Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is the world's richest handicap and the world's richest 3200-metre horse race. The racecourse is situated on low alluvial flats, next to the Maribyrnong River. The area was first used for horse racing in March 1840. On 28 November, 1986, Pope John Paul II celebrated the Mass on the racetrack inner oval. The racecourse has undergone a facelift in recent years, with the opening of a new $45 million grandstand in 2000 and the opening of a new members' grandstand in 2018. It also contains a bronze statue of the famous racehorse Phar Lap, which was donated to the Club as part of Australia's bicentenary celebrations in 1988. Also in celebration was the commission of Harold Freedman's seven panel mural which traces the History of Racing. The mural is housed is in The Hill Stand, built in 1977.
Flemington Racecourse was added to the Australian National Heritage List on 7 November 2006, announced during the 2006 Melbourne Cup. The site is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.
Flemington Racecourse today hosts many of Australia's top races, including the Melbourne Cup, Victoria Derby, VRC Oaks, Mackinnon Stakes, Newmarket Handicap, Australian Cup and Lightning Stakes.
Transport
thumb|159x159px|Flemington Racecourse station in 2025
The site has its own railway branch line, which operates on race days, bringing visitors to the adjacent railway station. Trains depart from platforms 8 and 9 at Flinders Street Station.
The No. 57 tram from the City (Elizabeth and Flinders Streets) stops at the Epsom Road entrance.
Originally, it was serviced by Salt Water River station, before that was demolished in the 1860s and replaced with a station on the present site.
Car spaces for the disabled are available and taxi ranks are located adjacent to the main entrances
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Grp
! Race name
! Age
! Sex
! Weight
! Distance
! Date
|-
|1
|Ascot Vale Stakes
|3YO
|Open
|sw
|1200
|November
|-
|1
|Australian Cup
|Open
|Open
|wfa
|2000
|March
|-
|1
|Australian Guineas
|3YO
|Open
|sw
|1600
|February
|-
|1
|Black Caviar Lightning
|Open
|Open
|wfa
|1000
|February
|-
|1
|Makybe Diva Stakes
|Open
|Open
|wfa
|1600
|September
|-
|1
|Cantala Stakes
|Open
|Open
|hcp
|1600
|November
|-
|1
|Empire Rose Stakes
|3YO+
|F&M
|wfa
|1600
|November
|-
|1
|LKS Mackinnon Stakes
|Open
|Open
|wfa
|2000
|November
|-
|1
|Melbourne Cup
|Open
|Open
|hcp
|3200
|November
|-
|1
|Newmarket Handicap
|Open
|Open
|hcp
|1200
|March
|-
|1
|VRC Sprint Classic
|Open
|Open
|wfa
|1200
|November
|-
|1
|Turnbull Stakes
|4YO+
|Open
|sw+p
|2000
|October
|-
|1
|Victoria Derby
|3YO
|Open
|sw
|2500
|November
|-
|1
|VRC Oaks
|3YO
|Fillies
|sw
|2500
|November
|-
|2
|A.V Kewney Stakes
|3YO
|Fillies
|sw
|1600
|March
|-
|2
|Blamey Stakes
|3YO+
|Open
|sw+p
|1600
|March
|-
|2
|Edward Manifold Stakes
|3YO
|Fillies
|sw
|1600
|October
|-
|2
|Gilgai Stakes
|Open
|Open
|sw+p
|1200
|October
|-
|2
|Linlithgow Stakes
|Open
|Open
|hcp
|1200
|November
|-
|2
| Matriarch Stakes
|4YO+
|Mares
|hcp
|2000
|November
|-
|2
|Rose Of Kingston Stakes
|4YO+
|Mares
|sw+p
|1400
|October
|-
|2
|VRC Sires' Produce Stakes
|2YO
|Open
|sw
|1400
|March
|-
|2
|Wakeful Stakes
|3YO
|Fillies
|sw+p
|2000
|November
|-
|3
|Aurie's Star Handicap
|Open
|Open
|hcp
|1200
|August
|-
|-
|3
|Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes
|2YO
|Fillies
|sw+p
|1200
|March
|-
|3
|Bobby Lewis Quality
|Open
|Open
|qlty
|1200
|September
|-
|3
|Chatham Stakes
|Open
|Open
|hcp
|1400
|November
|-
|3
|Frances Tressady Stakes
|4YO+
|Mares
|sw+p
|1400
|March
|-
|3
|Hotham Handicap
|Open
|Open
|qlty
|2500
|November
|-
|3
|Maribyrnong Plate
|2YO
|Open
|sw+p
|1000
|November
|-
|3
|Matron Stakes
|4YO+
|Mares
|sw+p
|1600
|March
|-
|3
|Let's Elope Stakes
|4YO+
|Mares
|sw+p
|1400
|September
|-
|3
|Standish Handicap
|Open
|Open
|hcp
|1200
|January
|-
|3
|C S Hayes Stakes
|3YO
|C&G
|sw+p
|1400
|February
|-
|3
|The Vanity
|3YO
|Fillies
|sw+p
|1400
|February
|-
|3
|VRC Carbine Club Stakes
|3YO
|Open
|sw+p
|1600
|November
|-
|3
|VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes
|Open
|Open
|qlty
|2600
|November
|-
|L
|VRC St Leger Stakes
|3YO
|Open
|sw+p
|2800
|April
|}
Key
- hcp - handicap
- qlty - quality handicap
- sw - set weights
- sw+p - set weights with penalties
- wfa - Weight for Age
Flemington Racecourse (Car Park)
To the north of the racecourse and south of the rail line and station, lies a car park, on non race days, it is sometimes used for other events, mainly music festivals and concerts, but has also been used for other events including car shows and local markets
thumb|Underpass at Flemington Racecourse station which connects the station to both the Racecourse and the [[Melbourne Showgrounds|Showgrounds with a sign pointing towards the carpark with the different names/zones (Members Carpark / Domain / Nursery)]]
The location typically goes by Flemington Racecourse, but some festivals use different names, Laneway Festival refers to it as "Flemington Park", Tell No Tales festival refers to it as "The Nursery"
History
Small local events have been hosted at the site for many years, as early as 1996 with a local market that offered fresh foods, jewellery, distinctive clothing, Australian-made art and craft
In the mid 2000s, around 2005-2007 the racecourse was redeveloped, The VRC wanted to increase and diversify their revenue, and to maximize the use of their facilities beyond race days. This redevelopment however, did not rebuild the car park itself.
