FEATURE
DESIGNING THE LOOK Every state has its own rules, but the challenge is the same: create something distinctive. In Victoria, there are no restrictions on design beyond a ban on numerals, words, offensive motifs, and commercial branding. Every single- colour jacket combination has long since been taken, so multiple colours are now required. Above all, colours need to be easily distinguished at speed and under the cameras, with poor contrast or overly complicated designs among the common reasons a submission is rejected. MAKING IT OFFICIAL Design first, register second – an unregistered combination can be claimed by someone else. In Victoria, colours are registered through Racing Victoria, with each state and racing code maintaining its own register. A set approved for thoroughbred racing doesn’t automatically carry over to harness racing. Colours can also, in some circumstances, be passed down through a family, subject to approval. FROM DESIGN TO THE TRACK Once approved, colours become fabric. Australian manufacturers typically take 10 to 15 working days to produce a set, longer for elaborate designs. Silk itself gave way to synthetics generations ago, but the attention to detail remains – from shades and thread types to buttons and trim. The finished colours need to look sharp in the mounting yard, stand out from the grandstand and read clearly on television. WHOSE COLOURS ARE THEY? A trainer’s horses don’t necessarily wear the trainer’s colours. Racing silks belong to the registered owner, which is why a single stable can send horses out in completely different colours on the same day. Winx, for example, raced in the blue-and-white colours of her owners, Magic Bloodstock Racing, rather than Chris Waller’s purple and white. But some trainers have also owned horses or raced under colours so closely associated with their stable that they have become part of its identity. Bart Cummings’ famous green and gold is the classic Australian example – a set of colours that became synonymous with the Cups King and his extraordinary record at Flemington. WHERE IT ALL BEGAN Australia has its own racing-colour traditions, but the idea is much older. British registrations made before the early 1970s were exempt from later design rules, while some historic sets feature elaborate braiding that would not be approved today. And the practice of using colour to distinguish competitors stretches all the way back to Roman chariot racing, when drivers wore different-coloured jackets at the Circus Maximus.
FLEMINGTON’S MOST FAMOUS SILKS
Green & Gold – Bart Cummings So iconic, they cannot be replicated until 2063. Only three Cups were won in them, but the Cups King trained 12 winners and 50-plus Group 1s at Flemington.
Navy & White – Lloyd Williams The modern Cup standard – seven wins since 1985, five between 2007 and 2020 alone, including Rekindling and Twilight Payment.
Salmon & Black – Black Caviar Racing’s most recognisable silks. Eight wins at Flemington, a still-standing 1000m record, and never a loss.
Green, White & Black – Lindsay Park Registered by Colin Hayes in 1965. Carried by Better Loosen Up to Cox Plate and Japan Cup glory, and still flying today with Mr Brightside.
Royal Blue – Godolphin Spring Carnival royalty. Cross Counter’s 2018 Cup triumph headlines a roll call that includes Anamoe, Cascadian, and Bivouac.
Royal Blue, White Southern Cross & Red-and-White Checks – Makybe Diva Tony Santic’s royal blue and red-and-white checked silks – a tribute to his Croatian birthplace and Australian home – carried the only mare to win three straight Melbourne Cups (2003–05).
Red, Black & White – Phar Lap Trainer Harry Telford’s red, black and white became racing’s most iconic silks when Phar Lap wore them to his legendary 1930 Melbourne Cup win – colours still instantly recognisable a century on.
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