Record prize money for NQ Winter Racing Carnival

Staged from July 5 to September 14, the three-month carnival has been bolstered with an additional $250,000 for the five Cup races held across Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, Cairns and FNQ Amateurs, ensuring each of the staying features now carries a purse of $150,000.

In addition, the TAB Queensland Northern Crowns Series, which provides up to $350,000 in bonuses for any sprinter or stayer which can secure three of the five respective features held throughout the carnival, is set to return.

"North Queensland provides an amazing backdrop throughout winter to race. This year we've made a conscious decision to bolster the prize money for our Cups, while continuing the popular Northern Crowns Series," Racing Queensland CEO Brendan Parnell said.

"By offering up to $350,000 in bonuses - in addition to record prize money - there is real incentive for trainers to target the Northern Crowns and extend their horses' campaigns throughout the entire carnival. Thanks to the support of the Queensland government, we've also been able to implement significant prize money increases over the past eight months for Northern Provincial Showcase meetings (36 per cent), Standard meetings (21pc) and Saturday Provincial 2 meetings (25pc)," he said.

First introduced in 2018, the Northern Crowns Series offers a $150,000 bonus to any horse that can secure three of the five staying races - the bonus swells to $200,000 should one of the three wins include the FNQ Amateurs Cup on September 14. The incentive scheme is mirrored for sprinters with a $100,000 bonus initially on offer, which rises to $150,000 if victory includes the Cairns Amateurs Open Sprint.

In addition to the staying races, the Rockhampton Newmarket Handicap and Townsville's Cleveland Bay will be run as $100,000 features this year, while the Mackay Newmarket will boast $75,000. The Cairns Newmarket and Cairns Amateurs Open Sprint both rise to $75,000 in further prize money increases.

With the carnival commencing in Rockhampton on July 5, Mr Parnell said he looked forward to nine days of fantastic racing. "The North Queensland features are always exciting events in their own right. They're an important component of our racing calendar and capture the attention of the community and punters alike. I'm sure our increased prize money will only add to the excitement," he said.

THE Sunshine Coast Turf Club will push for a prize money increase and an upgrade to Group 2 status for its Guineas next season.

The Sunshine Coast Guineas (1600m) has been a Group 3 race since 2014 after attaining Listed status in 2007. However its current $140,000 prize money is $35,000 less than the Listed Caloundra Cup and Listed Glasshouse Handicap.

The Guineas has been the undisputed success story of the recent winter carnivals and from its previous five winners it has produced stellar performances. Future champion Winx won the Guineas in 2015, to begin her 33-race winning streak which included 25 Group 1 victories. Tivaci (2016) and The Bostonian (2018) went on to win Group 1 races while Crack Me Up (2017) and Hopfgarten (2014) won Group 2 and 3 races respectively.

Racing and Sports webnews reports SCTC chairman Peter Boyce said the Guineas deserved an upgrade on its performances in recent years. "The statistics speak for themselves. At this stage it is our only Group status race in the carnival but it stands up to a lot of Group 2s around the country. A boost in prize money and a Group 2 rating would see it attract even more quality horses late in the carnival," he said.

This year's winner Baccarat Baby is now regarded as one of the main chances to be named Queensland Horse of the Year after winning five races this season including the Group 2 Sunshine Guineas and the Listed Princess Stakes - both at Caloundra. Trained locally by David Vandyke, the 3YO filly now has seven wins and four places from 15 starts including a perfect four-from-four at the Caloundra track.

One of 16 stakes winners for Group 1 winner Casino Prince, Baccarat Baby is bred and raced by Sunshine Coast-based Peter Harris and former Sydney neighbour Matthew Irwin. The filly is from the winning Johannesburg (USA) mare Meerlust bought by Irwin and Harris at 2009 Scone Inglis yearling sale for $22,000. A grand-daughter of the blue hen, Fanfreluche, Meerlust's imported dam Flying Visit (USA) is from a three-quarter sister to L'On Vite (dam of Holy Roman Emperor) and to Grand Luxe (dam of Casino' Prince's sire Flying Spur and granddam of Encosta De Lago).

