The winner from this weekend’s Australasian Oaks at Morphettville Racecourse will be offered an exclusive invitation to compete in the prestigious Group 1 Treasury Casino Queensland Oaks in Brisbane.

Race fees and travel expenses for the horse will be covered by the Australasian Challenge, a new invitational scheme designed to attract Australasia’s best racing champions to the Channel Seven Brisbane Racing Carnival.

The new initiative, which is jointly funded by the Brisbane Racing Club and Events Queensland, aims to create a unique State of Origin style race to attract visitors to Brisbane throughout the carnival.

Brisbane Racing Club Chairman Bill Sexton said this year’s carnival was going to be better than ever.

“The greatest races always involve great horses,” he said.

“Our vision was to create the ultimate showdown of Australasia’s racing champions here in Brisbane, setting a new benchmark in Australian racing which champions our local industry.

Horses become eligible for the invitational scheme if they win select sprint legs or Oaks races in Australasia in the lead up to the Channel Seven Brisbane Racing Carnival.

Winning horses from the VRC Oaks, New Zealand Oaks, Western Australian Oaks and Australian Oaks have been invited to compete in the race, Mr Sexton said.

Mr Sexton said eligible horses will be invited to compete in the $1 million Group 1 AAMI Stradbroke and the $400,000 Group 1 Treasury Casino Queensland Oaks.

“The Australasian Challenge will be the ultimate trifecta – the nation’s best horses, in a first class racing carnival, located in the state which has the best winter weather,” he said.

This year’s Channel Seven Brisbane Racing Carnival will take place at Doomben and Eagle Farm Racecourses between May 12 and June 9.

The $400,000 Treasury Casino QLD Oaks will be run on Saturday, June 2 with the $1 million AAMI Stradbroke run a week later on Saturday, June 9. Both events will be held at Eagle Farm Racecourse.