New look TAB Summer Racing Carnival for 2019/20
Monday, 12 August 2019
The Brisbane Racing Club is pleased to confirm a new-look Summer Carnival for 2019-2020 featuring exciting changes to our programs at Eagle Farm and Doomben.
The TAB Summer Racing Carnival will include three consecutive Saturday race meetings at Eagle Farm, prizemoney increases, a switch of a beloved long-term race and the introduction of a new race that ties into our winter carnival.
The Gateway – a $250,000 race for four-year-olds over 1400m – will be run for the first time at Eagle Farm on December 14, offering the winner ballot-free exemption into next year’s Stradbroke.
This meeting will be the first of three consecutive Saturdays at Eagle Farm, featuring the Group 3 Grand Prix Stakes in its new summer home on December 21 and culminating in the Road to Magic Millions Race Day on December 28.
That race day will offer five upgraded black-type races and four chances to secure a wildcard into the Magic Millions program on the Gold Coast two weeks later.
Racing Queensland today announced that the Summer Carnival would begin on the Sunshine Coast on November 16 before moving to Doomben for several race days including the start of the TAB Origin Jockeys Series at the Friday twilight program on December 13.
Eagle Farm then takes over for three Saturdays, recognising the performance of the racing surface and its status as Queensland’s most popular track for wagering turnover, which is the lifeblood of our industry.
The highlights for Eagle Farm and Doomben at this year’s Summer Carnival include:
• The creation of The Gateway with a ticket for the winner into the 2020 Stradbroke
• A new home for the Grand Prix Stakes which will become the final of the 3YO Stayers’ Series and enjoy a prizemoney increase from $150,000 to $250,000
• Increased prizemoney for the BJ McLachlan Stakes for two-year-olds from $200,000 to $250,000
• Increased prizemoney for three-year-old sprinters in the Gold Edition Plate ($125,000 to $200,000) and the Vo Rogue Plate ($200,000 to $300,000)
• A boost for The Nudgee with fillies and mares to race for $200,000 – an increase of $75,000.
• A change to the Doomben twilight program on Friday December 13 with the addition of the $125,000 Phelan Ready and Calaway Gal for two-year-olds
We have worked collaboratively with Racing Queensland to strengthen the Summer Carnival. I thank Racing Queensland for their cooperation to ensure that we provide excellent prizemoney and genuine opportunities for our local owners and trainers to achieve feature race wins on their home tracks.
The Summer Carnival will strengthen our Brisbane Racing Carnival in May and June with the winner of The Gateway and the graduates of the three-year-old Eagle Way Series setting themselves up for the winter.
This will be a new chapter for the Grand Prix, which has been won by the likes of Kingston Town, Surround and Balmerino, and we believe it will continue to unearth new talent.
We look forward to seeing these young summer stayers emerge as frontline chances in the autumn and winter.
This schedule provides opportunities for Eagle Farm and Doomben to be properly managed to ensure their best output for the long term.
Eagle Farm will be rested for 40 days after this year’s Melbourne Cup Day meeting, enabling its first renovation since the track returned to racing late last year. The track will then be ready for the three consecutive December Saturdays.
Doomben will undergo an annual renovation after Wednesday’s meeting and resume for our Country Music Race Day on September 14. Works to the inside of the Doomben track have already commenced. A new irrigation system co-funded with Racing Queensland will be fully operational during this renovation period.
Tickets for the Summer Racing Carnival are on sale now. Click here to buy tickets.
We look forward to seeing you at Eagle Farm and Doomben over the coming months.