Magic Millions: big changes revealed ahead of the Gold Coast’s most prestigious racing event
Big changes are planned for the Gold Coast’s most prestigious racing event this summer, with the party set to begin much earlier than expected.
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SUMMER racing on the Gold Coast just got bigger with a new $1.5 million race event in the lead up to Magic Millions which already has a big post-sales day at the track.
Racing Queensland will today unveil a new yearling sales carnival event, the Aquis Raceday to be staged on January 4 at Gold Coast Turf Club.
It will present a new feature race The Wave with a prizepool of $250,000, with the winner receiving a wildcard entry into the $1 million Magic Millions Trophy.
Held on the Saturday before Magic Millions, Aquis Raceday is expected to boost tourism to the region as well as increase global interest as hundreds of thousands of people tune in to watch the trackside action on TV.
Racing Queensland CEO Brendan Parnell: “It’ll be a second major carnival day, in addition to Magic Millions day, and it will include new Magic Million races, and a new major feature race for the Gold Coast.
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“From a tourism perspective, it’s another great chance for the Gold Coast to present itself to the world.”
The existing Magic Millions Raceday, which offers more than $10 million in prize money and bonuses, remains the richest on the Queensland calendar.
It is known for attracting English royalty including Zara Phillips, wealthy sheiks and deep-pocketed thoroughbred buyers from Asia, the United States and around Australia.
Gold Coast Turf Club chairman Brett Cook said: “To have two major Saturdays during the Summer Carnival has always been our plan and it’s fantastic that we can truly bring this to life.”
The new raceday event is expected to result in a 10 per cent increase in accommodation bookings for the state with immediate flow-on benefits for the region.
Mr Parnell added: “Almost 58,000 bed nights are driven (on the Gold Coast) just through the yearling sales and polo (launch event) and Magic Millions, so you’d expect that to jump up with another night added,” Mr Parnell said.
“More people will come to Queensland and they’ll stay for longer, that’s another 5000 bed nights.”
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Two new big money Aquis-sponsored races will also be presented on Aquis Raceday — the Gold Nugget and Gold Pearl races for two-year-old fillies, split into same sex divisions.
“That’s an exciting race for two-year-olds,” Mr Parnell said. “The company before Magic Millions was called the Gold Nugget so we’re paying heritage to that.”
Turf club CEO Steve Lines said with Aquis on board as major sponsor plus Racing Queensand and Magic Millions support, the carnival “would be the envy of any race club”.
The Magic Millions Racing Women’s Bonus for all-female syndicates has a new $250,000 bonus on the $2 million Gold Coast Magic Millions three-year-old guineas race.
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