Caufield Racecourse Spring Carnival
Every October, Caulfield Racecourse becomes the centre of Melbourne’s spring racing calendar. In 2026 the stakes were even higher: it was the 150th running of the Caulfield Cup.
For Green by Nature’s team at Caulfield, the build-up meant a huge amount of work. The track and gardens came first, because they’re what racegoers, horses and the cameras see. Next came cleaning up the surrounds of the track, so the whole venue looked its best from the gates to the finishing post.
The carnival put pressure on the team from every direction. With the track as the top priority, garden staff were moved onto it, and the garden maintenance started to fall behind.
Then came the schedule. Three race meetings in eight days left almost no time to recover between them, and getting the venue ready for each one meant overtime and weekend work.
Watering added another layer. The carnival called for afternoon irrigation, which took two full-time staff away from their daily jobs for the whole carnival. That left gaps on the track that someone else had to fill.
The answer was to add people where the pressure was greatest, and to share the load fairly.
When the gardens started falling behind, extra staff came in to get on top of them, so presentation didn’t slip while the core team focused on the track. Casual staff joined the track crew to cover for the two team members tied up with afternoon watering.
Most importantly, the team rotated. Afternoon irrigation shifts and overtime were shared out instead of falling on the same people every day. Across a carnival of back-to-back meetings, that kept everyone fresh and avoided burnout, so the crew was as sharp on Cup Day as on the first day.
Key numbers: 3 race meetings in 8 days · the 150th Caulfield Cup · 2 staff dedicated to afternoon irrigation all carnival · extra garden and casual track staff brought in ·
The spring carnival was a success. The track, gardens and surrounds were ready for every meeting, including the 150th Caulfield Cup.
The client was extremely happy with how the team handled the extra workload. Behind that result was a crew that planned ahead, brought in help where it counted, and looked after each other through eight demanding days.
