Australia is a major powerhouse when it comes to horse racing and there are almost 400 racecourses in total dotted around the country. These racecourses fall into three distinct categories - Metropolitan, Provincial or Country racetracks.

Metropolitan racecourses are the home of the big Group races and are premier venues with the best facilities. Provincial racecourses are usually located in the suburbs and many of them host Provincial Cup races which also include Group and Listed contests.

Country races, apart from certain Country Cup meetings, are not usually covered by off course bookmakers and are pretty local affairs for local people.

The racecourses in the states of Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia are raced on in an anti-clockwise direction, while Queensland and New South Wales tracks in the main race clockwise.

How Is Horse Racing Governed In Australia?

The Australian Racing Board oversees all the racing operations in the country with each state having its own body called the Principle Racing Authority.

Australia is split up into the following eight racing authorities: Canberra Racing Club, Racing New South Wales, Racing Queensland, Racing Victoria Limited, Racing and Wagering Western Australia, Tasmanian Thoroughbred Racing Council, Thoroughbred Racing Northern Territory, Thoroughbred Racing South Australia.

What are Australia’s Top Races?

The Melbourne Cup is undoubtedly Australia’s most famous race, not only at home, but globally too. It is held every year on the first Tuesday in November at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.

“The race that stops the nation” is a partial holiday in Australia and there is a party atmosphere all over the country.

The race has had a keen European following ever since Vintage Crop went over there and won the race in 1993, and now several UK and Ireland raiders make the long journey every year.

The Victoria Derby is also held at Flemington. It is the feature race for young staying types each spring and is the opening Group 1 feature of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, following on from the Group 1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in late October.

The most recognised Group 1 races in Australia each year are the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup and the Cox Plate in Melbourne, and the Golden Slipper in Sydney.

The Caulfield Cup is run on a Melbourne track, this time at Caulfield Racecourse. The race has been going now since 1879 and is always hotly contested.

Only horses aged 3 years and over are eligible, and if a horse wins both the Caulfield Cup and the Melbourne Cup, they complete what the Australian’s term the “Cups Double”, a feat that was last completed by Ethereal in 2001.

The Cox Plate is the richest weight for age race in Australia and a trophy that every trainer, jockey and horse owner wants to win.

The race takes place in late October at Moonee Valley Racecourse which renowned for its tight bends and its ability to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney is the annual location for the Golden Slipper Stakes, a 2-y-o juvenile race which takes place in April and is a part of the Golden Slipper Carnival.

It is Australia’s fourth richest race on the calendar, and the world’s richest race for two-year-old thoroughbreds.

How Do Australia's Group Races Work?

Group 1 races are held in all the major states of Australia and at the principal metropolitan tracks in each capital city. The majority of them take place at Melbourne and Sydney’s major racing carnivals each autumn and spring.

Although they do not hold as many Group 1 features, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide all host major carnivals throughout the season.

Away from the major state carnivals, Queensland holds the Gold Coast Magic Millions Carnival while Hobart and Launceston come alive each year with the Tasmania Summer Racing Carnival.

Group races are divided into four categories in Australia:

• Group 1 - at least $350,000 prize money - 60+ races per season.
• Group 2 - at least $175,000 prize money - 80+ races per season.
• Group 3 - at least $115,000 prize money - 110+ races per season.
• Listed (Group 4) - at least $80,000 prize money - 280+ races per season.

Australia’s Top Racecourses

Flemington

Australia’s largest track plays host to 14 Group 1 races each year and attracts champion racehorses across all distances.

Flemington has been the setting for record-breaking stopwatch times by many legendary horses including Black Caviar and Makybe Diva, which remain track records to this day.

Surprisingly Flemington is the only track in Australia that offers straight racing. The 1200m straight has become increasingly popular due to the prominence globally of Australia’s sprinting crop.

Moonee Valley

“The Valley” is home to four Group 1 races including the W.S. Cox Plate, Manikato Stakes, A.J. Moir Stakes and the William Reid Stakes.

The track is well known for being a very tight-turning one which can be difficult for punters to accurately pick out the winners.

Top jockeys at the course say the best place to be is just off the speed because the horses in front are tiring and the ones in behind have to pull out wide.

Caulfield

Group 1 racing is the order of the day at Caulfield Racecourse, with 12 events scheduled every season.

Four of these races take place during the Autumn Racing Carnival in February, while the other eight are held between August-October as part of the Spring Racing Carnival.

The Caulfield Cup is the crown jewel of their racing year and with a tidy prize purse of $3 million, it’s easy to see why all Australian owners and trainer eye this contest.

Rosehill

Rosehill Gardens is home to nine Group 1 races, including the world’s richest race for two-year-olds – the Golden Slipper. It is a race steeped in history that attracts Australia’s finest juveniles each March.

The Golden Slipper Stakes was inaugurated in 1957 and is the premier horse race for two-year-old Thoroughbreds. Prize money comes in at a cool $3.5 million, which makes it one of the most lucrative races for two-year-old horses anywhere in the world.

