THE 2010 Melbourne Festival of Racing, the launch pad for Australian horses to compete on the world stage, was officially launched last night in unique surrounds at the Caulfield stables of leading trainer Mick Price.
The Festival, which is being marketed under the banner of Serious Racing, begins on Saturday, 30 January at Flemington and concludes at Pakenham on Saturday, 14 March.
It features six of Australia’s premier race meetings amongst its ranks. Meetings which feature nine Group 1 races carrying in excess of $6 million in stakes.
Add a further 33 Group and Listed races offering over $5 million and it’s not hard to see why things are serious during the Melbourne Festival of Racing.
“This is the time when serious racing fans get their fill and look forward with anticipation to some of the great contests of the turf,” Racing Victoria Ltd (RVL) Chief Executive, Rob Hines, said.
“There’s no mistaking it, the horses are the stars at this time of year and the big names will be back on track doing battle in some of Australia’s richest and most coveted races.
“But it’s more than just racetrack riches at stake. Some of these great races cement breeding careers and most importantly deliver Australia’s best onto the world stage.
“The Melbourne Festival of Racing has become the launch pad to international campaigns for the likes of Choisir, Elvstroem, Miss Andretti, Takeover Target, Scenic Blast and Niconero and there’s every reason to expect another international star in the making will be unearthed in 2010.”
Providing the platform are two lucrative international race series’, the $US8 million Global Sprint Challenge and $US11 million Asian Mile Challenge, which both turn the eyes of the racing world to Melbourne during summer.
The $500,000 Coolmore Lightning Stakes (1000m, G1) at Flemington on 30 January is the opening leg of the Global Sprint Challenge - a race that will feature Cannonball, the first USA-trained horse to compete in Australia.
Choisir (2003), Takeover Target (2006), Miss Andretti (2007) and Scenic Blast (2009) all won the Lightning Stakes before going on to claim the King’s Stand Stakes (1000m, G1) at the famous Royal Ascot meeting – one of three UK legs of the Global Sprint Challenge.
The $500,000 Rokk Ebony Futurity Stakes (1600m, G1) at Caulfield on 27 February offers the winner a chance to showcase their talents in Dubai, Hong Kong or Japan, just as three of the past four victors of the race have done in the Asian Mile Challenge.
Included amongst the Serious Racing during the Festival is Victoria’s richest two-year-old race, the $1m Arrowfield Stud Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m, G1) at Caulfield on 20 February.
Australia’s richest open sprint, the $1m Newmarket Handicap (1200m, G1), also features alongside the weight-for-age classic, the $1m Darley Australian Cup (2000m, G1) and the $750,000 Australian Guineas (1600m, G1) for three-year-olds, on Super Saturday, 6 March at Flemington.
The Festival also takes in three sensational nights under lights at Moonee Valley and five Country Cups headlined by the Luxbet.com Mornington Cup (2400m) on 17 February.
And there’s much more to compliment the Serious Racing. Family fun, fashion, food and wine headline the entertainment offering on race days, while the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale on 1-4 March will bring an array of international and interstate visitors to Melbourne in search of the sport’s future stars.
RACING VICTORIA MEDIA RELEASE
For more information visit www.melbournefestivalofracing.com.au.
Media Contact: Shaun Kelly – RVL Communications Manager M: 0417 145 796
P: (03) 9258 4252 E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
