Stakes Surge for Qld Winter Carnival 

THE looming TAB Queensland Winter Greyhound Racing Carnival is shaping as the best yet with RQ announcing stake money increases.

THE looming TAB Queensland Winter Greyhound Racing Carnival is shaping as the best yet with Racing Queensland announcing a swag of feature race prize money increases.

Late last year, RQ unveiled a $4.6 million stakes surge for the industry which included a $150,000 increase to the winter carnival's showpiece event, the Group 1 Brisbane Cup.

The stakes boost gets underway on opening night at Albion Park on May 19 where for the first time the Brisbane Young Guns and Carnival Chase will boast group 3 status and carry $37,500 in prize money.

Two weeks later, the BGRC 50th Anniversary will be staged carrying a purse of $50,000, the rescheduled event celebrating the 50-year anniversary of the Brisbane Greyhound Racing Club.

That will be followed by the Group 2 Flying Amy Classic which will solidify its standing as Queensland's richest age-restricted race with a stake increase of $37,000 taking the series to $150,000 – triple its 2019 standing.

The Dashing Corsair for the stayers will feature alongside the Flying Amy Classic and has been upgraded to group 3 status with a $10,250 stakes increase to $37,500.

"This year's TAB Queensland Winter Greyhound Racing Carnival is our most innovative and prestigious yet, and we're excited to see the nation's premier chasers descend upon the Sunshine State," said Racing Queensland's EGM Operations Adam Wallish. 

"It's befitting of the Winter Carnival's stature to see no less than five races receive group status for the first time, headlined by the Flying Amy Classic for dogs 30 months and under being run for Group 1 prize money.  

"Importantly, it is also great to see the Brisbane Greyhound Racing Club able to celebrate its 50th anniversary with a showcase meeting, after it was postponed following the devastating floods earlier in the year. 

"We look forward to unveiling further prize money enhancements across the Winter Carnival as we draw closer to its commencement."

On June 23, Albion Park will play host to ‘Super Night' which will stage a feature event over each of Albion Park's five distances.

That includes the Group 3 Super Stayers Invitational (710m), the springboard to the TAB Queensland Cup, incentivised by a further $20,000 in stakes in 2022.

The Super Sprinters will join the Super Stayers as a Group 3 event, providing Brisbane Cup hopefuls the chance to race for $60,000 – almost double the purse from its inaugural running.

Brisbane Greyhound Racing Club CEO Luke Gatehouse said that he was excited to see this year's Carnival scale even greater heights. 

"We cannot wait to welcome back the most lucrative TAB Queensland Winter Greyhound Racing Carnival yet," Gatehouse said. 

"In conjunction with RQ, we are unified in our aim to position Queensland as the place to chase in winter, and this program ensures that all eyes will be on the Sunshine State."

 

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