Punters who bet on horse racing consider Rosehill one of the fairest tracks around in Australia with every runner having a chance of some sort in the home straight.

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Andy Brownbill / AP Photo*

England’s World Cup success in 2019 was the result of a four-year process. Earlier in the decade, they reached number one Test team in the world after a similar procedure, a period focused on one clear goal.

A major part of that was winning an Ashes series in Australia, which they did emphatically in 2010/11.

The two Ashes series down under since then have ended in a 5-0 defeat in 2013/14 and a 4-0 drubbing in 2017/18. England failed to regain the Ashes last summer, marking the end of a home winning streak running back to 2005.

The Chris Silverwood era will be different to the Trevor Bayliss years, and Silverwood is expected to oversee a climb in the Test rankings.

The Ashes, as the most prestigious Test series, will always be a part of that, and selection decisions are often seen through the win-in-Australia filter.

England, barring a spectacular turnaround, will not be the cricket betting favourites when they head to Australia in late-2021. It’s a rare feat, only achieved twice since 1980.

Strength in depth in the bowling department gives England options, and potentially some challenging decisions to make with their long-time new-ball duo.

Broad, Anderson Dilemma

Projecting 18 months ahead for players deep into their thirties is a helpless task. That is exactly what England will be doing with Stuart Broad and James Anderson, their two leading wicket-takers in Test match history.

Anderson has been struggling with injuries for the first time in his career, missing all but a few overs of the 2019 Ashes and the winter tours of New Zealand and South Africa.

Broad, while still performing at a high level, celebrates his 35th birthday a few months before the 2021/22 Ashes begin.

Away from decline and physical health, Broad and Anderson might not be in England’s best XI for the next Ashes.

Anderson’s Test bowling average is 35.43 in Australia, almost nine runs higher than his career record. Broad averages 37.17 in 12 Tests in Australia compared to 28.50 overall.

Fitting both into the bowling attack is unlikely. They could make the squad, however, and rotate as the experienced seamer.

If available, though, leaving one, or both, out will is a big call, even for two players nearing their career sunsets and with less than stellar records in Australia.

Need for Pace

Without the hooping Duke’s ball and limited grass on the pitches, raw pace is a requirement in Australia. Ben Stokes as a fourth seamer is huge, providing England protect him over the coming months.

Managing the mileage on Mark Wood and Jofra Archer might define England’s chances. Wood was back to his best in South Africa, while Archer has been sidelined after an epic summer.

There’s a wonderful crop of fast bowlers across the world right now, including England’s World Cup winning pair, and that can only be good for the state of Test cricket.

Olly Stone and Saqib Mahmood have been involved in the England setup and will be eyeing up a spot on the plane. George Garton is a name to look out for, too.

In the intensity of an Ashes series, England will need a group of quicks. Archer and Wood will be the first choice if fit, but developing younger arms is just as important.

Stokes’ presence, as always, is crucial. He can hit 90 mph and should enable Joe Root to share the workload and avoid lengthy spells for his frontline seamers.

Two of the aforementioned quintet and one of Broad and Anderson (or perhaps Chris Woakes) is a good framework for England to build towards.

Viable Spin Option

England’s spin bowling has become their greatest area of concern. Moeen Ali remains absent from the Test arena. Jack Leach hasn’t been available.

Dom Bess showed promise in South Africa, but few would argue he’s ready to be England’s number one in an Ashes series. Adil Rashid is sticking to the white ball. England have proved reluctant to play Matt Parkinson.

Away Ashes series are seldom kind to English spinners. Moeen averaged 115 in 2017/18, Graeme Swann’s average was over 50 in Australia, 23 runs higher than overall.

Australia will attack the spinner, they will look to hit a few into the stands and force the quicks to come back. Dealing with such brutality requires a combination of grit and skill on wickets that will not favour off spinners.

Ideally, England pick a spinner who bat at eight and hold an end up, leaving the wicket-taking to the four quick bowlers. Root can provide some tidy overs if required.

Who will stake their claim as England’s premier spinner over the next year and a half? Keep up to date with news, tips and more about cricket on our blog.

Reliable Batsmen

The batting line-up has been neglected thus far. That’s partly because there’s less of a ‘horses for courses’ approach, but England have also developed the outline for a batting order that could be locked in long-term.

Dominic Sibley and Zak Crawley are in the rookie days of their international careers, and have looked good, but it’s too early to guarantee their spots for the next Ashes.

Rory Burns showed concentration and grit in the summer, though troubles with the short ball are a concern for a five-Test series down under. It would be great to see Haseeb Hameed work his way back.

Ollie Pope, Joe Root and Ben Stokes will occupy the middle order with Pope possibly up to three in 18 months’ time.

Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler are searching for red-ball form - England are clearly keen to keep the two white-ball stars involved in the longest format.

The batting depth is thin. There’s not a long queue of players piling up runs in county cricket. England were trending in the right direction this winter, though, and they have the nucleus of a superb line-up in Pope, Root and Stokes.

England already had batsmen who light up the cricket IPL odds. They are starting to develop a proper Test line-up capable of toppling Australia.

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Mark Baker / AP Photo*