Caulfield Racing Track

Known locally as “The Heath”, Caulfield Racecourse is located less than 10km from Melbourne’s CBD, sitting on the boundary of Caulfield and Caulfield East in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs.

As the home of the Melbourne Racing Club, Caulfield delivers a unique racing experience. The track is characterised by tight turns, a rising back straight, and a short home straight. Across race distances ranging from 1000m to 2400m, these features combine to produce competitive racing, as it is difficult for horses to make up ground once they enter the home straight past the imposing Rupert Clarke Stand.

The racecourse has a distinctive triangular shape, a maximum circuit distance of 2080m, and a 367m straight. It is also well known for its excellent drainage, with all turns banked at approximately 5%.

October is a highlight of the Caulfield racing calendar, featuring a major week of racing that includes three key meetings: Caulfield Guineas Day, Thousand Guineas Day, and Caulfield Cup Day. The Caulfield Cup (2400m) is a traditional lead-up to the Melbourne Cup (3200m) and often attracts high-quality international runners.

Barriers:

1000m – Races start from a chute just before the course proper. Despite the draw, there is little advantage to inside barriers due to the long 650m run before the home turn.

1100m – Similar to the 1000m start, with no real change in barrier influence, as runners still enjoy a lengthy straight before the turn.

1200m – Starting further up the chute, inside runners continue to receive minimal advantage before reaching the home turn.

1400m – Races begin from a short chute off the back of the track. Inside barriers are critical here, with runners having only around 200m before negotiating the first of two turns.

1600m – The shortest distance to begin on the course proper. Horses reach the first turn even earlier than at 1400m, again leaving roughly 200m of straight running and strongly favouring inside draws.

1800m – Starts from the rear section of the course, with the run to the first turn extending to about 400m. While longer, this still provides a clear advantage to inside barriers.

2000m – Races commence from a chute near the end of the final turn. Inside barriers maintain a slight advantage, though less pronounced than at 1600m–1800m.

2400m – Barrier positions have little influence at this distance, with races starting at the top of the home straight. With three tight turns to negotiate, both speed and stamina are key factors.