Flemington Festival of Racing

Flemington Festival of Racing

For those in the know, the Flemington Festival of Racing in the late summer and autumn offers the perfect mix of sunshine, exhilarating Group 1 racing, food and wine and family fun.

On the track, the nation's best trainers, jockeys and horses return to headquarters to contest three days of racing to rival the spring's biggest days for quality.

And while the racing is anything but relaxed, the festival atmosphere offers laidback fun, headlined by the Flemington Grazing Trail & Cellar Door on Super Saturday, which has become a highlight of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.

In the style stakes, the focus turns to rich autumnal tones and luxe fabrics"think leather, felt and wool"and millinery is a must.

The Flemington Festival of Racing breaks out of the barriers with Black Caviar Lightning Day on Saturday 20 February. The feature $750,000 Black Caviar Lightning"the first leg of the Global Sprint Challenge"is a weight-for-age sprinting showdown over 1000m featuring many of the fastest horses on Earth.

Group 1 racing continues with Australian Guineas Day on Saturday 5 March. While all three racedays offer free admission for children and a host of free family entertainment, it's on Australian Guineas Day"the Festival's family day"that Flemington becomes a wonderland for younger racegoers.

With the Group 1 $750,000 Australian Guineas for three-year-olds, youngsters and families can enjoy thrilling racing, live entertainment, games and activities in a relaxing and friendly atmosphere.

The Flemington Festival of Racing reaches its crescendo with the biggest day on the autumn racing calendar, Super Saturday, on 12 March. The racecard boasts the season's most anticipated Group 1 races, the Australian Cup for middle distance and staying horses and the Lexus Newmarket Handicap for sprinters, and millions in prize money.

And the Flemington Grazing Trail & Cellar Door is returning to Super Saturday in 2016, promising an amazing food experience to tantalise the taste buds, set against the exhilarating backdrop of Group 1 racing. The famous Flemington front lawns and rose gardens will come alive with an incredible array of the very best boutique wineries, breweries and producers in a unique cellar door atmosphere at heritage listed Flemington.

General admission tickets to the Flemington Festival of Racing can be purchased online at Ticketek.com.au or at the gate on the day upon your arrival to Flemington.