Credit: Michael Klein (Herald Sun)
"It’s your race, they’re your All-Stars”. In an exciting first for Australian racing, fans will get the chance to determine who contests the nation’s newest feature race following an announcement today by the Victorian racing industry.
Racing Victoria (RV) and the State’s three metropolitan racing clubs – the Victoria Racing Club (VRC), Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) and Moonee Valley Racing Club (MVRC) – have combined to launch The All-Star Mile in which votes from fans will determine the horses that are selected to compete.
The All-Star Mile will debut on Saturday, 16 March 2019 at Flemington and is set to become the signature race of the Festival of Racing, a showcase of premier Victorian racing held annually throughout February and March.
In another first for Australian racing, The All-Star Mile will be rotated annually across three Victorian metropolitan tracks with the inaugural edition to be held at Flemington Racecourse.
With total prizemoney of $5 million on offer, The All-Star Mile launches as the richest 1600-metre event in world racing with the coveted All-Star to collect $2.25 million for winning. The nomination fee for The All-Star Mile is just $500 with no acceptance fees required.
The All-Star Mile will be run under weight-for-age conditions with a field of 14 All-Stars and four emergencies selected. The top 10 vote-getters will secure a start in The All-Star Mile with RV retaining four wildcards to include horses into the final field, whether an original nominee or not.
In line with RV’s existing Group 1 entry conditions, horses must have an official RV handicap rating of 70 at the close of nominations to be eligible to compete as a fan-voted runner.
In keeping with the theme of The All-Star Mile, fans will also get to share in the thrill and glory with one lucky voter selected for each All-Star. They will become a nominal owner of that horse for The All-Star Mile and each will win a share of $500,000 in prizemoney as part of the $5 million total prize pool.
RV Chief Executive, Giles Thompson, said: “We’re delighted to join with our three metropolitan Clubs in launching The All-Star Mile which will be shared on rotation across Flemington, Caulfield and The Valley and become a signature event for Victorian racing.
“Australia boasts so many passionate and dedicated racing fans across all states and we want to give them a race to own. The All-Star Mile will be the first race in Australia where the fans decide who secures their shot at stardom.
“We want racing fans to determine who the All-Stars are and who should get their chance to compete for a share of the $5 million in prizemoney on offer. Will you vote for your favourite horse, your favourite trainer or be parochial and vote for your state? The choice is yours.”
Victoria Racing Club (VRC) Chief Executive, Neil Wilson said: “It has been great to work with the metropolitan racing clubs and Racing Victoria in a collaborative manner to bring The All-Star Mile to life. We’re delighted to be hosting the inaugural The All-Star Mile at Flemington next March and look forward to delivering an exciting and memorable raceday experience for the all who attend Flemington on the day.”
Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) Chief Executive, Josh Blanksby, said: “This is such a great initiative and yet another example of the Victorian racing industry’s commitment to delivering great events and experiences for the fans of racing. The All-Star Mile is for the fans to own and we can’t wait for it to be run at Caulfield.”
Moonee Valley Racing Club (MVRC) Chief Executive, Michael Browell, said: “It’s terrific that the three metropolitan clubs and Racing Victoria can come together on this exciting new initiative with The All-Star Mile and to drive deeper engagement with racing fans across the Autumn Carnival.”
How does The All-Star Mile work?
- Owners/trainers are invited to nominate their horse for The All-Star Mile by early January 2019;
- Fans are then invited to vote online for the horse they want to see contest The All-Star Mile from among the list of nominations. Voting will close late February 2019;
- The 10 highest vote-getters will be selected to contest The All-Star Mile;
- Four wildcards will be determined by 5 March 2019 to complete the field of 14 All-Stars;
- The final field will be confirmed and the barrier draw conducted by 12 March 2019.
For more information, please click here or visit www.allstarmile.com