The horse racing action continues through the months of April, May, June and July as attention turns to Brisbane for its coveted Winter Racing Carnival. Eight Group 1 races take place in the Sunshine State, with more than $6 million on the line in the combined purse.

The first major date for the diary is the Doomben 10,000, held in mid-May and kicking off a run of famous races that features the Doomben Cup, Kingsford Smith Cup and, above all, the showpiece Stradbroke Handicap.

Other highlights include the Group 1 Queensland Derby and Queensland Oaks, as well as the historic Brisbane Cup, which has run since 1866. The best of the action takes place at Eagle Farm Racecourse.

Beyond Brisbane, there’s a handful of other Group 1 races held during the winter months, with standouts such as Sydney’s Winx Stakes, Melbourne’s Memsie Stakes and Adelaide’s Goodwood Handicap.

While the Winter Racing Carnival may not carry the prestige as its seasonal neighbours, it nevertheless attracts some of the world’s best racing talent and can provide fruitful ground for punters.

The Spring Racing Carnival has a rich history dating back more than 160 years, and it remains Australia’s most popular season for horse racing to this day. All eyes turn to Melbourne, which plays host to some of the biggest races in the world in October and November.

Three racecourses — Flemington, Caulfield and Moonee Valley — share the action in Melbourne, with more than 20 Group 1 races taking place over a twelve-week period. The excitement peaks with Melbourne Cup Day, though there are several other races to look out for.

The gruelling Caulfield Cup in mid-October is closely followed by Moonee Valley’s WS Cox Plate. Still, these prestigious events are only a light curtain-raiser to “The Race That Stops The Nation”, otherwise known as the Melbourne Cup, held on the first Tuesday of November.

Sydney has a smaller selection of its own Group 1 contests during the Spring season, with the Golden Rose, Epsom Handicap and Spring Champion Stakes all offering a million-dollar purse to winning horses.

The global appeal of Australia’s Spring Racing Carnival makes it a popular choice for seasoned racing fans and first-time punters alike.

Perth takes centre stage during the holiday season with its showpiece Summer Racing Carnival. Ascot plays host to the bulk of the action, with multiple Group 1 races to be run and a multimillion-dollar combined purse up for grabs.

There are three major race days to note in Perth: the Railway Stakes raises the curtain in November and is closely followed by the Winterbottom Stakes, while the Kingston Town Classic takes place in early December. All three of these Group 1 races are worth $1 million.

Another firm favourite among racing fans is the Group 2 Perth Cup, which is held either on New Year’s Day or New Year’s Eve, giving punters the opportunity to ring in the new year in style.

Elsewhere, Sydney and Melbourne continue their offerings through the summer months, with a handful of prestigious races to note. Arguably the most eye-catching event of them all is Sydney’s Listed Inglis Millennium, owing to its jaw-dropping $2 million purse.

With hundreds of races taking place across all corners of Australia, there’s no shortage of excitement for racing enthusiasts during summer.

Beginning in February and running on a weekly basis through to mid-April, the Autumn Racing Carnival kicks off the calendar year in a big way. 32 Group 1 races take place across Sydney and Melbourne, with a combined purse of more than $40 million up for grabs.

The stakes are steadily raised during the Autumn Racing Carnival, with the action culminating in the showpiece ‘The Championships’ event held in early April at Sydney’s Royal Randwick Racecourse — but there are plenty of other races to look out for too.

Melbourne’s three feature races are the Blue Diamond Stakes, the Australian Cup and the All-Star Mile, taking place on separate weekends between late February and mid-March. In Sydney, the lucrative Golden Slipper is the standout race in the weeks preceding The Championships.

With eight Group 1 Races packed into a two-day period, The Championships is one of the highlights of the Australian racing season, featuring a star-studded schedule headlined by the Doncaster Mile and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

The Autumn Racing Carnival boasts around half of all Group 1 races taking place throughout the season, making it a firm favourite for racing fans in Australia and beyond.