On Saturday, 7th November 2026, TAB Champions Stakes Day concludes the Melbourne Cup Carnival in spectacular style at Flemington Racecourse.
This day is a celebration of the very best in horse racing, where elite thoroughbreds compete in a thrilling showcase of power, speed, and skill. TAB Champions Stakes Day is the perfect finale, offering a unique blend of world-class racing and an electric atmosphere that brings the Carnival to a triumphant close.
Whether you’re savouring gourmet dining, cheering from the grandstands, or experiencing the thrill of the finish line on the Front Lawn, Stakes Day offers something for everyone.
Saturday 7 November, 2026
Feature races:
Group 1 TAB Champions Stakes (2000m)
Group 1 VRC Champions Mile (1600m)
Group 1 VRC Champions Sprint (1200m)
Get ready, Flemington - global DJ sensation FISHER is bringing the party to The Elms on TAB Champions Stakes Day.
This is your chance to experience the thrill of elite racing combined with the soundtrack of one of the world’s biggest DJs.
See you there!
Join us at the Off the Rails party, where the carnival ends and the party begins, with global DJ phenomenon FISHER, as he brings his infectious energy and massive hits including Losing It, Take It Off and Atmosphere for an unforgettable set! Catch him after the last race at The Elms Live Stage, presented by Maccas.
The home of live music and trackside moments! The ultimate trackside party zone featuring live music and entertainment and spaces to gather with friends just past the Winning Post.
Experience the high energy of the Club Lawn! Sando Sans by Mr Miyagi, Editas and Johhny, Vince and Sam's will be serving up a variety of Melbourne’s best takeaway options towards the east end of the Front Lawn.
Raise a glass to the season with the Don Julio Golden Gallop - the exclusive cocktail of the 2025 Melbourne Cup Carnival.
You can purchase a Golden Gallop from a selection of bars in both Members and Public venues.
*T&Cs apply.The heart of family fun, food and discovery! The first dedicated family-friendly space including kids’ entertainment; immersive activities; and dedicated equine. Entry to The Park is FREE for all racegoers!
Blaze a trail to the stylish surrounds of the world-famous Birdcage at the 2025 Melbourne Cup Carnival. Simply scan your VRC Membership card and enjoy the Birdcage Stage, the Birdcage Flowershop and more!
The Nursery will be bursting with kids activities on TAB Champions Stakes Day – think face painting, lawn games, pony rides, dance workshops and more!
Big in the electronic music scene, Little Fritter is a Gold Coast-based artist whose vibrant, high-energy sets get the party started in style. Catch them at The Elms Live Stage, presented by Maccas.
TAB Champions Stakes Day creates a garden-party atmosphere. Fashion remains relaxed yet stylish, featuring playful patterns, textures and easy to wear tailoring. To mark Remembrance Day on Tuesday 11 November, you can buy a red poppy on course from RSL Victoria volunteers.
Official flower: Red Poppy
Pin & Win has raised over $9 million for charities since 1995. Through the Pin & Win partnership, RMHC VIC & TAS will be aiming to raise funds to cover 4000 nights of accommodation. Purchase a pin on-course or online, or you can also donate to the RMHC VIC & TAS Pin and Win Campaign
Transform your racing experience this Melbourne Cup Carnival with Inside Run, your official race guide! It’s free and requires no sign-up, offering live streaming, instant replays, animated AI-powered predictor videos, expert tips, and race day news—keeping you connected to all the on-track action!
Visit The Pamper Lounge by Runway Room & celebrity hair stylist Joey Scandizzo this Cup Week. Enjoy complimentary make-up touch-ups, express lashes and hair to leave you glowing throughout the day in The Atrium of the Grandstand, and in The Birdcage!
Explore the incredible variety of food and drink options available this Melbourne Cup Carnival, including General Public, The Park, Members Enclosure, and The Birdcage.
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 the range of delicious bites available.
Enjoy a one-of-a-kind race day experience with live fashion illustrators. The perfect Carnival keepsake, our talented illustrators will capture your race day look for you to take home.
Resident DJ John Course will keep the party going in The Roof Garden on all 4 days of Cup Week, spinning music from after the feature race and continuing long after the last!
Official memorabilia for the 2025 Melbourne Cup Carnival including bucket hats, drink bottles and stubby holders.
The much-loved spinning wheel is back! Take a spin for your chances to win prizes, thanks to our VRC partners. Keep an eye out as it moves through the Members Enclosure, throughout Cup Week!
Take your Flemington experience to the next level. The updated Digital Map helps you plan your experience before you have even arrived!
The Digital Map gives you real-time navigation and access to everything happening across Cup Week and the racing season.
It has also been included in the VRC Updated iOS App, available for download now on Apple App Store.
Adults $33pp
For a limited time, early bird pricing places you at the front of the pack. This is your moment to step inside the spectacle before the rest of the field catches on.
From $82pp
Enjoy endless views from your Hill Stand Reserved Seat.
$150pp
Secure a DiDi Mates Rates table for 6 on the Front Lawn, near The Elms, and get ready for a day filled with Group 1 racing, awesome Winning Post views, and live entertainment.