In March 2008 the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria hosted the RACV Classic showcase. On the 20th of July 2008, the car park hosted the 4th Shannons car show.
On the 17th May 2009, the RACV Classic Showcase was once again held at the venue,also on the, 29th April 2012, 21st April 2013, 30th March 2014,,10th April, 201619th February 2017 and finally
Shannon's also hosted other car shows in 2014.and on the 19th April 2015 and on the 1st of May 2016
Circuses has ran at the car park a few times, including in 2015 with TOTEM 2024 with LUZIA and in 2026 with KOOZA
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria it was proposed to have drive-in concerts at the venue with 12 concerts, plus a movie and comedy night proposed However, due the 2nd lockdown in Melbourne, the events where canceled
Goodlife, an under 18 (years of age) was a festival hosted between 2010 and 2024
thumb|left|Aerial panorama of Flemington Racecourse. Taken August 2018.The carpark can be seen on the right of the photo, both the asphalt area (Members Reserve parking) and the grass area (Public parking), |1249x1249px
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|+List of Events
!Date
!Festival / Headline Artist
!Support
!Crowd
!Ref
|-
|16th January 1999
|Warped Tour 1999
|Suicidal Tendencies, Pennywise, Grinspoon MxPx
|
|
|-
|6th April 2002
|Warped Tour 2002
|Guttermouth, 28 Days
|
|
|-
|28th January 2008
|Big Day Out
|Rage Against the Machine, Björk, Arcade Fire
|
|Big Day Out lineups by year
|-
|26th January 2009
|Big Day Out
|Neil Young, The Prodigy, Arctic Monkeys
|
|Big Day Out lineups by year
|-
|15 February 2009
|Good Vibrations
| Fatboy Slim, Q-Tip and The Presets.
|25,000
|
|-
|8th March 2009
|Future Music Festival
|James Taylor, N.E.R.D.,Basement Jaxx
|
|
|-
|26th January 2010
|Big Day Out
|Muse, Powderfinger
|
|Big Day Out lineups by year
|-
|21st February 2010
|Good Vibrations
|The Killers, Salt-N-Pepa, Kid Cudi, Art vs. Science
|15,000
|
|-
|7th March 2010
|Future Music Festival
|The Prodigy, Franz Ferdinand, Empire of the Sun David Guetta
|
|
|-
|30th January 2011
|Big Day Out
|Tool, Rammstein, The Stooges, M.I.A.
