Australian Horse Racing Calendar
Bets.com.au is home to a complete guide to the upcoming major horse racing fixtures, events and Group 1 racing in Australia.
Our Australian Horse Racing Calendar below ensures you don't miss the biggest races in Australia and abroad, from the Melbourne Cup to Royal Ascot.
We have a full list of the Group 1 racing in Australia and more, with our horse racing calendar your go-to guide to what is coming up in the weeks and months ahead.
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Upcoming Races
- Date Race Name State Prize Money Distance Track
August 2026
- Sat 29 Memsie Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $750,000 1400 metres Caulfield
September 2026
- Sat 12 Makybe Diva Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $750,000 1600 metres Flemington
- Sat 19 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $1,000,000 1400 metres Caulfield
- Sat 19 Underwood Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $750,000 1800 metres Caulfield
October 2026
- Sat 03 Turnbull Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $750,000 2000 metres Flemington
- Sat 10 Might And Power (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $1,000,000 2000 metres Caulfield
- Sat 10 Toorak Handicap (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $1,000,000 1600 metres Caulfield
- Sat 10 Caulfield Guineas (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $3,000,000 1600 metres Caulfield
- Sat 17 Thousand Guineas (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $1,500,000 1600 metres Caulfield
- Sat 17 Caulfield Cup (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $5,000,000 2400 metres Caulfield
- Sat 31 Empire Rose Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Cup Carnival VIC $1,000,000 1600 metres Flemington
- Sat 31 Coolmore Stud Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Cup Carnival VIC $2,000,000 1200 metres Flemington
- Sat 31 Victoria Derby (Group 1) Melbourne Cup Carnival VIC $2,000,000 2500 metres Flemington
November 2026
- Tue 03 Melbourne Cup (Group 1) Melbourne Cup Carnival VIC $8,000,000 3200 metres Flemington
- Thu 05 VRC Oaks (Group 1) Melbourne Cup Carnival VIC $1,000,000 2500 metres Flemington
- Sat 07 VRC Champions Mile (Group 1) Melbourne Cup Carnival VIC $3,000,000 1600 metres Flemington
- Sat 07 Champions Sprint (Group 1) Melbourne Cup Carnival VIC $3,000,000 1200 metres Flemington
- Sat 07 VRC Champions Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Cup Carnival VIC $3,000,000 2000 metres Flemington
- Sat 14 C.F. Orr Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Autumn Carnival VIC $750,000 1400 metres Caulfield
February 2027
- Sat 13 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Autumn Carnival VIC $1,000,000 1000 metres Flemington
- Sat 20 Futurity Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Autumn Carnival VIC $750,000 1400 metres Caulfield
- Sat 20 Blue Diamond Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Autumn Carnival VIC $2,000,000 1200 metres Caulfield
- Sat 20 Oakleigh Plate (Group 1) Melbourne Autumn Carnival VIC $750,000 1100 metres Caulfield
- Sat 27 Australian Guineas (Group 1) Melbourne Autumn Carnival VIC $1,000,000 1600 metres Flemington
March 2027
- Sat 06 Newmarket Handicap (Group 1) Melbourne Autumn Carnival VIC $1,500,000 1200 metres Flemington
- Sat 27 Australian Cup (Group 1) Melbourne Autumn Carnival VIC $2,500,000 2000 metres Flemington
April 2027
- Sat 24 Australasian Oaks (Group 1) Adelaide Racing Carnival SA $1,000,000 2000 metres Morphettville
- Sat 24 Robert Sangster Stakes (Group 1) Adelaide Racing Carnival SA $1,000,000 1200 metres Morphettville
The lucrative Magic Millions race series and Inglis events also don't have Group One status due to their restricted nature.
Five Australian states host Group One racing, with the respective carnivals detailed below:
Melbourne Autumn Carnival
The Melbourne Autumn Carnival mainly focuses around sprinting and mile races for the Group One's, with the Australian Cup (2000m) the only exception among the majors.
The CF Orr Stakes is the first Group One of the calendar year in Australia, a 1400m WFA event at Caulfield and one that is traditionally a strong starting point for returning spring stars.
The Newmarket Handicap is the most prestigious sprinting handicap on the Australian calendar, with that Group One joining the Australian Cup to form Super Saturday.
Melbourne Autumn Carnival Group 1 races:
- C.F. Orr Stakes
- Lightning Stakes
- Blue Diamond Stakes
- Futurity Stakes
- Oakleigh Plate
- Australian Guineas
- Newmarket Handicap
- Australian Cup
- William Reid Stakes
Sydney Autumn Carnival
The Sydney Autumn Carnival has 20 Group One races, with the first being the Chipping Norton and that generally forms a dual Group One card over late summer, along with the Surround Stakes.
