Horse racing schedule for bettors: Quarter 1 races to remember

A new year presents a new chance to play your favourite horse racing events. In 2023, Australian horse racing fans are excited as the calendar is filled with several significant horse racing events, even in the year’s first quarter. 

If you want to follow these events, here’s a helpful list to guide you about the races you must remember until March.

February 2023

The remaining days of February present five horse racing events that will commence on the same day and in two different locations.

Blue Diamond Stakes

Blue Diamond Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse racing event. It takes place annually and will start on February 25 (Saturday), 4:20 pm AEDT at Sandown Hillside Racecourse this year. It usually takes place in Caulfield, but due to the track reconstruction, it will be taking place in Sandown. The event is expected to return to Caulfield next year.

This horse racing event is a race for two-year-old horses with set weights that will run over 1200 metres. It’s said that this is Victoria’s richest race for two-year-olds, with a total purse of $2,000,000 for this year.

Surround Stakes

This horse racing event will take place on the same day as the Blue Diamond Stakes, February 25 (Saturday), 2023, at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney. It’s an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies. They’ll also run at a set weight of over 1400 metres. 

Last year, 2002, the Surround Stakes total price for this event was raised from the usual $500,000 to $600,000 due to Racing NSW’s recent major prize money announcement that’s won by horse Hinged.

Oakleigh Plate

Another horse racing event that will take place on the same day (February 25) is the Oakleigh Plate at Sandown Hillside Racecourse, the same field as the Blue Diamond Stakes this year. 

The Oakleigh Plate will start at 5:40 pm AEDT. This event is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred open handicap horse race with $750,000 total prize money.

Futurity Stakes

The Futurity Stakes will take place at Sandown Hillside Racecourse on February 25, starting at 5:00 pm AEDT. It usually occurs in Caulfield, like the Blue Diamond Stakes, and will return to the same field in 2024. Until then, the participating thoroughbreds will run in Sandown. 

Furthermore, Futurity Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 weight-for-age Thoroughbred race for three-year-old horses and older. The participants will run over a 1400 metres distance.

Chipping Norton Stakes

At 4:40 pm AEDT in Randwick Racecourse, the Chipping Norton Stakes will take place. It’s an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred race for three or older horses. The horse race is a run at weight for age with over a 1600 metres distance. This event has a $600,000 purse with an exemption from the ballot for Doncaster Handicap and Sydney Cup bonuses. 

This event was last won by Verry Ellegant, who has already amassed $14,865,244 in career earnings as a seven-year-old horse.

March

The last month of the first quarter, March presents 15 horse racing events, but this article will cover five horse racing events that are bigger than the other horses that are also part of this year’s Autumn Carnival. The 2023 Autumn Racing Carnival will run for seven straight weeks. 

Australian Guineas

Australian Guineas is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race that will take place in Flemington Racecourse on March 4, 2023 (Saturday). The time of the event is still uncertain. 

Moreover, Australian Guineas is for three-year-old horses who will run at set weights for over a 1600 metres distance of the Flemington field. It’s the Melbourne Autumn’s premier three-year-old mile race. A staggering $1,000,000 total purse is at stake for this race.

Newmarket Handicap

The Next Saturday of March, March 11, will present the Newmarket Handicap. This horse racing event will take place at Flemington Racecourse. It’s another Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred event, but it’s an open handicap horse race with 1200 metres distance. 

Also, apart from the Melbourne Cup, the Newmarket Handicap is the only Flemington race allowed to start with 24 horses.

Golden Slipper

The Golden Slipper is one of the biggest Saturday races of the 2023 Autumn Racing Carnival. It’s also the richest horse racing event for two-year-old horses in the world, with $5,000,000 total prize money. This event has attracted international interest, where local and international horses can compete. It will take place on March 18 at the Rosehill Racecourse.

Additionally, three “Golden” races take place in March, October, and September, namely Golden Slipper, Golden Rose, and Golden Eagle. If a horse wins all three of these races, it will receive an additional $5 million, a bonus prize called the “Golden Slam.”

Australian Cup

The Australian Cup is a horse weight-for-age condition for three-year-old horses and older. It’s a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred event covering over 2000 metres of turf at Flemington Racecourse. The event will take place on March 25 with $3,000,000 prize money. Furthermore, the Australian Cup is the Autumn Carnival’s final Group 1 event at Flemington.

Tancred Stakes

The Tancred Stakes is one of the last events of the Autumn Carnival race for March. It’s another weight-for-age event for three years old and older. The Tancred Stakes is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Weight for Age Thoroughbred race that has a distance of around 2,400 metres of turf. It will take place in Rosehill Racecourse with $1,500,000 prize money at stake.

Final Thoughts

Whether you support your favourite horse or place your bets as a punter, horse races are undeniably exciting. As such, the list above is enough to fill you with exhilarating energy as you wait for the upcoming events. 

What are you waiting for? Mark your calendars now.

Category: Racing