MAGIC Millions in partnership with the Gold Coast Turf Club has announced a new International Raceday to coincide with Australia's premier breeze up style auction.

The raceday will be supported by eight leading international racing clubs and associations on Saturday, October 12 - just three days before the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast 2YOs in Training Sale and Spring Racehorse Sale. Each race will be sponsored by an international racing organisation and include trophy, flag and anthem presentations across the day at Aquis Park.

The Gold Coast 2YOs in Training Sale is a popular auction in particular with international buyers and is the number one sale of its kind in Australia for producing racetrack stars around the globe. The eight sponsors are:

Magic Millions' sales director David Chester and Gold Coast Turf Club director Luke Henderson have been the driving forces behind the raceday and are excited to have the support from eight Asian racing leaders. "We are again expecting strong support from owners and trainers from the clubs taking part in this important international event held at the Gold Coast," Chester said.

Chester said the new initiative would provide a perfect opportunity for international visitors to enjoy an exciting local raceday prior to finding the next racetrack star at the sale. "This is the first time an international race meeting has been held in conjunction with an important Australian industry auction. "We hope this new raceday will grow in the years to come with the support of the Gold Coast Turf Club," he said.

THE English Derby win at Epsom by Anthony Van Dyck four weeks ago on June 1 followed by a second place in the Irish Derby at The Curragh last Saturday has kept Australia in the international breeding spotlight.

In a thrilling 240th edition of the English Derby classic, Anthony Van Dyck under Seamie Heffernan stormed home to win giving trainer Aidan O'Brien his seventh success in the race. He subsequently ran second in the Irish Derby (2400m) held at The Curragh behind Sovereign with Norway third.

All three are by the same sire Galileo, owned by the same connections - Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor - and trained by Aiden O'Brien. Galileo has now sired six Irish Derby winners while O'Brien has won the classic 13 times plus provided the trifecta six times.

In addition to his Irish Derby trifecta, Galileo also made his presence felt at he Sunshine Coast when his imported daughter Igraine won the 2400m Listed Caloundra Cup. Bred in Germany and trained in New Zealand by Robert Priscott, Igraine was bought by New Zealand agent Paul Moroney for 65,000 guineas at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2017 after she had won a maiden event in Germany.

And, just one week earlier, Galileo gained more Group 1 glory as a broodmare sire courtesy of Invincbella winning the Tattersall's Tiara at Brisbane's Eagle Farm. She is from the unraced mare Abscond - a member of Galileo's fifth and final shuttle season to Australia in 2006.

Anthony Van Dyk's Epsom Derby win was a triumph for the Australian breeding industry. The Galileo colt is from the group winning Exceed And Excel mare Believe'n'succeed - a 2YO group winner for Melbourne trainer Mark Kavanagh.

Bred by Darley, Believe'n'succeed was bought by Kavanagh for $300,000 at the 2007 Gold Coast Yearling Sale before a short but successful racetrack career and then retiring to stud.

She was next offered at auction by South Australian breeder Michael Birchall at the 2014 Patinack Farm Complete Dispersal Sale at the Gold Coast where she was bought by Coolmore's Tom Magnier for $1.1 million in foal to Street Cry. Believe'n'succeed was slated for sale through the Attunga Stud draft a few months earlier at the National Broodmare Sale but was a late withdrawal through illness. She then was offered when Patinack Farm was dispersed later in the year and Attunga presented her there to prospective buyers.

As well as being the dam of Anthony Van Dyck, Believe'n'succeed has produced the outstanding New Zealand Group 1 winner Bounding who was sold as a breeding prospect for $1.9 million to John Moynihan on behalf of US breeder Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Farm at the 2016 National Broodmare Sale. She is now in Kentucky and is being bred to the best on offer in the US.