Group 1 racing continues at Sandown Racecourse on Saturday, 14 November 2026, with the $1 million C.F. Orr Stakes headlining the final major Victorian meeting of the Spring Racing Carnival.

The 1400-metre weight-for-age contest is part of a 10-race programme at Sandown Hillside, which also includes the Group 2 Zipping Classic, Group 2 Sandown Guineas and Group 3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes.

Following the conclusion of the Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington on 7 November, attention now turns to Sandown for another afternoon of metropolitan racing.

Nominations for Saturday’s feature races were released on Monday, 9 November, with final fields and barriers to be confirmed ahead of the meeting.

C.F. Orr Stakes 2026 Race Information

The C.F. Orr Stakes is one of Victoria’s established Group 1 weight-for-age races. It is contested over 1400 metres and carries $1 million in prize money.

The race is now held during the late spring period, having previously occupied an early-season position on the Australian racing calendar.

Its revised scheduling places it among the final Group 1 events in Victoria for the calendar year.

C.F. Orr Stakes 2026 Nominations

The 2026 C.F. Orr Stakes attracted 13 nominations when entries closed on Monday, 9 November. The nominated horses represent several established Australian training operations, with the field expected to include runners carrying previous Group 1 and other stakes-racing records. The final field will be determined through the acceptance process. The nominations should therefore be treated as preliminary information. Horses may be withdrawn before final declarations, while jockey bookings and barrier allocations can also change. For the current nominations and trainer details, readers can refer to the C.F. Orr Stakes 2026 nominations. The final-field information will be updated once acceptances are officially confirmed.

C.F. Orr Stakes Moves Into the Spring Racing Programme

The C.F. Orr Stakes has undergone a significant scheduling change in recent seasons. Traditionally held in February, the race previously formed part of the early autumn Group 1 programme.  Its move to November has established the event as a late-spring feature following the Melbourne Cup Carnival. The 2025 edition was won by Jimmysstar, who defeated Angel Capital and Evaporate. That meeting marked the first running of the C.F. Orr Stakes in its revised spring position.

The 2026 event continues the arrangement, with Sandown Hillside hosting the Group 1 race on Saturday, 14 November. The Melbourne Racing Club has also confirmed Sandown’s expanded role in the Victorian metropolitan racing calendar during the 2026–27 season.

Sandown Racing Programme for 14 November 2026

Saturday’s programme features 10 races, including several Group and Listed events. The C.F. Orr Stakes is the principal Group 1 contest, supported by races covering sprinting, mile and staying distances.

Major races scheduled at Sandown

The complete race times and running order will be available in the official meeting programme following final declarations.

Zipping Classic 2026

The Group 2 Zipping Classic is scheduled over 2400 metres and carries $750,000 in prize money. The race attracted 15 nominations, including Australian-trained and internationally prepared staying horses. It remains an established part of Victoria’s late-spring racing calendar and provides another 2400-metre contest following the major staying races held during the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Sandown Guineas 2026

The Group 2 Sandown Guineas is contested over 1600 metres for three-year-old horses. The 2026 edition attracted 17 nominations, with $400,000 in prize money available. The race has a history of producing significant performances from developing three-year-olds and continues the programme of age-restricted stakes racing after the Flemington Carnival.

Thoroughbred Club Stakes 2026

The Group 3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes is scheduled over 1200 metres for three-year-old fillies. The event carries $1 million in prize money and attracted 21 nominations for its 2026 running.

It provides another major stakes opportunity for fillies following the spring sprinting events conducted at Caulfield and Flemington.

What Is a Weight-for-Age Race?

The C.F. Orr Stakes is conducted under weight-for-age conditions. Under this system, the weights carried by horses are determined principally by their age and sex according to the applicable racing scale. Weight-for-age races differ from handicaps, where individual horses receive allocated weights based on their assessed racing performance. The C.F. Orr Stakes therefore provides a major Group 1 contest under a different set of conditions from several of the handicaps held during the Melbourne Cup Carnival. The official race conditions, final allocated weights and declarations should be consulted once the acceptances are published.

Where Does Sandown Fit Into the Spring Racing Carnival?

The 2026 Melbourne Cup Carnival concluded at Flemington on Saturday, 7 November. Its four meetings included Victoria Derby Day, Melbourne Cup Day, Crown Oaks Day and Champions Stakes Day.  The Carnival produced several major Group 1 results, including Point Of Law’s Melbourne Cup victory, Proxima Dea’s Crown Oaks success and the three Group 1 races on Champions Stakes Day. The C.F. Orr Stakes meeting extends Melbourne’s major spring racing programme beyond those four Flemington meetings. Sandown Hillside will host the Group 1 feature and a supporting programme of stakes races on 14 November. Readers can find further information about the earlier meetings in Jig Racing’s Spring Racing Carnival 2026 guide.

When Will the C.F. Orr Stakes Final Field Be Available?

The nominations were published on Monday, 9 November, with final acceptances scheduled for Wednesday, 11 November. The final field will confirm the declared starters, trainers, riding engagements, allocated weights and barriers. The complete Sandown programme will also provide the scheduled start time for each race. The official meeting information is available through the Melbourne Racing Club racing calendar. Further changes may occur through scratchings or approved rider replacements before Saturday’s meeting.

Following the C.F. Orr Stakes and Sandown Results

The C.F. Orr Stakes is scheduled for Saturday, 14 November 2026, at Sandown Hillside. Official results and race replays will become available following the meeting through Australian racing authorities and broadcasters. Jig Racing covers Australian thoroughbred racing throughout the year, including major race results, form analysis and Blackbook content. Further details about Jig Racing’s services are available through the Jig Racing membership packages. Saturday’s Sandown meeting will bring another Group 1 contest to the closing stages of Victoria’s 2026 Spring Racing Carnival.