Australia’s love for horse racing has seen the Oceanic nation develop some of the most famous horse races on the planet, but what are the top horse races in Australia to bet on?
If you already know a thing or two about Australian horse racing, the chances are that you’re familiar with the Melbourne Cup. However, there are plenty of other prestigious Australian horse races to bet on. Without further ado, let’s saddle up and explore the options!
Melbourne Cup
Known as “the race that stops the nation”, the Melbourne Cup is undoubtedly the biggest horse race in Australia. In fact, the Melbourne Cup is watched and bet on by countless horse racing fans across the world. Held at the Flemington Racecourse, the Melbourne Cup takes place on the first Tuesday of November each year. The 3,200-meter race is for three year olds and older. The race boasts a giant purse of A$8,000,000.
W. S. Cox Plate
While the Melbourne Cup grabs the horse racing headlines every year, the W. S. Cox Plate is the second most important event on the Australian horse racing calendar. Staged one month before the Melbourne Cup, the W. S. Cox Plate is a prestigious thoroughbred race that always attracts a ton of attention from fans and bettors alike.
Victoria Derby
The Victoria Derby, also known as the Penfolds Victoria Derby, is a Group 1 thoroughbred race staged by the Victoria Racing Club. The 2,500-meter race is for three-year-old horses and is held on the first day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Golden Slipper Stakes
Moving away from Melbourne, the Golden Slipper Stakes is arguably the most important horse race held in Sydney. Staged by the Australian Turf Club, the Group 1 thoroughbred race started back in 1957 and has since established itself as one of the top horse races to bet on in Australia.
Caulfield Cup
The Caulfield Cup was inaugurated all the way back in 1879, making it one of Australia’s oldest horse races. Formerly only open to participants from Australia and New Zealand, the race now welcomes participants from across the globe. Since the Caulfield Cup has a purse of A$5,000,000, it always attracts huge attention from both fans and bettors. It is also worth noting that the Caulfield Cup is a handicap race, which only adds to the drama.
Queen Elizabeth Stakes
The Queen Elizabeth Stakes is another prominent race in Sydney and it typically takes place one month after the Golden Slipper Stakes. Believe it or not, the first edition of the Queen Elizabeth Stakes took place back in 1851.
All-Star Mile
The All-Star Mile is one of the most unique horse races on the planet, never mind Australia. Why? The public gets to choose which horses will participate in the race each year.
In fact, it is the only race in Australia where the public gets to decide the lineup. This makes the race extremely exciting from a betting perspective, as punters can back the horses that they selected to race.