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elbourne Spring Carnival fans are in luck as Racing Victoria Club is not ruling our crowds for the Melbourne Cup.

The racing industry has become the first sporting code in Australia to make vaccinations mandatory to see sporting fans back to the track at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day.

Although there is no possibility of attending the Caulfield Cup and the Cox Plate, fans of the Melbourne Cup attending still remains a possibility.

Racing Victoria CEO, Giles Thompson, said: “[We] have some hope” that crowds may be able to attend the race that stops the nation.

“We have hope because of the road map that was announced on Sunday and it’s all about getting up to 80% vaccination rate, and if we get to that, there’s a chance we’ll have crowds during that Cup week,” he said on SEN’s Whateley.

“We need to get the vaccination rates up and then Victorian Racing Club (VRC) need to work with the health department and the government to get their plans signed off.

“They [VRC] are working hard to make it possible if it is possible.

Although Victorian Racing Club is hopeful fans will return, Thompson understands that fans returning is not the main priority for Victorians right now and doesn’t want to overstep the line.

“It’s really tight.

“Best case scenario, realistically, is a good crowd on Derby Day,” he added.

“The major event on our sporting calendar and to have people there on the rails is really symbolic and important, we’re very cognizant that we’re a part of a broader community that’s going through a really tough time, and we don’t want to be overstepping our position.”