Why Gold Coast Turf Club is scratching the Prime Minister’s Cup race day

THE Gold Coast Turf Club has had enough — it is scratching the Prime Minister’s Cup. After 34 years the club will host its final naming of the $100k race today. Here’s why.

Former PM John Howard was the last Prime Minister to attend the Gold Coast race day

THE Gold Coast Turf Club has had enough — it is scratching the Prime Minister’s Cup.

After 34 years, the club will host its final naming of the $100,000 race today and, as has been the case for the past 18 years, the PM won’t be there.

Chairman Brett Cook said the club was fed up with issuing invites, only to be snubbed each year.

Only two serving prime ministers have attended the meeting, the club’s second biggest behind the Magic Millions — Malcolm Fraser in 1982 and John Howard in 1999.

Since the end of Mr Howard’s reign, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott have all snubbed the meeting.

Then Prime Minister John Howard was a good sport — attending the race day but none of the next Prime Ministers have attended

Malcolm Turnbull won’t be there today as he was in the US yesterday meeting president Donald Trump.

“We invite them every year but we can never get them up here,” Mr Cook said.

“Rudd lived in Brisbane and we couldn’t get him down the highway.”

Mr Cook said the club would divert the prizemoney from the Prime Minister’s Cup into a bonus scheme involving the Gold Coast Stakes Day in March to draw more quality horses and trainers to their biggest metropolitan meetings.

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd declined his invitation to attend the race day. Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

“We will have something next year that will give incentives to local trainers in the southeast Queensland corner to target both race days.

“They are not far apart so you can start a horse in March and (race again) six weeks later.”

Mr Cook said the club was hopeful 5000 people would turn up today.

The Prime Minister’s Cup was first run in 1974 but has been overtaken by the Group 2 A.D Hollindale Stakes as the meeting’s headline act.

All up, horses will race for $1.1 million in prizemoney today.

Anna Lukyanova having a chat with Smokey the Clerk of the Course horse about the Prime Ministers Cup Day at the Gold Coast Turf Club. Picture Glenn Hampson

The sponsors of the Bracelet (1800m), Gold Coast-based company 2K Thoroughbreds, is also giving away the chance for four people to win a $2000 share in a racehorse for the next 12 months.

In a bid to entice new people to the sport, the initiative will give the winners a share in one of three yearlings to be trained by Michael Nolan.

Two of the yearlings are by the sire Jet Spur, with one eligible for next year’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast.

The third yearling is by multiple Group 1 winner All Too Hard, a half-brother to unbeaten turf great Black Caviar.