RACING Queensland has formulated a new-look Thoroughbred Summer Carnival for 2016/17 which Racing Minister Grace Grace believes will make Queensland “the envy of New South Wales and Victoria”.
Ms Grace unveiled the new-look carnival on Thursday, September 22 which features an extra $380,000 in prizemoney allocated in a format that boasts 16 black-type races in the lead-up to Magic Millions on January 14.
A total of $13 million prizemoney will be offered over the entire carnival which formally starts on November 19 at Eagle Farm and ends on January 28 at the Sunshine Coast Turf Club meeting.
With the carnival still largely built around the success and profile of Australia’s richest raceday – the $10 million Magic Millions – Racing Queensland has created four major lead-up racedays at Doomben on December 3 and December 17, Eagle Farm on New Year’s Eve, and the Gold Coast on January 7. Six of the eight races at the December 31 meeting at Eagle Farm feature black type.
RQ chairman Steve Wilson said RQ Board members believed there would be continued significant interest in the carnival from owners, trainers and punters at a time of year when there were few other Black Type Races on offer around Australia.
“The new RQ Board has a lot of energy and is committed to delivering outstanding outcomes for Queensland. The Queensland Summer Racing Carnival is just one exciting new initiative that forms part of the Board’s bold new vision for the racing industry in this state,” he said.
Magic Millions managing director Vin Cox said he was looking forward to the increased participation and depth the new Summer Carnival program would entice. “The changes to programming provide a pathway for not only 2YOs and 3YOs, but sprinters, milers, stayers and fillies and mares. There are now opportunities across the board to race in Queensland over summer, earn Black Type and compete on a $10 million race day,” he said
Other highlights of the new look Queensland Summer Racing Carnival include:
- $250,000 Bernborough Handicap (1600m) at Eagle Farm on New Year’s Eve. The elevation of this race’s prizemoney by $100,000 provides a platform for horses out of the Group 2 Villiers in Sydney to target the Bernborough. A purse of this size is extraordinary for a race with Listed status.
- Introduction of four Country Cup Qualifiers leading into the Magic Millions Country Cup on January 14. Each qualifier will be run for a purse of $30,000 with a $20,000 bonus if the winner is Magic Millions registered. The qualifiers will be run at Townsville (December 17), Sunshine Coast (December 18), Warwick (December 26) and Rockhampton (December 31).
- Movement of the final day of the high profile Jockey Origin Series from Brisbane Racing Club to Gold Coast Turf Club on January 7 to showcase the best riders from Australasia a week out from the Magic Millions Raceday. It will be the main Metropolitan Queensland race meeting on the day.
Minister for handing out trophies
“A CHEAP and nasty PR stunt’ is how Shadow Racing Minister Jon Krause has described last week’s announcement by Racing Minister Grace Grace of extra prizemoney for the Thoroughbred Summer Carnival.
“The Minister is up to her usual tricks by pretending she actually cares about Queensland’s racing industry when she’s only interested in handing out trophies for the cameras,” Mr Krause said.
“The announcement of an additional $380,000 in prizemoney is a drop in the ocean compared with the $18.2 million in prizemoney the Palaszczuk Labor Government cut last December. The industry is still reeling from those savage cuts, shattering confidence at a time when the big racing states of NSW and Victoria are powering ahead.
“NSW recently announced Saturday stakes would soar to a record $100,000 per race from October 1 – a far cry from what’s on offer from the Palaszczuk Labor Government. The Minister’s announcement is nothing more than a PR campaign and no one has forgotten, or got over, the savage nature of her decisions which have brought the racing industry in Queensland to its knees.”