With five Group One races on the one meeting, Golden Slipper Day is considered the biggest meeting of the year in Sydney, although since the introduction of The Championships, the strongest racing ends up at Randwick.
The Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Doncaster Mile and TJ Smith Stakes are three main events run over the two days of The Championships.
Sydney Autumn Carnival Group 1 races:
- Chipping Norton Stakes
- Surround Stakes
- Canterbury Stakes
- Randwick Guineas
- Coolmore Classic
- The Galaxy
- Rosehill Guineas
- Ranvet Stakes
- George Ryder Stakes
- Golden Slipper
- Vinery Stud Stakes
- Tancred Stakes
The Championships Group 1 races:
- Queen Elizabeth Stakes
- Doncaster Mile
- Australian Oaks
- T.J. Smith Stakes
- Sydney Cup
- Australian Derby
- Sires' Produce Stakes
- Queen of the Turf Stakes
Adelaide Autumn Carnival
Four Group One races are run and won over the Adelaide Autumn Carnival, which has now been split into four Saturday's, with each major now able to headline their respective meetings.
Being the only Group One sprint in Australia for fillies and mares, The Robert Sangster Stakes is unique in nature, while The Goodwood is undoubtedly the main race run in Adelaide.
Adelaide Autumn Carnival Group 1 races:
- Australasian Oaks
- Robert Sangster Stakes
- South Australian Derby
- The Goodwood
Brisbane Winter Carnival
The Brisbane Winter Carnival is one of the biggest racing carnivals in Australia, with eight Group One's run from late May.
The Queensland Derby is always an intriguing race from both a local and international view, with many Hong Kong Derby contenders sought from this winter three-year-old feature.
Worth $1.5 million, the Stradbroke Handicap is one of the more famous handicaps on the Australian racing calendar and is Queenland's premier race.
Brisbane Winter Carnival Group 1 races:
- Doomben 10,000
- Doomben Cup
- Kingsford-Smith Cup
- Queensland Oaks
- J.J. Atkins
- Queensland Derby
- Stradbroke Handicap
- Tattersalls Tiara
Sydney Spring Carnival
The Sydney Spring Carnival begins with the Winx Stakes, a 1400m WFA event in late August, with this feature also the first Group One of the Australian Racing Season.
Following the stallion-making Golden Rose and famous Epsom Handicap, the Sydney Spring Carnival got a massive boost with the introduction of the The Everest, a $15 million dollar sprint, which is now the richest turf race in the world.
Sydney Spring Carnival Group 1 races:
- Warwick Stakes
- George Main Stakes
- Golden Rose Stakes
- Flight Stakes
- The Metropolitan
- Epsom Handicap
- Spring Champion Stakes
- The Everest
Melbourne Spring Carnival
The Melbourne Spring Carnival is not only Australia's biggest racing carnival, but is one of the more recognised carnivals on the world stage, with 20 Group One's starting from late August via the Memsie Stakes.
Post the AFL season is when spring racing really heats up, with the Caulfield Cup Carnival the first major period, followed by the two-day Cox Plate Carnival and concluding with the four-day Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Derby Day is the most famous day on the calendar, where 100,000 racegoers pack out Flemington for day one of a famous week, with four Group One's on the first Saturday.
Melbourne Spring Carnival Group 1 races:
- Memsie Stakes
- Moir Stakes
- Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes
- Underwood Stakes
- Turnbull Stakes
- Toorak Handicap
- Caulfield Stakes
- Caulfield Guineas
- Thousand Guineas
- Caulfield Cup
- Manikato Stakes
- Cox Plate
Melbourne Cup Carnival Group 1 races:
- Cantala Stakes
- Coolmore Stud Stakes
- Victoria Derby
- Victoria Oaks
- Mackinnon Stakes
- Melbourne Cup
- VRC Sprint Classic
- Empire Rose Stakes
Perth Summer Carnival
Group One racing for the Australian calendar year finishes in the west, with three majors run over the Perth Summer Carnival.
The 1600m Railway Stakes is Western Australia's most famous race, with this handicap also the first feature run on the Carnival.
Sprinters take the stage on day two via the Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) before the carnival wraps up with the Kingston Town Classic (1800m).
Perth Summer Carnival Group 1 races:
- Railway Stakes
- Winterbottom Stakes
- Kingston Town Classic
