Melbourne is set to see a new-look Autumn Racing Carnival from 2023, with administrators planning on shifting key race days in a bid to increase participation some of the season's feature events.
As it stands, the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) is run seven days before the AU$5 million All-Star Mile, which is fast becoming Victoria's Holy Grail in the autumn.
From 2023, Racing Victoria plans to shift the Australian Cup to seven days after the All-Star Mile, before pushing it back another week in 2024, giving horses a two-week period to prepare for the $1.5 million feature.
With renovations scheduled for Caulfield in 2023, the All-Star Mile will return to Moonee Valley, which will also see the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes run on the Saturday, as opposed to the evening prior, which is when the Group 1 William Reid Stakes will be run.
In 2024, the William Reid and Alister Clark will get their own Saturday meeting, which will be run on the Saturday between the All-Star Mile and the Australian Cup.
Racing Victoria's Executive General Manager – Racing, Greg Carpenter, said that the majority of changes were based around participant feedback.
“If you're going to move forward, you have to listen to customer feedback,” he said.
“The feedback from trainers and clubs and I think the overwhelming feedback we received last year and moving into this year's program, was that the Australian Cup has to be run after the ASM (All-Star Mile).
“It's a debate as to what impact the ASM has had on the Australian Cup, but we know that everyone believes that it should be run after the ASM.
“For that to take place it would mean the Australian Cup would move from its traditional home on the long weekend here in Victoria, which is always based on the second Monday in March.
“That would mean next year it would be run on the last Saturday of March, two weeks after its traditional position.
“So, you'd see the Newmarket run on the long weekend, the ASM the week after, the week after that the Australian Cup; so, horses could go from the ASM to the Australian Cup.
“We know that in 2024 and beyond there will actually be (five) Saturdays in March after that long weekend in Melbourne.
“That would mean you would run the Australian Guineas the following week, you would run the Newmarket Handicap, two weeks after the Australian Guineas would be the ASM, and then the week after that would be the William Reid and the Alister Clark.
“The following week, so two weeks after the ASM, would be the Australian Cup.”
While there won't be any new pop-up races in Victoria in the coming years, Carpenter believes the changes will make it easier for connections to target The Championships as well as Melbourne's major autumn features.
“When your customers, trainers, owners are telling you that they want the ASM to be run before the Australian Cup so horses can compete in both and then go to Sydney for The Championships … it's a situation here is you retain the status quo you are criticised for not addressing the needs of the industry,” he said.
“And then when you make change people say, ‘What impact is it going to have on others'?
“These are all matters that have to be considered. But in the end, we will make a decision, we hope, will be in the best interest of racing here in Victoria during the month of March.”
The first Group 1 of the 2022 calendar year in Australia – the C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) – will be run and won this Saturday at Caulfield.
I'm Thunderstruck and Sinawann share favouritism at +300 apiece with Bovada, while dual Group 1 winner Tofane (+500) sits on the second line of betting.
The winner of the C.F. Orr could potentially be selected to run in a wildcard slot for the All-Star Mile, should they not be in the top 10 on the leaderboard at the close of voting.