|52,000
|Big Day Out lineups by year
|-
|13th February 2011
|Good Vibrations
|Faithless, Mike Posner, Ludacuris
|
|
|-
|13th March 2011
|Future Music Festival
|The Chemical Brothers, Art vs. Science, Binary Finary, Cosmic Gate
|
|
|-
|29th January 2012
|Big Day Out
|Kanye West, Soundgarden
|42,000
|Big Day Out lineups by year
|-
|26th January 2013
|Big Day Out
|Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Killers
|50,000
|Big Day Out lineups by year
|-
|1st March 2013
|Soundwave
|Metallica, Linkin Park and Blink-182,
|
|
|-
|10th March 2013
|Future Music Festival
|Avicii, The Prodigy, The Stone Roses, Psy, Bloc Party
|
|
|-
|24th January 2014
|Big Day Out
|Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, Blur
|26,000
|
|-
|8th March 2015
|Future Music Festival
|Drake, Avicii, The Prodigy, Afrojack, Martin Garrix, Example
|
|
|-
|3rd December 2016
|Tell No Tales
|
|
|
|-
|26th November 2017
|Creamfields Australia
|Deadmau5, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Don Diablo, Fedde Le Grand
|
|
|-
|7th December 2018
|Good Things
|The Offspring, Stone Sour
|
|
|-
|13th January 2019
|FOMO
|Nicki Minaj, Rae Sremmurd, Lil Pump, Mura Masa
|
|
|-
|23rd February 2019
|Ultra Australia
|Adam Beyer, The Chainsmokers, Dubfire, Illenium, Marshmello, Martin Garrix
|
|
|-
|6th December 2019
|Good Things
|Parkway Drive, A Day to Remember
|
|
|-
|7th December 2019
|Kockout Outdoors
|Angerfist, Darren Styles
|
|
|-
|19th September 2021
|Reminisce Carnivale
|John Course, The Presets, Northeast Party House
|
|
|-
|8th March 2020
|Ultra Australia
|Afrojack, DJ Snake, Eric Prydz, Zedd
|
|
|-
|13th March 2022
|Karnival
|Angerfist, Ben Nicky, Darren Styles
|
|
|-
|2nd April 2022
|Subculture
|Aly & Filab b2b John O'Callaghan , Bryan Kearney Giuseppe Ottaviani
|
|
|-
|17th September 2022
|Transmission
|Ferry Corsten Markus Schulz Vini Vici
|
|
|-
|26th November 2022
|Festival X
|Calvin Harris, Don Toliver
|
|
|-
|2nd December 2022
|Good Things
|Bring Me the Horizon, Deftones
|
|
|-
|15th & 16th December 2022
|Rüfüs Du Sol
|
|
|
|-
|11th February 2023
|Laneway Festival
|Haim, Joji, Phoebe Bridgers
|
|
|-
|12th March 2023
|Karnival
|Atmozfears, Brennan Heart, Hixxy, Miss K8
|
|
|-
|23rd April 2023
|Carl Cox PURE
|
|
|
|-
|22nd March 2023
|Dreamsate
|Ben Nicky, Cosmic Gate, Maddix
|
|
|-
|24th March 2023
|Knotfest
|Slipknot, Parkway Drive, Megadeth
|
|
|-
|25th November 2023
|Christina Aguilera
|
|
|
|-
|26th November 2023
|Dreamstate
|Above & Beyond, Vini Vici, Billy Gillies
|
|
|-
|1st December 2023
|Good Things
|Fall Out Boy, Limp Bizkit Devo
|
|
|-
|9th December 2023
|Zach Bryan
|
|
|
|-
|10th February 2024
|Laneway Festival
|Stormzy, Steve Lacy, Dominic Fike
|
|
|-
|March 10th 2024
|Transmission
|Andrew Rayel Cosmic Gate Markus Schulz Paul van Dyk
|
|
|-
|21st March 2024
|Knotfest
|Pantera, Disturbed
|
|
|-
|April 13th 2024
|Ultra Australia
|Zedd, and Carl Cox
|
|
|-
|14th September 2024
|Marlo, Elements of Unity
|
|
|
|-
|25th & 26th October 2024
|Cold Chisel
|The Cruel Sea, Karen Lee Andrews
|
|
|-
|23rd November 2024
|Anyma's GENESYS
|
|
|
|-
|6th December 2024
|Good Things
|Korn, Violent Femmes, Electric Callboy
|
|
|-
|13th & 14th December 2024
|Dom Dolla
|Flight Facilities
|
|
|-
|9th February 2025
|Dreamstate
|Above & Beyond, Billy Gillies, Ben Nicky
|
|
|-
|14th February 2025
|Laneway Festival
|Charli XCX, Clairo, Beabadoobee
|
|
|-
|April 12th 2025
|Ultra Australia
|Martin Garrix and Axwell
|
|
|-
|6th September 2025
|Marlo Altitude: Without Limits
|
|
|
|-
|30th November 2025
|Hypersonic
|Armin van Buuren, Alesso and Steve Aoki
|
|
|-
|5th December 2025
|Good Things
|Tool, Weezer
|
|
|-
|8th February 2026
|Dreamstate
|Ben Hemsley, Ben Nicky, Vini Vici
|
|
|-
|13th February 2026
|Laneway Festival
|Chappell Roan, Alex G, Benee, Cavetown
|
|
|-
|2nd April 2026
|Keinemusik
|
|
|
|-
|11th April 2026
|Ultra Australia
|The Chainsmokers, DJ Snake and Zedd
|46,000
|
|}
thumb|441x441px|Knotfest in 2023
thumb|center|263x263px|Björk at Big Day Out 2008
Gallery
thumb|500x500px|Super Saturday at Flemington racecourse
thumb|centre|300px|Image of Melbourne skyline from Flemington Racecourse
thumb|332x332px|A view of the stands at [[Flemington Racecourse|w:Flemington Racecourse during the 2013 Melbourne Cup.]]
See also
- Australian horse-racing
- Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival
References
External links
- Victoria Racing Club - official website
- Horse racing results at Flemington Racecourse