$1m prize: NSW Harness Racing offers biggest bonus in history for 2024/25 Carnival of Cups
Harness Racing NSW will offer the biggest bonus prize pool in Australian harness racing history with a $1 million payment for any horse that can make a clean sweep of the coveted five-race Carnival of Cups series.
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Harness Racing NSW is offering the biggest bonus prize pool in Australian harness racing history featuring a massive $1 million payment for any horse that can make a clean sweep of the coveted five-race Carnival of Cups series in the new season.
The second year of the Carnival of Cups starts in Parkes on September 20 with the feature race, The Dish, before moving to Young for the Cherry City Cup on November 8.
The third leg will be hosted at Tamworth with the Tamworth City Cup on the club’s Golden Guitar heats night on January 17 before the series goes to Albury for the Murray Cup on February 14.
The final leg of the five-race series is the Renshaw Cup at Penrith on March 14 where a pacer could earn a $1 million bonus by completing an unbeaten run through the Carnival of Cups.
Any horse that can win four legs of the series will earn a $500,000 bonus. A three-race series winner will win a $250,000 bonus.
“This is groundbreaking for harness racing not just here in Australia but globally. It is the most significant prize incentive scheme ever offered in the history of our sport,” Harness Racing NSW chief executive Peter Buckman said.
“With this kind of money up for grabs the challenge and the incentive is there for Australia’s best trainers and horses to head to the five Carnival of Cups venues and make history and a lot of money in the process by chasing the million dollar bonus.”
Leading trainer Jarrod Alchin said the $1 million bonus would attract many quality horses to the Carnival of Cups.
“It is a great initiative by Harness Racing NSW and everyone should be targeting their good horses at the series with money like this on offer,’’ Alchin said.
“We won two of the Cup features last time as well as a second placing and I’ll be trying to aim my open-class horses at the series again.’’
Parkes and Penrith are new venues for the Carnival of Cups and will bookend the series, which will be run entirely under lights in premier Friday night Sky Racing timeslots.
Buckman said the 2024-25 Carnival of Cups was “going to be bigger and better than ever before”, with the racing action complemented by the off-track entertainment.
Rock royalty The Living End and Shannon Noll have already been announced as the headline acts for Parkes while Daryl Braithwaite will be the star attraction in Tamworth, with the Carnival of Cups now positioned as one of the official opening night events of the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
A list of high-profile bands and performers have already been locked in for other venues.
“We have signed some massive music acts already and the demand for those tickets has been unprecedented so far. Best of all it’s free for everyone to attend!’’ Buckman said.
“What is clear is the Carnival of Cups has now got people talking – the racing industry, the music industry and most of all communities who are coming together for a great night at the track and investing in harness racing.’’
Originally published as $1m prize: NSW Harness Racing offers biggest bonus in history for 2024/25 Carnival of Cups
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