Flemington Racecourse

Flemington Racecourse is a Crown property compromising 127 hectares (320 acres). Although owned by the government, the Racecourse is home to the Victoria Racing Club, which regularly conducts Thoroughbred Horse race meetings there. The race course is shaped not unlike a pear, and boasts a six-furlong (1200 metre) straight known as ‘the Straight Six.’ A $45 million grandstand opened in 2000, and the course amenities include a betting ring and a statue of Phar Lap, Melbourne Cup winner. The land on which the present course now stands was originally owned by businessman Robert Fleming, and over a century has become one of the most prominent racing venues in Australia, attracting 121,015 people in 2000 to watch Brew win the Melbourne Cup, Australia’s richest horse race. The off-track amenities include a $45 million grandstand opened, a bookmakers’ area, and a statue of Phar Lap, a Melbourne Cup winner.