$835pp
Experience a lavish six-course degustation menu, meticulously crafted to elevate every moment whilst you enjoy unbeatable Winning Post views.
$695pp
Indulge in a five-course culinary masterpiece while soaking in the excitement of world-class racing.
$650pp
Indulge in a meticulously crafted five-course degustation menu that showcases the artistry of fine dining and witness racing history with the city as your backdrop.
$675pp
Perched above the horse stalls and Pre-Parade Ring, this all-inclusive offering includes a premium grazing menu, top-quality wine, beer, and more - allowing you to indulge while overlooking the world’s best racehorses.
$595pp
Elevate your experience in the Skyline Lounge with a vibrant, cocktail-style offering, allowing you to enjoy Melbourne Cup Carnival in a social atmosphere.
$525pp
Nestled in a prime, coveted location, this exclusive offering delivers a race day experience that caters to every taste.
$495pp
The Kirin Ichiban Pavilion offers an elevated race day experience with unrivalled views of the famous Flemington Straight, Winning Post, and Front Lawn.
Prizemoney: $3,000,000
Weight-For-Age. Apprentices cannot claim.
Registered name: L.K.S Mackinnon Stakes
157th of Series
LKS MACKINNON (1861–1935)
Lauchlan Kenneth Scobie Mackinnon (1861–1935) was one of the most influential chairmen of the Victoria Racing Club in its long history, a committeeman for 26 years from 1909 and Chairman from 1916 until his death, guiding its fortunes as the principal club in Victoria. A solicitor by profession, he bred and raced thoroughbreds, at different times owning Maribyrnong Stud and Chatsworth Park. Kingsburgh won the 1914 Melbourne Cup for him. Woorak won the Epsom at Randwick and became a top Australian stallion. Mackinnon’s conservative views, especially about women in racing, were not universally shared but Victorian racing flourished. The Melbourne Stakes, created in 1869 as a traditional weight-for-age Derby Day lead-up to the Cup, became the Mackinnon in his honour from 1939. In 2016 the race was repositioned as the 2000 metre champion race for the final day of the Carnival.
Prizemoney: $3,000,000
Weight-For-Age. Apprentices cannot claim.
Registered name: Cantala Stakes
107th of Series
CANTALA STAKES
The original Cantala was not a racehorse, but a mansion that until demolished in 1939 occupied five hectares on Dandenong Road near Kooyong Road, Caulfield. It belonged to Septimus Miller, VRC Chairman 1895–1906. In 1919 the VRC Committee renamed the Coburg Stakes the Cantala in his honour. Miller provided a gold trophy to the first winner. In recent decades the Cantala was the feature mile on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival under various sponsorships – George Adams, Ampol, Nisson, Honda, Chrysler, Emirates. From 2016 to 2021 it shifted to Victoria Derby Day as the Kennedy Mile. Now it returns to the final Saturday as the VRC Kennedy Champions Mile.
Prizemoney: $3,000,000
Weight-For-Age. Apprentices cannot claim.
Registered name: Victoria Racing Club Stakes
66th of Series
Prizemoney: $300,000
Mares Set Weights plus Penalties. Apprentices cannot claim.
40th of Series
MATRIARCH STAKES
A 2000 metre race for mares has long been part of the card for the fourth and final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival. The race name Matriarch Stakes was first applied in 1995, and the Kilmore and Ballarat Cup winner Magical Storm was victorious. The race name was inspired by the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes, a mile race for mares on the turf in the USA, first run at Hollywood Park in 1981 and later at Del Mar Racetrack, California. Among the best winners of the VRC Matriarch Stakes has been multiple Group 1 winner Lucia Valentina, successful in 2015 before winning the AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick the following year.
Prizemoney: $300,000
Quality Handicap. Apprentices cannot claim.
Registered name: VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes
47th of Series
Prizemoney: $175,000
Open Handicap. Apprentices cannot claim.
ALWAYS WELCOME (Seventh Hussar (FR) - Welcome Back)
Always Welcome, an Australian-bred son of Seventh Hussar, was foaled in 1973, a consistent stakes-winning sprinter whose six Group level victories included the VRC Linlithgow Stakes and Coolmore Stud Stakes (at that time the Craven A Stakes) at Flemington, the Caulfield Futurity (beating So Called) and the Randwick All-Aged Stakes. Twice runner-up in the VRC Newmarket, and second in the Epsom, the Doncaster and the Epsom at Randwick, Always Welcome had the misfortune of competing against such champions as Maybe Mahal, Luskin Star and Manikato. He was trained by Bernie Byrnes from the old Big Stable at Inglis' Newmarket property at Randwick.
Prizemoney: $500,000
2YO Handicap. Apprentices cannot claim.
Restricted 2YO horses nominated in the Inglis Race Series + $200k Pink Bonus to the first eligible horse past the post.
Prizemoney: $150,000
4YO & Upwards Benchmark 90 Handicap. Apprentices cannot claim.
Prizemoney: $150,000
Benchmark 80 Grand Handicap. Apprentices can claim.
