Moonee Valley Races

Moonee Valley Races

Introduction

Moonee Valley Racecourse in Melbourne features a slew of Group 1 Races throughout the season, with the most famous including the Cox Plate, William Reid Stakes, Manikato Stakes and Australia Stakes.

The Racecourse was founded by William Sam Cox, with racing at Moonee Valley beginning in 1983.

Moonee Valley Racecourse is now considered one of the best tracks in Australia, with the quality of races the track produces, and the quality of the track itself giving it it’s prestige.

The course is located only 6km north of Melbourne City, with the track offering horse and harness racing.

As well as this, the ground is home to the Moonee Valley Racing Club.

Moonee Valley is also the only Melbourne Track to offer night racing, which is hosted most Fridays.

The course is most often misspelt as Mooney Valley and Moonie Valley.

Moonee Valley Racecourse Details
Address: Gate 1 McPherson Road
Suburb: Moonee Ponds, Victoria, 3039
Phone Number: 1300 797 959
Circumference: 1,805m
Direction: Anti-Clockwise
Track Type: Turf

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Key Moonee Valley Races

RaceDistanceGroup LevelPrizemoney
Cox Plate2,040mGroup 1$5,000,000
William Reid Stakes1,200mGroup 1$500,000
Manikato Stakes1,200mGroup 1$1,000,000
Australia Stakes1,200mGroup 1$200,000

Moonee Valley Races

The Manikato Stakes is a Group 1 weight-for-age race which is held at the beginning of Spring Racing Carnival in September.

The race is worth a cool half mil, and attracts the best sprinters from around the country.

It’s named after the legendary horse Manikato, who won almost all of its 29 wins on the Moonee Valley track.
Manikato was buried at Moonee Valley Racecourse.

The second major race to be held at the track is the Group 1 Australia Stakes in February.

This is similar to the Manikato Stakes, in that the distance sits at 1200m and is a weight-for-age worth $500,000.

The biggest and second-most popular race in Australia, after the Melbourne Cup, is called the “Race of Legends” WS Cox Plate.

This Group 1 race is worth a whopping $5mil in prize money, as well as an extra $50,000 in trophies.

The distance sits at a lofty 2,040m, with the weight-for-age race held slap bang during the Melbourne Cup Spring Carnival.

This race attracts the strongest horses both nationally and internationally – and has prestige as the best race in the carnival.

Moonee Valley Racing Tips     

Moonee Valley Racecourse Barrier and Starting Positions

Moonee Valley Racetrack is a small, anticlockwise turf, with a little circumference of only 1,805m.

The straight sits at only 173m, just half of Ascot (Flemington has a 1,200m straight in comparison).

This clearly suits horses which lead up front, or race on the pace, with horses up back finding it difficult to cut through due to the minor length of the straight.

1000m: Begin in barriers directly at the back of the course. These then cut diagonally across the track to merge with the course proper at the 600m mark. Runners then hit a sharp corner which leads into the home straight. Any horse coming in wide or from the back will struggle to cross the finish.

1200m: Barriers here are located just off the course at the very back of the track. There’s two corners to hit before the 173m home straight, giving any runner with an inside barrier, or leading the pace, a clear cut advantage.

1500m & 1600m: Barriers here are just after the winning post, with runners getting a sure-fire opportunity to improve positioning at the bac of the course. This is a fairer start for all in comparison to the lower distances.

2040m: This is the distance of the Cox Plate. All runners start in the home straight, directly in front of the grandstand. This is located around 200m ahead of the winning post. There is only a short distance before runners hit the first turn, giving those with inside barriers an early advantage to gain a primary spot early. Runners must then make their big for the lead before hitting the home turn, otherwise wait for that lucky gap in the field, run wide, or on the inside fence in the home straight.

2500m: Runners hit a 400m straight before the first turn, making barriers of little to no importance, as those who receive a wide draw are able to cut across to the inside at the beginning of the run.

3000m: At this distance, runners begin at the same start as for 1200m. They will then complete more than one and a half full circuits of the course before the finish line. Due to the distance, barriers are of little to no importance.

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Moonee Valley Races Results

Getting to the Track
Here are the options on how to get to Moonee Valley Racecourse.

Train: The nearest train station to Moonee Valley Racecourse is Moonee Ponds Station, on the Craigieburn Line. It should take out around 10 minutes to walk from the station to the Racecourse via Puckle Street.

Check out the Metlink Website to map out your journey to Moonee Valley Racecourse via train.

Tram: Jump on the number 59 line from Elizabeth Street to Moonee Ponds Junction.

Check out the Metllink Website to map out your journey to Moonee Valley Racecourse via tram.

Car: Moonee Valley Racecourse sits at 1 McPherson Street in Moonee Ponds – and is located around 8km north west of the Melbourne City Centre. This road trip should take around 20 minutes along Flemington and Mt Alexander Roads.

Just be wary, Moonee Valley has limited parking, and visitors are strongly encouraged to head to the track on public transport, during major race days.

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