Racing Victoria may be forced to run next year's Turnbull Stakes meeting on a Sunday to dodge a later AFL Grand Final.

With the introduction of a new team to next year's AFL schedule it is likely to shift the traditional September grand-final to the first Saturday in October.

The AFL will make a final decision this October.

Racing Victoria CEO Rob Hines said the shift would have an impact on the spring carnival and was disappointed in its intrusion into October but racing may have to accommodate it.

The Moonee Valley Racing Club are expecting to still hold the Manikato Stakes meeting on Grand Final eve but the traditional Flemington Turnbull meeting may be forced onto that corresponding Sunday.

That means two feature race days with Group 1's just two days apart.

The spring carnival is traditionally launched during the week leading up to the Turnbull but next year that would likely be overshadowed by AFL fever.

Meanwhile a move to Sunday for the Ballarat Cup meeting has been met with much greater enthusiasm.

The Ballarat Cup, usually run on the third Wednesday in November, officially marks the end of the spring carnival but its move to Sunday has been welcomed by not only the Ballarat Turf Club but the wider community.

This year's Ballarat Cup will be run on Sunday, 21 November and is expected to prove a bumper day for the club.

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