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Flemington Racecourse, Home of the Melbourne Cup
Flemington is definitely Australias best known racecourse as it is home of the Melbourne Cup, the race that stops a nation.
Flemington in central Melbourne is where races were held in 1840, on the river flats of the Maribyrnong River. At the time, Melbourne was a town barely five years old and just starting to boom, largely due to the gold strikes in nearby Bendigo and Ballarat. Flemington then developed along with Melbourne.
Flemington is Australias oldest race course, and in 2006 was placed on the National Heritage List. Located just 15 minutes from Melbournes CBD, Flemington is firmly on the tourist map, although many tourists come to see the famous rose gardens rather than the horses! Flemington is serviced to this day by special race trains on big race days, and Melbournes famous trams at other times. Flemington is a big centre for training, with many of Australias best known horse trainers maintaining stables at or near the Flemington course
The history of Flemington is synonymous with the history of the Melbourne Cup. The Cup was first held at the course in 1861, and has been held ever since on the first Tuesday of November. The Melbourne Cup is the best known race of Flemingtons Spring Carnival, which runs over eight days. Other feature races are the AJ McKinnon Stakes, the Victoria Derby and the Victoria Oaks.
The Flemington track has an unusual feature called the “straight six” where horses race down a straight 1200m (six furlongs) section of track which then joins the track proper.
The modern day Flemington track bears little resemblance to the original rough and ready track, which brought rich and poor together in the gold rush days. The early track had no barriers and few facilities. However, the long term success of the Melbourne Cup has seen the Victoria Racing Club invest heavily in the Flemington track. Today Flemington boasts a capacity of over 120,000 and three grandstands. The newest stand cost $45 million and opened in 2000. The Hill Stand was built in 1977. Notable art works displayed in the stands include a bronze statue of the famous horse Phar Lap, and a seven panel mural by Harold Freedman, which illustrates the history of racing.
As soon as the Melbourne Cup of 2006 was run and won, the entire track surface was ripped up and replaced for the first time in Flemingtons history. Racing did not resume at Flemington until September 2007.
Even in the early days, the Melbourne Cup became as well known for its social party atmosphere as for the racing and betting. Today, Flemington is as much home to fashion in the field events in Australia as Ascot is in England.
Flemington markets itself as a destination for much more than racing. The Flemington Event Centre is a premier spot to host a wedding in the rose gardens, a sophisticated cocktail party or a trendy product launch. However, at the end of the day, Flemington racecourse will always be the home of the Melbourne Cup.