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Perth Summer Racing Carnival Tips, Dates & Betting Guide

The Perth Summer Racing Carnival is Western Australia’s premier racing festival, run at Ascot Racecourse from mid-November through to New Year’s Day. Perth Racing brands its five feature Saturdays The Pinnacles, from Champion Fillies’ Day on 14 November to Gold Rush Day on 12 December 2026. At its heart are three $1.5 million Group 1s on three consecutive Saturdays: the Railway Stakes on 21 November, the Winterbottom Stakes on 28 November and the Kingston Town Classic (now run as the Northerly Stakes) on 5 December. The carnival then signs off with the time-honoured Perth Cup on Friday 1 January 2027.

Perth Summer Carnival 2026 Feature Races

Race Grade Distance Prize 2026-27 date Guide
Railway Stakes Group 1 1600m (Hcp) $1.5m Sat 21 Nov 2026 Tips & guide
Winterbottom Stakes Group 1 1200m (WFA) $1.5m Sat 28 Nov 2026 Tips & guide
Kingston Town Classic (Northerly Stakes) Group 1 1800m (WFA) $1.5m Sat 5 Dec 2026 Tips & guide
The Gold Rush Group 3 1400m (WFA) $1.5m Sat 12 Dec 2026 Tips & guide
Perth Cup Group 2 2400m (Hcp) $1m Fri 1 Jan 2027 Tips & guide

 

Also at Ascot: The Quokka. Separate to the summer carnival, Ascot stages The Quokka, Western Australia’s richest race and a $5 million slot sprint over 1200m, each April. See our Quokka guide for tips, recent winners and how the slot system works.

Guide to the Perth Summer Carnival

Held at Ascot Racecourse on the banks of the Swan River, the carnival is the highlight of Perth’s summer sporting and social calendar. The Pinnacles open with the Group 3 WA Champion Fillies’ Stakes (1600m) on Saturday 14 November and build to Railway Stakes Day, Western Australia’s biggest raceday, on 21 November. The Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) follows on 28 November, and the Kingston Town Classic (run since 2022 as the Northerly Stakes) completes the trilogy of Group 1s on 5 December. Gold Rush Day closes The Pinnacles on 12 December, before the staying Perth Cup (2400m) caps the summer on New Year’s Day.

Beyond the three Group 1s, the carnival stages the Group 2 WA Guineas (1600m) for the three-year-olds plus a deep program of Group 3 and Listed races, drawing many of the eastern states’ best gallopers west to take on Perth’s locals. The Perth Cup has been run since 1887 and was cut from 3200m to 2400m in 2009 to lift the quality of the field.

Perth Carnival Betting Angles

  • Respect the WA form. Ascot is a fair, galloping track and the strong local sprinters and milers are hard to beat first-up against eastern raiders still finding their feet on the long trip west.
  • The trilogy form lines tie together. Horses backing up across Railway, Winterbottom and Northerly Stakes days reveal themselves quickly, so track who is peaking through the three weekends.
  • Each-way value in the big handicaps. The Railway Stakes and Perth Cup are competitive handicaps where extra-place specials and each-way plays pay.

Perth Summer Carnival FAQs

When is the Perth Summer Racing Carnival? In 2026 the feature Saturdays, which Perth Racing calls The Pinnacles, run at Ascot from Champion Fillies’ Day on Saturday 14 November to Gold Rush Day on Saturday 12 December, and the Perth Cup follows on Friday 1 January 2027.

What are the Group 1 races? The Railway Stakes (1600m, Saturday 21 November), the Winterbottom Stakes (1200m, Saturday 28 November) and the Kingston Town Classic, now run as the Northerly Stakes (1800m, Saturday 5 December). Each is worth $1.5 million.

Where is it held? At Ascot Racecourse in Perth, Western Australia.

Where to Bet on the Perth Summer Carnival

For the best odds and sign-up offers across the Perth Summer Carnival, see our best horse racing betting sites in Australia guide, or take advantage of the top bookmaker deals below.