Kick off the first Group 1 race day of 2025 with the electrifying Black Caviar Lightning Race Day.
Experience the thrill and excitement as some of the world's fastest horses compete in the prestigious $1 million Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m), an event named in honour of the legendary mare.
Join us in paying homage to the extraordinary legacy of Black Caviar, whose remarkable career comprised 25 undefeated races, including 15 Group 1s. There will be special Black Caviar tributes set up on course in both Member and Public areas.
Saturday 15 February, 2025
Gates open: 11:30am
First race: 12:15pm*
Last race: 5:35pm*
*Race times are subject to change
Feature race:
Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m)
FROM $220pp
Enjoy a memorable day of dining, racing and socialising in the stylish comfort of The Dining Room.
FROM $270pp
Quite rightly known as the jewel in the crown of The Club Stand there is no dining experience quite like The Byerley.
FROM $90pp
Settle in for a day of delicious food and thrilling racing in the vibrant and contemporary setting that is Straight Six. Offering an authentic Italian inspired menu and an expansive drinks list featuring regional wines and premium local and international beers.
FREE-TO-BOOK
Offering sweeping views of the Flemington straight, Winning Post and city skyline, plus access to the popular VRC Punters Club, The Peak is the place to be for punting enthusiasts.
$30 PER PERSON
$60 PER FAMILY
Witness all the thrilling racing action up close from the famous Flemington Front Lawn or in one of the many bars and eateries across course.
$199pp
Enjoy all the racing action at Flemington with a Flemington Race Day Pass providing general admission access to all remaining race days in 2025, including all four days of the Melbourne Cup Carnival!
FROM $199pp
Gather your friends and join the Furphy Deck party, with an elevated view of the track and Flemington Front lawn, plus an all-inclusive food and drinks package.
TABLE OF 4 | $150
TABLE OF 6 | $210
Reserve your table for 4 or 6 on the Front Lawn and enjoy great racing with relaxed vibes, and a ‘round of drinks’ per table on arrival.
TABLE OF 6 | $210
Reserve your table for 6 on the Front Lawn and enjoy great racing with relaxed vibes, and a ‘bucket of drinks’ per table on arrival.
SOLD OUT
$95pp
A Group of Mates package secures you a private fenced off area on the Flemington Front Lawn with tables, chairs and umbrellas, and great trackside views of The Winning Post for groups of 20 up to 50.
$65pp
Members have the option to bring friends and family to a race day by either purchasing a Members Enclosure Daily Guest Ticket or using their VRC Complimentary Guest Passes to redeem a complimentary Members Enclosure Daily Guest Ticket.
$390pp
Welcome your guests into your own private suite with one of the best views at Flemington, located opposite the Winning Post.
GRAZING from $275pp
DEGUSTATION from $370pp
Dine in style with stunning panoramic views over Flemington Racecourse, with your choice of dining experience.
SOLD OUT
PRE-PAID TABLE FROM $25pp
With its soaring views of the Flemington track below and its bright and airy design, The Atrium Trackside is the perfect spot to enjoy a day at Flemington.
SOLD OUT
PRE-PAID TABLE from $25pp
Decked out with market umbrellas and comfortable garden furniture, the stylish Members Lawn is the perfect outdoor location.
SOLD OUT
PRE-PAID TABLE FROM $25pp
Serving up a casual and friendly atmosphere, the always popular Furlong Bar is the ideal place to immerse yourself in a day of racing action.
Learn more about the legend of Black Caviar, who was undefeated in 25 starts, including 15 at Group 1 level. Featuring limited edition memorabilia, awards and trophies as well as video displays.
Check out our tasty value range at retail outlets. Great priced grab-and-go options available all day.
Take a walk down memory lane with a photographic history of the 25 wins from 25 starts that spanned Black Caviar’s career.
Watch Interviews and hear stories from key connections of the legendary Black Caviar.
Members and guests can enjoy bumps of Black Caviar, Smoked Salmon Blinis and Champagne in the Club Stand Lobby throughout the day.
Join the excitement at the TAB Saintly Place Sports Bar, the perfect spot for sports fans! Enjoy big-screen action, grab a refreshing drink, and indulge in delicious bites. Plus, you can sign up to the VRC Punters Club for only $10 for some extra excitement!
The little ones will be entertained all day long with pony rides, face painting and lawn games including Black Caviar Lightning Sprint Races with the chance to win prizes! Plus, Black Caviar themed Arts & Crafts where you can colour in your own Black Caviar jockey silk to take home.
Join in the fun with our expert tipsters who have been in hot form lately. Register before Race 4 for just $10 in TAB Saintly Place Sports Bar or The Peak.
Registered Name: VRC Lightning Stakes
Prizemoney: $1,005,185
Standard Weight for Age, Apprentices cannot claim.
