The All-Star Mile is Racing Victoria's newest feature race, andĀ is set to become one of the highlights of the Autumn Carnival. It will be first run on March 16, 2019 over a distance of 1,600 metres at Flemington Racecourse. The field of 14 horses will race for a whopping prize purse of five million dollars, making the All-Star Mile just as lucrative as the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate.

The All-Star Mile is in many ways a response to the success Sydney has seen with the Everest. With Sydney also launching the 7.5 million dollar Golden Eagle to be run on Derby Day, Melbourne needed a new race of their own to compete with their state rivals.

What makes the All-Star mile an exciting and innovating race is the way in which horses qualify. Connections merely need to pay a $500 dollar fee to be in with a shot, with a public vote deciding the field of horses that will line up on March 16. Therefore, as long as the horse has a rating of at least 70, any horse from around the world can theoretically contest the All-Star mile.

Another unique aspect to the All-Star mile is that it will be run on a rotating basis between Melbourne's three main metropolitan tracks:Ā Flemington, Caulfield and Moonee Valley. Therefore, each edition will have an entirely different feel to it, where each All-Star mile will seem like an entirely new race.

Many traditionalists remain sceptical about innovations like the All-Star Mile, and only time will tell if the race sticks around. However, in a sport that's dominated by tradition, it is refreshing to see a new approach, whether it turns out to be a success or not.