Moonee Valley Racecourse
Established in 1883, the Moonee Valley Racing Club (MVRC) has enjoyed a rich and vibrant history of thoroughbred horse racing at its unique amphitheatre racecourse nestled in the heart of Moonee Ponds, Victoria. Renowned for the W.S. Cox Plate, Australasia’s Weight-for-Age Championship, The Valley is also Australia’s leading night racing venue.
Affectionally known as The Valley, the track has seen many modern superstars grace its track in recent times. most notably Winx managed to rewrite the history books winning a remarkable four Cox Plates in consecutive years.
The Valley is home to four Group 1 races including the Cox Plate, Manikato Stakes, A.J. Moir Stakes and the William Reid Stakes
MOONEE VALLEY HORSE RACING TIPS
There are many meetings held at Moonee Valley each year and our expert horse racing tips are usually released in the days leading up to the meetings.
MOONEE VALLEY HORSE RACING NEWS
Moonee Valley is one of the most popular racecourses in Australia and we are constantly covering the latest horse racing news from this track.
MOONEE VALLEY ADDRESS & HOW TO GET THERE
Moonee Valley Racecourse is located at 1 McPherson St, Moonee Ponds, VIC, 3039
The Valley Racecourse is located approximately six kilometres from the Melbourne CBD and is the home of the MVRC. It is situated in Moonee Ponds which is a suburb of the City of Moonee Valley. The site is bounded by Wilson Street to the north, Dean Street to the south, City Link to the east and Feehan Street to the west.
The Moonee Ponds railway station (on the Craigieburn Line) is located approximately 1km west of the The Valley Racecourse.
A number of bus services operate in the vicinity, with regular stops on Wilson St. and Dean St. The Racecourse is also located 300m from the Moonee Ponds bus interchange.
The Moonee Ponds Junction is 450m to the west of the racecourse. This tram stop services the Route 59 and 82. Route 58 stops on the corner of Melville Rd and Victoria St – 600m from Gate 1.
MOONEE VALLEY RACETRACK SPECIFICATIONS & DETAILS
Moonee Valley Racecourse has a circumference of 1,805 metres and the home straight is 173 metres long. It is the shortest straight in Australia.
This alone makes the Racecourse a huge advantage for front-runners and on-pace runners turning into the straight, it is definitely a specialist track.
Racing is run in an anti-clockwise direction, same as all Victorian tracks.
MAJOR RACES HELD AT MOONEE VALLEY
As mentioned previously, four Group 1 races are held each racing season at Moonee Valley Racecourse.
Australia’s weight-for-age championship, the Cox Plate, run over 2040m, is one of the more integral pieces to the Melbourne Spring Carnival puzzle. With superstars such as Winx, So You Think, Makybe Diva, Northerly and Sunline featuring on the honour roll since the turn of the century, it is clear to see why the race is held in such regards.
Held the night before the Cox Plate, the Manikato Stakes is for the sprinters, ready to light up the turf on Day 1 of the Cox Plate Carnival at The Valley.
Moonee Valley’s first Group 1 each year is the Moir Stakes held over 1000m, a race that the great mare Black Caviar took out in consecutive years back in 2010-11.
The sole race held at the highest level at The Valley in the autumn is the Group 1 William Reid Stakes, run over 1200m.
HOW TO BET ON MOONEE VALLEY RACES
Australia’s top online bookmakers are the best way to wager on Victorian Racing.
All betting sites offer markets for Moonee Valley races on race day and on the days leading up to Saturday meetings. Futures markets will also be available for some of the major races. Many of these sites in Australia also have bookie sign up codes available to their customers.
Moonee Valley Racecourse has TAB facilities, as well as a Bookmaking Ring, where a number of bookmakers are set up for race days.
Punters need to be wary of the Valley, with it tough horse racing track to find winners on if you don’t understand the nuances.
Best Horse Racing Bookmakers
MOONEE VALLEY RACE DATES
The Moonee Valley Racecourse plays host to upwards of 20 meetings each racing season, with a majority of those occurring on Friday nights during the summer months.
Feature meetings such as Feehan Stakes Day and Carlyon Stakes Day alongside Cox Plate Day are a few of the meetings held on a Saturday at The Valley.