Australian
Racing

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A National Passion

Australia has more racecourses and racehorse owners than any other country, despite a population of just 27 million. Racing remains a mainstream sport, with trainers such as Gai Waterhouse and Chris Waller, along with champion racehorses like Winx and Black Caviar, all household names.

It helps that our most prestigious racecourses are in the heart of the biggest cities and our major meetings draw huge crowds. Australia is also a nation that enjoys a bet: walk into most pubs or bars and you’ll see racing on TV. This culture generates significant returns for owners due to a funding model that sees a percentage of every dollar wagered returned to the industry.

Prizemoney

Australia offers unrivalled rewards for owners

When it comes to major races – and major prizemoney – we are second to none. In 2024 there are 104 races worth A$1 million or greater, which is the equivalent of one race every 3.5 days. This number has soared in the past decade, up from 21 in 2013.

But it’s not just at the elite level that returns to owners have jumped up dramatically. In the past five years, total prizemoney across the country has increased by some 45% – by far the biggest rise of any major racing jurisdiction.

With the average race now worth more than $50,000, owners in Australia have a great opportunity to recoup their outlay in prizemoney.

The History

Australia’s passion for horse racing is as enduring as the nation itself

The first official race meeting was staged in Sydney’s Hyde Park in 1810 – just 22 years after the arrival of the First Fleet – while the latest racing season saw nearly 20,000 races conducted in eight states and territories.

The History
The History

Competing in those races were 35,000 horses, vying for over $850 million in prizemoney

The $8 million Melbourne Cup – first run in 1861 – remains one of Australia’s most famous events and is a race that truly stops a nation.

As the great American writer, Mark Twain, said when attending the Melbourne Cup in 1895: “Nowhere in the world have I encountered a festival of people that has such a magnificent appeal to the whole nation.”

However, the Melbourne Cup is but one of 104 races in Australia annually that attracts $1 million or greater in prizemoney. For instance, The Everest is a $20 million race, and the world’s richest race on turf, while the $5 million Golden Slipper is the most lucrative contest around the globe for 2YOs.

The History

But it’s not all about the prizemoney: many regional cities and towns conduct their own ‘Cups’ – with a public holiday attached – including the famous Birdsville meeting in September. Situated 1,600 kilometers from Brisbane (and approximately the same distance from Adelaide), Birdsville boasts a population of 110 but attracts 6,000 to a race meeting which has been around since 1882. It typifies the egalitarian nature of horse racing in Australia with people from all walks of life involved in either outright ownership or a minor percentage through syndication.

Major Racing Carnivals

The Australian racing season commences on the 1 August

Over 2,500 race meetings are staged each year which are spread across all but two days – Good Friday and Christmas Day. Of the 20,000 odd individual races, 597 are designated as black type events, with 74 at Group One level.

The vast majority of these black type races are conducted during designated carnivals which are major events that draw hundreds of thousands of people to enjoy the fun, fashion and of course, the world class racing.

September – November

The most famous of Australia’s carnivals, the Melbourne Spring Carnival has captivated racing fans over 160 years, with its origins dating back to the inaugural Melbourne Cup in 1861.

The carnival officially gets underway with the Group One Memsie Stakes at the end of August and runs through to the Sandown Guineas meeting in late November. However, much of the focus is on a 28-day period from early October with Caulfield’s Guineas and Cup, followed by the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley and the world famous four-day Melbourne Cup carnival at Flemington.

September – October

The Sydney Spring Carnival is now a major carnival and features the $20 million Everest as its pinnacle in mid-October. Other key races are the King Charles III Stakes and the $10 million Golden Eagle, which has attracted international runners to nearly every edition.

November – December

This festival features Group One racing over three successive weekends, with the Railway, Winterbottom and Northerly Stakes’ races all attracting runners from Australia’s eastern states. Perth also features the newly created Quokka race day in April, a $5 million slot race at Ascot Racecourse in Perth.

November – January

The carnival kicks off on the Sunshine Coast with the Mooloolaba Cup, before heading to Brisbane and then culminating on the Gold Coast for the Magic Millions Raceday. There are nine races worth $1 million or more on the Magic Millions card with the features of the day, the 2YO Classic and 3YO Guineas, often bringing together some of the best of their generation.

February – March

This festival features the Group One Newmarket Handicap, a unique contest that has seen some of Australia’s greatest sprinters cement their reputation by giving their rivals weight and still triumphing.

Other major races include the first two-year-old Group One of the season, the Blue Diamond, along with the $2.5 million All Star Mile.

March – April

Beginning in March and spanning six weeks, Sydney is the host of world-class racing, fashion, hospitality and events. Group One races are held for eight successive weeks, featuring the $5 million Golden Slipper Stakes – first run in 1957 – the $4 million Doncaster Mile, $3 million TJ Smith Stakes, $2 million Australian Derby and the $5 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes which was won, most fittingly, by Winx in her farewell to racing in 2019.

May

Adelaide’s major carnival traditionally commences in the first week of May and features four Group Ones over a three-week period: opening with the Australasian Oaks and Robert Sangster Classic on the first day, followed by the South Australian Derby before culminating with one of Australia’s most prestigious sprints: the Goodwood Handicap, which was first run in 1881.

May – June

Staged over 10 weeks, the Queensland Racing Carnival boasts nine million-dollar races and 55 black-type features across 11 race meetings. Key Group One races include the Kingsford-Smith Cup, Doomben 10,000, Doomben Cup and what is arguably Queensland’s most famous race, the Stradbroke Handicap.

Governance

Each Australian state has its own racing authority that regulates the sport in its jurisdiction. These authorities (referred to as Principal Racing Authorities or PRAs) licence participants, such as trainers and jockeys, and run the racing program as well as dispense prizemoney from the revenue they receive from wagering, media rights and taxes. Individual race clubs – such as the Victorian Racing Club, which runs Flemington – oversee the administration of the racetracks.

Governance
Governance

Learn more about the governance in each state.

New South Wales: https://www.racingnsw.com.au/
Victoria: https://www.racingvictoria.com.au/
Queensland: https://www.racingqueensland.com.au/
South Australia: https://www.racingsa.com.au/
Western Australia: https://www.rwwa.com.au/
Tasmania: https://tasracing.com.au/