Racing Victoria, MRC abandon Thousand Guineas November date in spring overhaul

Racing Victoria concedes it was a mistake to move one of Australia’s premier races for three-year-old fillies to an end-of-carnival timeslot as it announced key changes to its 2025 spring calendar.

Among the rescheduling of three Group 1 races hosted by the Melbourne Racing Club, returning the Thousand Guineas to a place within the three days of the Caulfield Cup carnival will reactivate the race’s historical connection to the VRC Oaks.

Fillies to complete the Thousand Guineas-VRC Oaks double include Miss Finland, Special Harmony, Magical Miss, Northwood Plume, Arborea, Richfield Lady, Tristanagh, Rom’s Stiletto, Brava Jeannie and Toltrice. 

The race has occupied a mid-November date since it was switched in 2023 as part of an RV plan to extend its spring offering of Group 1 racing beyond the four-day Melbourne Cup carnival.

Joliestar won the race two years ago before Another Prophet defeated subsequent ATC Australian Derby winner Aeliana in 2024.

But in a move that will appeal to racing traditionalists, RV chief executive Aaron Morrison said the decision had the unanimous support of prominent industry stakeholders.

The Thousand Guineas will this year be run on Caulfield Cup day.

Asked if the RV management, under the watch of his predecessor Andrew Jones, had erred in tampering with the scheduling of Thousand Guineas and the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, Morrison said they were not the right races to try to reinvent.

“I think we probably did get it wrong in one sense. I think they were the wrong races to move,” Morrison told RSN.

“I think what we have gotten right though is the fact that there is demand for an additional race meeting at the end of the spring following the Flemington carnival and we’ve shown that that’s been successful.”

Under the new format, the MRC will move the CF Orr Stakes from February to November to fill a Group 1 void in the middle of the month.

“There’s still great engagement and people want to enjoy and participate in great Group 1 racing and so we think the Orr (meeting) as the new day will deliver upon that,” Morrison said.

By moving the Thousand Guineas to its original home during the Caulfield Cup carnival, Morrison said it would restore a natural pathway for fillies to progress to the VRC Oaks or the Empire Rose Stakes.

“That’s been the primary driver … what’s best for the pattern of racing overall,” Morrison said.

“And so when we see the move of the Thousand Guineas back it’s now two weeks after the (Group 1) Flight Stakes in Sydney.

“And so rather than disrupting the pattern in NSW, it’s complementing that and it means those fillies can come back to Melbourne and demonstrate their early form and they can go on to races like the Empire Rose on Derby day or the Oaks at Flemington.”

Morrison said the changes followed consultation and collaboration between industry stakeholders and they had been made with the blessing of the Asian Pattern Committee.

The Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, one of four Group 1 handicaps run during the Melbourne spring, will also return from mid-November to its previous position on the calendar on Saturday, September 20.

Run over 1400m, the Rupert Clarke will be held alongside the Group 1 Underwood Stakes and reinstates its link with the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) run three weeks later on Caulfield Guineas day.

In a departure from tradition, the Orr Stakes, for so long the weight-for-age event that heralded the arrival of Group 1 racing for the Melbourne autumn carnival, will be moved to the spring and therefore solve a programming headache for the MRC.

Having the Orr Stakes and the Futurity Stakes, two races run under the same conditions a fortnight apart, has been a point of industry contention.

As a result of the Group 1 revamp, other programming changes in 2025/26 will include shifting the Sandown Guineas from November 29 to November 15 in a direct swap with the Sapphire Stakes.

“I think we probably did get it wrong in one sense. I think they (the Thousand Guineas and the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes) were the wrong races to move” – Racing Victoria chief executive Aaron Morrison

The Thousand Guineas Prelude will switch to September 20, a month before the new Thousand Guineas date.

With the Orr Stakes on the move, the Group 3 Kevin Hefferan Stakes will become a lead-up race on February 7 to the Futurity.

“These changes are an important step in shaping a racing program at Caulfield that not only enhances the spring racing carnival but supports the broader racing industry and racing pattern in Victoria,” MRC chief executive Tom Reilly said.

“By putting the Schweppes Thousand Guineas to Sportsbet Caulfield Cup Day, we’re creating a more compelling platform to attract quality fillies and maintain the strength of our feature race day.

“Equally, the enhancements to our September and November racedays are about ensuring Caulfield continues to attract high-quality horses, provide greater opportunities for participants, and reinforce its role as one of Australia’s premier racing venues throughout the entire spring period.”