RACING Queensland has ramped up its night racing program, announcing eight additional meetings in the 2015-16
thoroughbred season as part of its racing calendar released today.
CEO Darren Condon said the 13-meeting night racing program in 2015-16 was closely aligned to that of Victoria to maximise wagering interest and provide Queensland clubs with a chance to capitalise on the night trade during the summer.

“We had an opportunity this year to allocate more night meetings at Caloundra and Toowoomba, which presents significant opportunities from a wagering perspective and will also allow the club to host Christmas and other functions during the summer,” Mr Condon said.
“The increase in night racing is in line with our strategy of creating a more compelling racing product in Queensland.
“In keeping with that strategic direction, we will be staging the Queensland Summer Provincial Series again after a hugely successful maiden event last December and Racing Queensland will continue to assess the calendar to introduce similar concepts where possible.”
Mr Condon said the dates released today would almost certainly change pending timeframes on key infrastructure projects; however the decision had been made to release the dates as is to ensure consistency for participants.
“There are a number of critical infrastructure projects either under way or scheduled for the next year, including Eagle Farm, Townsville, Ipswich and the Gold Coast, which may need to be factored in,” Mr Condon said.
“We do not have a concrete date for the completion and commencement of some of these projects and as such, we have allocated dates based on a normal schedule and will update participants and amend it as the situation becomes clearer.
“We maintain the position that we will not race on any of the surfaces until they are 100 per cent ready to race and there are a number of factors that can affect large-scale projects and their timelines.”
There are 428 TAB meetings in total scheduled for the season and 288 non-TAB meetings as Racing Queensland continues to consolidate its racing calendar.
“It is an exciting year ahead with the new QTIS bonuses to come into effect from August and a revamped summer program heading into the Magic Millions Race Day, which will be the richest in the country.
To view the dates, visit http://racingqueensland.com.au/media/63168/racing_queensland_calendar_dates_15-16.pdf