With Victoria Derby Day approaching on Saturday, 31 October, the Melbourne Cup Carnival is about to get underway at Flemington. Four major race meetings across eight days will bring together some of Australia’s leading thoroughbreds, with plenty of racing to follow throughout the week.

For racing followers, it’s also a good opportunity to make use of a Blackbook.

Jig Racing provides subscribers with a dedicated Blackbook feature, allowing them to follow horses identified by thoroughbred analyst Josh McLoughlan, as well as maintain their own list of horses they want to keep an eye on.

Whether you’re following the Spring Racing Carnival closely or keeping track of horses throughout the season, the Blackbook provides a practical way to organise your selections.

What Is the Jig Racing Blackbook?

A Blackbook is a way of keeping track of horses that have caught your attention, so you can follow their progress and revisit them when they race again.

At Jig Racing, Josh McLoughlan identifies horses for the Blackbook through his racing analysis. These may include runners that have shown encouraging trial form, produced noteworthy performances or demonstrated potential during their preparation.

Subscribers can access Josh’s Blackbook entries and add horses to their personal Favourites list.

You can also add horses you’ve identified yourself, allowing you to maintain your own collection alongside those highlighted by Josh.

The feature is available through the Jig Racing member dashboard, making it easy to return to your saved horses throughout the racing season.

Using Your Blackbook During the Melbourne Cup Carnival

The 2026 Melbourne Cup Carnival begins with Victoria Derby Day on 31 October, followed by Melbourne Cup Day on 3 November, Oaks Day on 5 November and Champions Stakes Day on 7 November.

With four meetings at Flemington in just over a week, there will be plenty of racing for subscribers to follow.

If you already use the Jig Racing Blackbook, the Carnival is a good time to revisit your saved horses and check their progress.

You can also keep adding horses to your personal Favourites as the Carnival unfolds, building a list that remains available after the Flemington meetings have finished.

The Blackbook isn’t limited to major race meetings. Your saved horses remain part of your personal list, allowing you to continue following them as the racing calendar moves on.

How to Add Horses to Your Favourites

Jig Racing makes it straightforward to keep track of horses you want to follow.

When Josh identifies a horse for the Blackbook, a heart icon appears alongside its entry. Selecting the heart adds that horse to your personal Favourites list.

You can also add your own horses to personalise your Blackbook.

Your saved horses can be viewed and managed through the Blackbook section of your member dashboard.

This gives subscribers a single place to keep their selections, rather than having to maintain separate notes or remember which horses they wanted to follow.

Blackbook SMS Notifications

Jig Racing also provides SMS notifications to subscribers when new batches of horses are added to the Blackbook.

These notifications help keep members informed when Josh has identified additional runners to follow.

Subscribers can then access their Blackbook and review the latest additions.

SMS notifications are also used for other Jig Racing services, including new tips and Late Mail selections. Blackbook updates are a separate part of that subscriber service.

Using Your Blackbook Throughout the Racing Season

While the Spring Racing Carnival brings considerable attention to Flemington, the Blackbook is designed for use throughout the racing season.

Horses can remain in your Favourites list as they progress through subsequent preparations and racing campaigns.

For subscribers who follow racing regularly, maintaining a Blackbook provides a convenient way to keep track of horses over time.

You can follow Josh’s latest Blackbook additions, manage your own selections and revisit saved horses whenever you return to the member dashboard.

Get Started with the Jig Racing Blackbook

If you’re following Victoria Derby Day and the Melbourne Cup Carnival this year, take a look at the Blackbook available through your Jig Racing subscription.

You can explore horses identified by Josh McLoughlan, save your own Favourites and receive notifications when new Blackbook entries are added.

Visit Jig Racing to explore subscription options, or read the Jig Racing FAQs for instructions on using the Blackbook.