Michael Rodd and Luke Nolen.