Wyong set to be big winner as NSW race dates revealed for 2024-25 season
Wyong Race Club is slated to stage the premier TAB Saturday meeting in NSW on January 11, which coincides with Magic Millions Day on the Gold Coast.
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Wyong is set to be added to the Saturday stand-alone circuit for the 2024-25 racing season.
Racing NSW is preparing to finalise the race dates for the new season but Wyong Race Club is slated to stage the premier TAB Saturday meeting in NSW on January 11, which coincides with Magic Millions Day on the Gold Coast.
WRC chief executive Greg Purcell was reluctant to comment until confirmation from Racing NSW but Wyong is the only provincial club which does not have a stand-alone meeting.
But if WRC is given the green light, the Wyong stand-alone meeting is expected to be supported with the introduction of a big-money feature race.
The mid-January timing for the Wyong stand-alone is ideal given the annual influx of holiday-makers to the Central Coast during summer.
The NSW draft race dates for 2024-25 also have provincial stand-alone meetings at Newcastle for The Hunter on November 16 followed a week later by The Gong at Kembla Grange.
Then after the 2025 Sydney autumn carnival, the stand-alone circuit returns to Hawkesbury for the Hawkesbury Gold Cup and Guineas races on May 3, The Coast at Gosford on May 18, followed by the Dark Jewel Classic meeting at Scone on May 17.
In Sydney, Royal Randwick is set to stage 27 race meetings with Rosehill hosting 24 race dates.
Randwick (25) and Rosehill (21) remain the only metropolitan racetracks to host Sydney Saturday meetings next season.
The Big Dance meeting on Melbourne Cup Day (November 5) and Boxing Day’s Summer Cup raceday are at Randwick while Rosehill has three Wednesday meetings during the season.
The midweek schedule remains primarily at Warwick Farm which has 18 race dates and Canterbury with 24 meetings including 10 Friday nights during summer. Kensington has 14 midweek dates.
Racing NSW and Australian Turf Club are likely to resist making wholesale changes to Sydney feature race programming next season with the spring carnival highlights including the $20 million The Everest at Royal Randwick on October 19 and the $10 million Golden Eagle at Rosehill Gardens on November 2.
There are no race meetings scheduled at Canterbury from September 18 to November 15 with the inner-west Sydney racecourse to be used as a quarantine, training and stabling facility for international horses expected for the spring carnival.
Canterbury will also be used for a similar purpose during autumn next year with no race meetings pencilled in at the track from February 28 until April 16.
It also seems likely Racing NSW and ATC will not alter next year’s autumn carnival program either with Golden Slipper Day set for March 22 and remaining the middle leg of three successive Group 1 meetings at Rosehill.
The carnival caravan then rolls into Royal Randwick for The Championships with the Doncaster Mile, ATC Australian Derby and TJ Smith Stakes the features on April 5 followed a week later by the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Sydney Cup on April 12.
Sydney’s final Group 1 meeting of the season will be on April 19 with the All Aged Stakes and Champagne Stakes.
Originally published as Wyong set to be big winner as NSW race dates revealed for 2024-25 season
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