This race was Melbourne’s answer to Peter V’landys’ Sydney showpiece, but fans will no longer have a voice

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The field for Racing Victoria’s prized autumn feature, the All-Star Mile, will no longer be voted in by the public – with a golden ticket style win-and-you’re-in system in-place instead.

The race, introduced in 2019 by Racing Victoria in response to Peter V’landy’s rich Everest sprint in the spring, was created to allow everyday punters to vote on who they wanted to run in the race, with the top 10 most popular horses guaranteed a start if they wanted it.

The problem was, not all 10 wanted to run in the race. So, from next year, a number of win-and-you’re-in races will determine who is offered a spot, which, along with eight wildcard selections, will lead to the All-Star Mile being a $4 million grand final in the middle of the autumn carnival.

The All-Star Mile field will no longer be voted by the public.Credit: Racing Photos

This Saturday’s group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield, which was moved this year from September to November, will provide the first golden ticket into next year’s All-Star Mile.

Recently, a number of horses voted by the fans have ended up pulling out of the All-Star Mile, while Sydney’s champion trainer Chris Waller has avoided setting horses for the race, because of the lack of guarantee his horses would gain a start.

Superstars Winx and The Autumn Sun did not compete in the first edition in 2019, while in 2022 Waller withdrew Verry Elleegant, who had been voted into the race, and declined a berth with emergency Espiona. Godolphin star Anamoe also bypassed the race during his career. This year, I Wish I Win was voted in the top 10, only for Peter Moody to decide to withdraw him in favour of a sprinting path.

By the time this year’s All-Star Mile field was finalised, 18 emergencies had declined to run, leaving 19th emergency So Si Bon with a spot in the race.

The method of replacing those runners with a provisional list of emergencies also meant a number of x-factor horses missed out on getting into the race because they hadn’t won enough prizemoney to be higher on the emergency list.

In 2022, Top Ranked – an import for Annabel Neasham who finished fifth in the Chipping Norton three weeks before the All-Star Mile – was too low on the emergency list to gain a run. He went on to show six months later that he was one of the country’s top milers, winning the Epsom Handicap in the spring.

Following this Saturday’s Sir Rupert Clarke, New Zealand will host the next two win-and-you’re-in races at Ellerslie at the Karaka Millions race meeting on January 27.

The All-Star Mile will be run for the sixth time next March.Credit: Racing Victoria

The CF Orr and Futurity Stakes, both group 1s at Caulfield over 1400 metres in February, will also be exempt races, with the Australian Guineas and Blamey Stakes a fortnight out from the All-Star Mile providing the last two golden tickets. An eighth win-and-you’re-in race is still to be determined.

The field will also be increased from 15 to 16, meaning Racing Victoria will hand out at least eight wildcards for next year’s race. It remains the only race held on rotation across the three metropolitan race clubs, with next year’s edition to be held at Caulfield.

“We want to attract the best field possible and ensure the race connects perfectly with the Australian Cup, which will be run a fortnight after the All-Star Mile for the first time in 2024,” Racing Victoria’s executive general manager of racing Matt Welsh said.

“The new mixture of ‘win-and-you’re-in’ races and wildcard selections provides greater flexibility in field selection, whilst ensuring we retain intrigue around its composition.”

The race has been cut in prizemoney from $5 million to $4 million for 2024. The owner-ambassador component, which involves everyday Australians being given the chance to experience the thrill of ownership and collect a piece of the prizemoney, has been retained.

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