Sandown in frame to host CF Orr Stakes, Sandown Guineas in 2026

The Melbourne Racing Club appears increasingly likely to stage its 2026 CF Orr Stakes and Sandown Guineas meeting at Sandown for the first time since 2020 amid ongoing planning for the temporary closure of Caulfield.

The prospect of the switch emerged after Supercars announced the 2026 Sandown 500 would be brought forward by one week due to the MRC requiring the multi-purpose venue.

“Returfing of the Melbourne Racing Club’s Caulfield track forced an unavoidable scheduling clash at Sandown,” a Supercars statement read.

Alongside Michael Suey’s appointment as head of the MRC’s racecourses, the club confirmed that the Caulfield course proper would be closed after the Caulfield Cup meeting on October 17.

“Following the 2025 spring carnival, an interim renovation was undertaken at Caulfield to support consistent performance through the 2026 racing season,” the MRC said.

“A more substantial refurbishment of the Caulfield track is planned for after the 2026 Caulfield Cup, with the track targeted to re-open in early 2027.”

The Supercars round was initially scheduled for November 13 to 15, but will now be held from November 6 to 8.

A Racing Victoria spokesperson said the 2026 race calendar remains subject to approval as the regulator works through a range of scenarios compounded by the redevelopment of Moonee Valley.

“We are early in the race dates process … we’re at the first draft stage,” a Racing Victoria (RV) spokesperson said.

“Our first draft still needs to go to the RV board and then to the clubs to get that ticked off.”

The spokesperson said further iterations of the draft would follow before final confirmation.

“We’re sort of looking at probably late April, early May, before we’re ready to confirm anything.”

An MRC spokesperson said the club was working with RV on fixture planning.

The MRC has previously relocated feature races during periods of track redevelopment.

In 2023, the Blue Diamond Stakes was run at Sandown while Caulfield was shut for six months to complete work on an inner track.

The Sandown Guineas, a Group 2 race for three-year-olds over 1600 metres, has not been run at its spiritual home since 2020.

Along with the Zipping Classic and Eclipse Stakes, it was moved to Caulfield for the 2021/22 racing season.

The CF Orr Stakes, a Group 1 weight-for-age event, was also a long-established signature race at Sandown before it was switched to Caulfield in 1997.

It returned for a Sandown cameo in 2023 before it was moved to the spring in 2025.

“As is standard practice each season, race programming for the upcoming spring carnival is still being finalised in consultation with Racing Victoria,” an MRC spokesperson told The Straight.

“At this stage, no decisions have been made regarding the scheduling or location of specific spring carnival races, and any confirmed details will be communicated by Racing Victoria in due course, alongside direct communication with our members.”