Public to have say in deciding field for new A$5 million mile showpiece

A new A$5 million weight-for-age mile race will be run during the 2019 Autumn Carnival – and the public will get a chance to shape the field via a ballot.

The first edition of the All-Star Mile will take place at Flemington on March 16, 2019, and will be one of the richest mile races in the world.

Of the 14 spots up for grabs in the field, ten will be decided by public vote with the remaining four 'wildcards' at the discretion of Racing Victoria.

Winx: the primary target for organisers of the All-Star MileCredit: Scott Barbour (Getty Images)

Superstar mare Winx will be highly sought after for the inaugural running of the race with the mid-March date potentially fitting in well with her Sydney autumn plans.

Racing Victoria chief executive Giles Thompson said the race will rotate annually between the three major courses in RV's estate – Flemington, Moonee Valley and Caulfield.

Thompson said: "The core of the race will be the same year in, year out, but the experience will be totally different because the clubs will bring what they bring.

"The fans just want to get involved and this enables them to get involved. Australia boasts so many passionate and dedicated racing fans across all states and we want to give them a race to own."

How will 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 ten highest vote recipients will be selected to contest the All-Star Mile
• Four wildcards will be selected by Racing Victoria by March 5, 2019, to complete the field of 14 All-Stars
• The final field will be confirmed and the barrier draw conducted by 12 March 2019

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