Your guide to the Australian Cup Carnival

Anticipation is building ahead of the opening night of the Sportsbet Australian Cup Carnival, which kicks off this Saturday night at The Meadows.

Night one sets the scene for the entire three-week carnival, featuring two hand-picked Group 1 races and the opening heats of Australia’s most famous greyhound event.

We’ll see:

The Sportsbet Temlee (525m) for the elite sprinters

The Sportsbet Zoom Top (730m) for the top stayers

Eight heats of the Sportsbet Australian Cup

So how does it all fit together?

The Australian Cup Carnival runs over three weeks, with different pathways depending on whether a greyhound is a sprinter, a stayer or a middle-distance type.

Sprinters (525m)

All greyhounds selected for the Temlee automatically qualify for the Australian Cup semi-finals in Week 2

They are joined in those semi-finals by the top three finishers from each Australian Cup heat this week

The top two from each semi-final progress to the Australian Cup Final in Week 3, making up the final field of eight

WATCH: Mepunga Tully win the 2025 Australian Cup

Stayers (730m)

The best eight stayers line up in the Zoom Top on opening night

In Week 2, the focus shifts to the Fanta Bale (730m) heats, where those Zoom Top runners are joined by all other challengers aiming to qualify for the final

Middle-distance runners (600m)

• The Group 1 Rookie Rebel is run on Australian Cup Final night in Week 3

• This race often brings the series full circle, with:

  • Sprinters who miss a spot in the Australian Cup stepping up in trip

  • Stayers who fall short in the Fanta Bale dropping back in distance

Three weeks. Multiple paths. One huge carnival. It all starts this Saturday night at The Meadows.