Champions set to descend on Flemington for Melbourne Cup Carnival finale

TAB Champions Stakes Day brings together three $3 million Group 1 races, each with a storied history dating back decades, and places them at the forefront of Australia’s premier racing festival. 

In the Group 1 VRC Champions Sprint (1200m), multiple Group 1-winning filly Tempted will take on a quality field of sprinters, including Joliestar, in what promises to be a thrilling contest down the famous Flemington straight. 

All eyes will be on superstar mare Autumn Glow, who makes her highly anticipated Melbourne debut at Flemington in the Group 1 VRC Champions Mile (1600m) for trainer Chris Waller and jockey James McDonald. She faces a strong field, including stablemates Buckaroo and Lindermann and dual Group 1 winner Tom Kitten. 

 The Group 1 TAB Champions Stakes is the final Group 1 race for the Melbourne Cup Carnival, bringing together some of the stars of the spring for one final Group 1 showdown. Cox Plate champion Cosmic Crusader will return to Flemington with William Pike aboard, looking to add the Champions Stakes to an outstanding spring campaign that has also included victory in the TAB Turnbull Stakes. There will be plenty of familiar faces looking to turn the tables, including Aeliana and Birdman. 

The Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) will also provide plenty of interest, with international star Defiantly making his Australian debut for Joseph O’Brien following an impressive victory in the Group 2 Prix Kergorlay in France. He will face a quality staying field, including Chris Waller-trained Pinhole, who will be looking to bounce back from his luckless run in the Moonee Valley Cup. A $200,000 bonus will be on offer for eligible horses that was a final acceptor for the Melbourne Cup but missed out on a place in the field before going on to win the race. 

The world-famous Birdcage will host well-known faces including Lexus Ambassador Kate Waterhouse and mother Gai Waterhouse at Lexus, CEO Gillion McLachlan at TAB, netballers Rudi Ellis and Hannah Mundy at Nine and Olympian Annabelle Smith at G.H. Mumm.   

TAB Champion Stakes Day welcomes a new chapter for the Melbourne Cup Carnival Fashions on the Field with The Remix presented by Rack it Club. Championing racewear that can be re-worn, adapted and re-imagined, The Remix brings these principles to life through Re-wear, Rework and Restyle, inviting racegoers to select their category – Best Dressed or Best Suited – and reinterpret traditional racewear in fresh, imaginative ways.  

Registrations open at 11:20am and close 12:20pm with the Best Suited: The Remix Grand Final at 1:50pm and Best Dressed: The Remix Grand Final at 2:50pm.  

DJ Fisher will be returning to Flemington for his Off the Rails party at The Elms Live Stage, presented by Maccas. In an epic party to conclude the Carnival, he will bring his infectious energy and play his massive hits such as Losing It, Take It Off and Atmosphere, with racegoers invited to party on the Flemington track after the last race.  

The VRC will officially unveil the Delta Blues Garden at Flemington at 11:30am, commemorating the 20-year anniversary of Delta Blues becoming the first Japanese-trained horse to win the Lexus Melbourne Cup in 2006. Located at The Domain roundabout and designed by the VRC’s Head of Grounds and Gardens, Mick Ryan, the Japanese-inspired garden will be a new addition to Flemington’s historic grounds, featuring a traditional Torii gate, Japanese maples, stone pagodas, a bonsai and a tranquil pond. The unveiling will be attended by Delta Blues’ breeder and owner, Katsumi Yoshida and jockeys Damian Lane, Craig Williams and Michael Dee. 

The Victoria Racing Club’s Pin & Win campaign has raised more than $9 million for charities since it was introduced in 1995. This year, pins will be sold across the course for charity partner, Ronald McDonald House Charities Victoria & Tasmania, assisting them as they help seriously ill and injured children and their families stay together and close to hospital by providing accommodation, living support, education and scholarships. 

The commemorative pins sell for $10 for the Lexus Melbourne Cup pin and $20 for the diamante horseshoe and limited addition bejeweled Racehorse pin for $50 with all purchasers eligible to enter the draw to win over $170,00 worth of prizes including a brand new Lexus RX 450H+Luxury.  

Pin & Win Ambassadors Toby and Chloe Pink and Elly Wicks will all be on track to promote the campaign. 

The Victoria Racing Club is proud to partner with DrinkWise to raise awareness amongst racing enthusiasts about the importance of moderation if choosing to consume alcohol.

The Victoria Racing Club wholeheartedly supports the DrinkWise messaging which will be seen on digital and social channels, as well on the big screen and 800m track signage, in bars, the entry and exit to Flemington Station, in the race book and at all licensed venues around the track. 

The VRC encourages all racegoers coming to Flemington Racecourse to enjoy the sensational racing on offer during the Melbourne Cup Carnival, respect one another and moderate their consumption so they can leave in the same classy manner in which they arrived.