Crown Oaks Day to put fillies centre stage

Undefeated Sydney star Proxima Dea, trained by David Payne and ridden by Zac Lloyd, is the current TAB favourite. She arrives at Flemington unbeaten from five starts, including victories in the Group 3 Gloaming Stakes and Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes. 

 Lexus Melbourne Cup winners Ciaron Maher and Ethan Brown reunite in the Crown Oaks with Icelady, who will be looking to bounce back from her third-place finish in the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes. 

Another key contender is the Chris Waller-trained De Armas, who impressed with her Wakeful Stakes victory on Howden Victoria Derby Day. She will be ridden by James McDonald, who is chasing his third Group 1 win of the carnival.  

The day will also feature the $500,000 Melbourne Cup Carnival Country Final, which shines a spotlight on Victoria’s country racing community, with horses qualifying through heats held at country race meetings across the state. A fan favourite of the Carnival, the Subzero Handicap will also be run, featuring an all-grey field in a race that has become a unique and much-loved spectacle for racegoers across Cup Week. 

The world-famous Birdcage will once again play host to local and international celebrities including Catherine Martin AC and daughter Lily Lurhmann at Lexus, bride to be Annalise Dalins and Nadia Bartel at Crown, Geelong Football Club hero Tom Hawkins and wife Emma Hawkins at TAB, The Block 2026 winners Courtney Kain and Sevilay Keser at Nine and footballer Jordan De Goey and partner Aisha Jade Mackinnon at G.H. Mumm.  

Crown Oaks Day provides that fitting finale for the Melbourne Cup Carnival Fashions on the Field competition, presented by Lexus with registrations opening at 11:30am and closing at 12:30pm for Best Dressed and Best Suited.   

The winners from each category on the day will compete alongside the winners from TAB Turnbull Stakes Day, Howden Victoria Derby Day and Lexus Melbourne Cup Day in the Grand Final, crowning the standout of racewear for 2026. The overall winner for Best Suited and Best Dressed will be announced at 3:35pm and 4:05pm respectively.  

The Elms Live Stage, presented by Maccas and set beneath Flemington’s iconic elm trees at the end of the straight, will once again be the place to be after the last race. Australian popstar Vanessa Amorosi will entertain the crowds with her hits 'Absolutely Everybody' 'Shine' and 'This is who I am'. 

The Victoria Racing Club’s Pin & Win campaign has raised more than $9 million for charities since it was introduced in 1995. This year, pins will be sold across the course for charity partner, Ronald McDonald House Charities Victoria & Tasmania, assisting them as they help seriously ill and injured children and their families stay together and close to hospital by providing accommodation, living support, education and scholarships. 

The commemorative pins sell for $10 for the Lexus Melbourne Cup pin and $20 for the diamante horseshoe and limited addition bejeweled Racehorse pin for $50 with all purchasers eligible to enter the draw to win over $170,00 worth of prizes including a brand new Lexus RX 450H+Luxury.  

Pin & Win Ambassadors Marc and Jessie Murphy, Declan Cleary and Elly Wicks will all be on track to promote the campaign. 

The Victoria Racing Club is proud to partner with DrinkWise to raise awareness amongst racing enthusiasts about the importance of moderation if choosing to consume alcohol. The Victoria Racing Club wholeheartedly supports the DrinkWise messaging which will be seen on digital and social channels, as well on the big screen and 800m track signage, in bars, the entry and exit to Flemington Station, in the race book and at all licensed venues around the track. 

The VRC encourages all racegoers coming to Flemington Racecourse to enjoy the sensational racing on offer during the Melbourne Cup Carnival, respect one another and moderate their consumption so they can leave in the same classy manner in which they arrived.