Experience the excitement of the Spring Racing Carnival in the country. Country Victoria exudes Spring Racing fever with 20 Country Cups at some of Australia's most picturesque racecourses.
There are plenty of incentives for trainers and owners to try their luck in the country with lucrative prizemoney on offer, as well as the prestige associated with some of Victoria's top Country Cups.
Champions of the turf like Hareeba, Super Impose, Better Loosen Up and Manikato started their careers on country tracks. While Black Knight and more recently Media Puzzle have targeted the rich Spring Country Cups on the way to winning racing's Holy Grail, the Melbourne Cup.
The feature Cup meetings at Benalla, Cranbourne, Moe, Seymour, Geelong, Werribee, Bendigo and Ballarat offer Cup prizemoney between $100,000 and $150,000. However, if these races are out of reach, there are plenty of other options from the $10,000 Cup at Mt Wycheproof to the $50,000 Horsham Cup.
Of course, nothing quite beats the atmosphere of racing in the country with fine local food and wine and fantastic marquee packages available. It's the perfect place to have a great day out with family and friends.
The country racing experience is unique, with each country club offering a raceday experience different to the next - from the celebration of country music at Manangatang, to the classic country style of Kyneton and the Pyrenees-setting of Avoca.
From a sporting perspective, country racing is the lifeblood of thoroughbred racing in Victoria. From a social and cultural perspective, it's the heartbeat of many country communities, and a great financial boon - making a $921 million impact on the Victorian economy every year.