Maidens at time of entry are ineligible.
BLACK CAVIAR (Bel Esprit - Helsinge) (2006-2024)
The awe-inspiring, world-class mare Black Caviar broke records and set new standards. Undefeated, her career of 25 wins from 25 starts (24 in Group or Listed races) is unparalleled in modern racing history. Trained by Peter Moody, she was ridden mostly by Luke Nolen including in the 2012 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. Foaled in Victoria in 2006, she won eight times at Flemington. In 2013 the VRC re-named the Lightning Stakes in Black Caviar’s honour. She duly won the race a third time, setting a 1000m record. Australia’s greatest sprinter ever, her legacy lives on at Flemington with the running of the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) every year.
Registered Name: The Debonair
Prizemoney: $203,285
3YO Colts and Geldings Set Weights plus Penalties, Apprentices cannot claim.
This race carries a VOBIS Silver Nominators Bonus of $10,000 for qualified horses.
C.S. HAYES
Colin Sidney Hayes AM OBE (1924–1999) was one of the greatest twentieth-century Australian trainers. He was an inaugural inductee into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, holding ‘Legend’ status with T.J. Smith and Bart Cummings. Starting as a trainer modestly at Semaphore, Adelaide, he established Lindsay Park, Angaston, in the 1960s as a showpiece training complex and stud farm, later also training from Flemington. Colin Hayes was multiple times premier trainer in Adelaide and Melbourne. His list of Group 1 successes is vast, including Melbourne Cups with the imported Beldale Ball (1980) and At Talaq (1986).
Prizemoney: $203,285
3YO & Upwards Fillies & Mares Set Weights plus Penalties, Apprentices cannot claim.
Maidens at time of entry are ineligible.
FRANCES TRESSADY (Tressady (GB) – Thorima)
In the official history of the Victoria Derby dating back to 1855, eleven fillies have won the classic but none since Frances Tressady in 1923. Trained by former top jockey Bill Foulsham and ridden by champion Frank Dempsey, she is the last of nine fillies to have completed the Derby and VRC Oaks double. Between those two runs she finished fifth in the 1923 Melbourne Cup. In total she won just five races, four at Flemington, but had minor placings in many top races including the AJC and VRC St Legers, the Caulfield Guineas and the 1925 AJC Metropolitan.
Formerly: March Stakes
Prizemoney: $177,035
Handicap, Apprentices cannot claim.
Maidens at time of entry are ineligible.
All-Star Mile ‘Win and you’re in Race’: The winner of this race qualifies for the 2025 All-Star Mile to be run on Saturday 8 March at Flemington.
Prizemoney: $177,685
2YO Set Weights plus Penalties, Apprentices cannot claim.
This race carries a VOBIS Silver Nominators Bonus of $10,000 for qualified horses.
TALINDERT
Talindert, near Camperdown in South Western Victoria, was the country property of Sir Chester Manifold (1897-1979), renowned Chairman of the Victoria Racing Club 1951–1962. His father James Chester Manifold conducted a thoroughbred stud farm at Talindert in the 1890s, standing Wellington, a Victoria Derby winner and a great sire of steeplechasers. Sir Chester revived the stud in the 1930s, producing many top racehorses. Talindert was the birthplace of the Australian Racing Hall of Fame steeplechaser Crisp, gallant runner-up to the legendary Red Rum in the 1973 Grand National Steeplechase at Aintree, England.
Prizemoney: $177,035
3YO Fillies Set Weights plus Penalties, Apprentices cannot claim.
This race carries a VOBIS Silver Nominators Bonus of $10,000 for qualified horses.
DESIRABLE (Without Fear (FR) – High Desire (NZ))
As a filly, Desirable was a whirlwind. By Without Fear from High Desire, she holds a special place in racing history as a two-year-old winner of the open VRC Lightning Stakes in 1976. Trained in Adelaide by Colin Hayes, undefeated in her first five stars, Desirable won carrying the minimum weight-for-age burden of just 43kg, ridden by Malcolm Johnson as a young apprentice. She next won the VRC Sires’ Produce, was beaten by stablemate Out Of Danger in the Blue Diamond, ran third to Vivarchi in the Golden Slipper, then won the AJC Sires’ Produce. The next year, at three, she won the Newmarket. Her last win before retiring at four was the Chirnside Stakes at Caulfield.
Prizemoney: $150,000
Benchmark 90, Handicap, Apprentices can claim.
Prizemoney: $130,000
Benchmark 84 Handicap, Apprentices can claim.
Prizemoney: $130,000
Benchmark 84 Handicap, Apprentices can claim.
Prizemoney: $80,000
Benchmark 78 Handicap, Apprentices can claim.
