Cover image courtesy of Darren Tindale
Racing Victoria (RV) on Wednesday released a raft of changes to its autumn Festival of Racing, including the doubling of prizemoney and a new date for the time-honoured G1 Australian Cup.
Victoria’s Festival of Racing and will take place across seven weekends (both in metropolitan Melbourne and country regions), commencing with the G1 CF Orr S. meeting (1400 metres) on February 11, offering more than $49 million in prizemoney and bonuses.
The 2000-metre Australian Cup, which is run under weight-for-age conditions at Flemington and has been won by some of the champions of the sport, including Makybe Diva (GB) (Desert King {Ire}), Lonhro, Northerly (Serheed {USA}), Octagonal (NZ), Saintly (Sky Chase {NZ}), Vo Rogue (Ivor Prince {USA}) and Ming Dynasty (Planet Kingdom), has been pushed back two weeks and will be held on the last Saturday in March (the 25th) – one week after the $5 million All-Star Mile.
Gallery: Some of the G1 Australian Cup winners, images courtesy of Sportpix
The All-Star Mile has been run the week after Super Saturday (when the Australian Cup is held), since its introduction in 2019.
In 2023, the Australian Cup will receive a significant cash boost, doubling from $1.5 million to $3 million.
“The Australian Cup move is probably the headline act, pushing back a couple of weeks from the current Super Saturday to the backend of March, and the impetus for that was certainly trying to create a schedule where horses could contest The All-Star Mile and the Australian Cup,” RV’s Executive General Manager – Racing, Matt Welsh, told TDN AusNZ.
“The Australian Cup move is probably the headline act, pushing back a couple of weeks from the current Super Saturday to the backend of March, and the impetus for that was certainly trying to create a schedule where horses could contest The All-Star Mile and the Australian Cup.” - Matt Welsh
“I think it’s better suited having the 1600-metre race (The All-Star Mile) prior to having the 2000-metre race (Australian Cup). In 2023, the gap will be a week, that’s just due to the dates, in 2024, it will stretch out to two weeks. We feel that’s the Australian Cup ideally positioned, and to try and ensure that day is the best success it can possibly be, we were keen to provide a really strong support card and that’s going to be headlined by the Roy Higgins and also the Moomba Plate.”
The Listed Roy Higgins (2800 metres), to be contested on Australian Cup Day, will become the sixth golden ticket race for the Melbourne Cup and first of the calendar year.
The race will carry prizemoney of $500,000 – up from $160,000 in 2022 – and become the feature staying race of the Festival of Racing.
Matt Welsh | Image courtesy of Racing Victoria
Australian Cup Day will also feature a new 3-year-old sprinting grand final - the Listed Moomba Plate (1100 metres) – with prizemoney boosted from increased from $160,000 to $500,000.
“There’s two feature races moving onto Australian Cup Day with significant prizemoney increases to try and boost the profile for the races and we are keen to see more golden ticket races into the Melbourne Cup, hence the Roy Higgins will become one of those; it will be the first golden ticket offered into the 2023 Melbourne Cup,” Welsh explained.
“The $500,000 Moomba Plate provides a lucrative 3-year-old sprint grand final during the Festival of Racing which will grow in prominence in coming years.”
“There’s two feature races moving onto Australian Cup Day with significant prizemoney increases to try and boost the profile for the races and we are keen to see more golden ticket races into the Melbourne Cup, hence the Roy Higgins will become one of those; it will be the first golden ticket offered into the 2023 Melbourne Cup.” - Matt Welsh
Diamond gets $500,000 boost
The G1 Blue Diamond S. for 2-year-olds receives a 33 per cent prizemoney increase, with the race to be worth $2 million in 2023.
With Caulfield Racecourse closed for the construction of its second racetrack, the entire 2023 Blue Diamond Series will be run at Sandown, with the Previews on January 26, the Preludes on February 11, and the Blue Diamond S. on February 25.
Welsh said: “It’s an important race for owners, breeders and punters, it’s one of the headline acts of the Festival of Racing, and going to $2 million is very much justified; we want it to be the headline 2-year-old race in Victoria and it is the headline 2-year-old race in Victoria.
“That prizemoney increase gives it the best chance of success. It’s a solid boost to what is a fantastic event.”
“That ($500,000) prizemoney increase gives it the best chance of success. It’s a solid boost to what is a fantastic event (the Blue Diamond).” - Matt Welsh
Further Festival of Racing enhancements
The changes to the autumn carnival brings the total increases in prizemoney and bonuses on offer in Victoria for the 2022/23 racing season to more than $33 million.
Other enhancements to the Festival of Racing include three black-type races added to The All-Star Mile card, them being the $750,000 G2 Alister Clark S., the $200,000 G3 Typhoon Tracy S. and the $175,000 Listed Abell S. The 2023 The All-Star Mile will be held at The Valley.
Flemington will host three Group 1 racedays in March, with the G1 Australian Guineas and the Yulong Stud Newmarket H. to headline the meetings on Saturdays, March 4 and 11 respectively.
Three black-type races have been added to The All-Star Mile race card | Image courtesy of Darren Tindale
And, a new race, the $200,000 Australian Cup Prelude, will be among the revamped support program for Super Saturday with the winner to receive a ticket into the Australian Cup a fortnight later.
“The revamped Festival of Racing not only provides great opportunities for owners, trainers and fans here in Victoria, it complements The Championships in Sydney where horses can progress from their Melbourne grand finals in March to their Sydney grand finals in April,” said Welsh.
