Australian Turf Club has released race dates for the 2018/19 season, with 114 metropolitan fixtures to be held across four Sydney metropolitan racecourses and supporting provincial venues.
The highly-anticipated Sydney spring starts on Saturday 18 August 2018 with the recently upgraded Group 1 Winx Stakes, and continues to The Agency Melbourne Cup Day Race Meeting at Royal Randwick on Tuesday 6 November 2018.
Premium Group racing heightens across six consecutive weeks in spring from Saturday 8 September, starting with Run To The Rose Day at Rosehill Gardens.
The pinnacle of the Carnival is The Everest to be run for a new record $13 million in prizemoney on Saturday 13 October 2018 at Royal Randwick.
The Everest race day will include the Sydney Stakes, which from 2018 will be a Group 3 event and carry $500,000 in prizemoney, again acting as The Everest consolation.
“These upgraded races offer an enhanced opportunity for trainers and owners to share in significant increases in prizemoney, with clear pathways towards major spring targets,” said ATC Executive General Manager of Racing James Heddo.
Feature racing in autumn begins with Inglis Classic Race Day at Warwick Farm on Saturday 9 February 2019, and concludes with Schweppes All Aged Stakes Day at Royal Randwick on Saturday 21 April 2019.
The inaugural Inglis Millennium will be conducted for $2 million prizemoney and provides another highlight on the Longines Golden Slipper pathway.
The Sydney Carnival is the pinnacle of this period, covering six weeks from Chandon S Ladies Day – as part of the Longines Golden Slipper Carnival at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday 16 March – through to Schweppes All Aged Stakes Day on Saturday 20 April at Royal Randwick.
Australia’s biggest day of Group One racing is Longines Golden Slipper Day at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday 23 March, 2019.
The $4 million Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes is the flagship race of The Championships, a two-week racing event delivering $21 million in prizemoney across two world-class race meetings at Royal Randwick, Saturday 6 and Saturday 13 April, 2019.
“With The Championships in its sixth year, the racing continues to go from strength to strength and we again look forward to the best in Australia competing in the Sydney Carnival, in particular the Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes, which will be rated amongst the top few races in the world again this year,” Mr Heddo said.
ATC hopes to further the success of the night racing season at Canterbury Park with 10 meetings from 26 October 2018 to 22 February 2019.
“It was pleasing last season to see crowds increase by 33% to 6,000 people with the extra numbers predominantly amongst the family demographic,’’ Mr Heddo said.
“By engaging the local community and improving the racing experience we are confident night racing can continue to grow.’’
The regular return to racing on the Kensington track on 5 September will see around 15 race meetings scheduled, and the reintroduction of twilight racing at the venue over Summer.
The full list of race date fixtures across the 2018/19 season can be found at https://racing.australianturfclub.com.au/Content/PDF/atc-fixture-card-2018-19.pdf
For all ticketing, hospitality, racing and general information visit theATC.com.au
