A season to remember: Highlights from Flemington's 2024/25 racing calendar

2024 Melbourne Cup Carnival 

The 2024 Melbourne Cup Carnival hosted the biggest crowds since the pre-COVID era, with more than 285,000 fans soaking up the sunshine, fun, and world-class racing action across the famous four-day carnival. A new generation of racing fans enjoyed the excitement of Australia’s most famous racing carnival, with noticeably youthful crowds and more than 45% of general admission ticket sales bought by racegoers under 35. 

 A new star was born in the $1 million Crown Oaks (2500m) when Mornington trainer Matt Laurie’s Treasurethe Moment completed the Wakeful Stakes–Oaks double, becoming the 39th filly in history to do so. Owned by Chinese-backed powerhouse Yulong,

Treasurethe Moment was declared a superstar in the making by globetrotting jockey Damian Lane. The $500,000 Country Final (1600m) was taken out by Electric Impulse for trainer Henry Dwyer, capping a memorable year for the trainer in which his star mare Asfoora delivered a memorable win in the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot in June. 

It was a record-breaking week for James McDonald, who, with 11 wins across the week, four at Group 1 level, surpassed his previous record of 10 in 2021 to claim the Ron Hutchinson Award as leading jockey.

Ciaron Maher took out the Bart Cummings Award for leading trainer with five wins, highlighted by a Crown Oaks Day treble.   

Summer and  Autumn racing 

The feel-good stories continued a fortnight later in the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) when another young trainer, Dom Sutton, claimed his maiden victory at the elite level courtesy of Feroce, a horse part-owned by AFL premiership heroes Craig McRae, Tory Dickson and Justin Leppitsch. The $1 million Inglis Sprint went the way of Queenslander Kelly Schweida and his grey filly El Morzillo, a $50,000 buy from the 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, proving yet again that fast horses don’t have to cost a fortune. 

It was a triumph for Godolphin and trainer James Cummings in the $2.5 million Group 1 All Star Mile (1600m) as Tom Kitten landed a winning blow to deny crowd favourite Mr Brightside in a nail-biting finish. Later, the running of the time-honoured Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) was the playground for an explosive Joliestar who ran rampant down the straight six course to give trainer Chris Waller his second victory in the Newmarket, 11 years after Brazen Beau won the race. 

Ciaron Maher’s French import Light Infantry Man ensured it was indeed a spectacular end to the Flemington summer when bolting to a comfortable win in the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) under the guidance of rising star jockey Ethan Brown following on from a brave third in the All Star Mile. Kiwi speedball Alabama Lass showed why she could be a future candidate for the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes or Newmarket Handicap with a brilliant victory in the Listed HKJC World Pool Sprint Classic (1100m) before European import Deakin raced his way into the 2025 Lexus Melbourne Cup when securing a golden ticket to Australia’s greatest race in the Listed Roy Higgins Stakes (2600m) for trainer Phillip Stokes.  

Kiwi-expats Emma-Lee and David Browne were also dreaming of Lexus Melbourne Cup Day after their 2023 Crown Oaks placed mare Basilinna ploughed through the mud to win the Listed Andrew Ramsden Stakes (2800m) for jockey Dean Yendall. 

Winter racing 

Undoubtedly, the highlight of the winter racing season is the ever-popular Flemington Finals Day, with the $200,000 Listed Winter Championship Final being the feature race on a super competitive card. 

Before the main event, the undercard provided more than its share of excitement. Progressive two-year-old Buccleuch emerged as a spring carnival player with a dominant win in the Listed Taj Rossi Series Final (1600m) for the brother and sister training partnership of Patrick and Michelle Payne. Brave sprinter Marble Nine completed a hat-trick of Flemington victories when winning the Listed Santa Ana Lane Sprint Series Final, a memorable moment for the Flemington-based training partnership of Leon and Troy Corstens and Will Larkin. Emerging stayer Shockletz recalled memories of her 2009 Melbourne Cup winning sire Shocking when she outstayed all comers to win the Mahogany Challenge Final (2800m) before the remarkably consistent Jimmy The Bear took out the Winter Championship Final a fortnight after he won the David Bourke Plate (1620m). Trained by Michelle and Patrick Payne and bred and owned by former Racing Victoria Chairman and Board member Mike Hirst, the win took Jimmy The Bear’s career earnings to over $1 million.