Racing Confidential: Australian Turf Club throws open the gates for Royal Randwick double-header

It won’t be difficult to find a race meeting somewhere in NSW over the next two days … and if you’re in Sydney, you’ve got the opportunity to enjoy Randwick racing for free.

The Australian Turf Club is offering free entry for the Royal Randwick double-header this long weekend.

The annual Anzac Day meeting, held this year at the Kensington track on Friday, is always a solemn but memorable occasion as the racing industry pays tribute to those who have served in various wars and during peacetime, and particularly the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defence of our nation.

The raceday ceremony will feature the Ode of Remembrance, Last Post, national anthem and then a minute’s silence.

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At Royal Randwick on Saturday, the gates will be thrown open again as the ATC and NSW Bookmakers Cooperative celebrate the seventh annual Bookmakers Recognition Day.

Four bookmakers with more than 200 years of combined experience as licensed on-course operators, Neville Waters, Terry Marskell, Tom Bingle and Jeff Pendlebury, will be formally recognised and have races named in their honour.

Racing returns to Royal Randwick on Saturday for Bookmaker's Celebration Day.

Entry is free with race 1 set to jump at 11.30am.

Fields: https://t.co/2wxWmm42YU
More: https://t.co/UfZmcAgrRspic.twitter.com/U5kZt0dh4C

— Australian Turf Club (@aus_turf_club) April 23, 2025

• Shayne O’Cass’s tips, race-by-race analysis for Randwick on Saturday

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It won’t be difficult to find a race meeting somewhere in NSW over the next two days.

There are eight meetings across the state on Anzac Day – Kensington, Gosford, Armidale, Bathurst, Deniliquin, Kempsey, Murwillumbah and Nyngan.

Then on Saturday, there are races at six venues – Royal Randwick, Newcastle, Grafton, Leeton, Merriwa and the Cootamundra picnics.

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This will be the fourth consecutive Saturday at Royal Randwick and understandably the rail has been shifted out 9m from the 1000m to the winning post.

But Randwick track manager Michael Wood said the inside section of the track was recovering well after three successive Group 1 meetings.

The stand-alone Saturday circuit kicks off with Hawkesbury on May 3 followed by Gosford (May 10) and Scone (May 17) before racing returns to Randwick on May 24.

Rosehill will have had two months between meetings before it hosts the final Saturday meeting in May.

🚨TAB Track Report 🚨

The latest on the track at Royal Randwick ahead of back-to-back race meetings with ANZAC Day and Bookmaker’s Recognition Day.@racing_nsw | @tabcomau | @SkyRacingAU | @7horseracing

⛅️ Weather Tracker: https://t.co/b7255Dbkogpic.twitter.com/Jz3xOTHmRJ

— Australian Turf Club (@aus_turf_club) April 24, 2025

• Randwick Turf Talk: Our experts ‘can’t believe the price’ for key runner on Saturday

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Cootamundra’s Southern District Picnic Race Club deserves a change of luck for their Cup meeting on Saturday after the feature raceday was washed out the last two years.

But the weather forecast is encouraging for Cootamundra and the track was rated a good 3 late Thursday.

Di Williams from the SDPRC is expecting a bumper crowd for the Cootamundra Picnic Cup as there are plenty of visitors to the region for the long weekend.

The Herald is topweight for the Cup with the steadier of 72kg (11st 3lbs). As a comparison, the highest weight ever carried to win a Melbourne Cup was Carbine with 65.5kg (10st 5lbs) in 1890.

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Widden Stud’s Antony Thompson has confirmed super sire Zoustar’s service fee will remain at $275,000 for the spring breeding season.

Zoustar’s fee is the highest in Australia although Yarraman Park Stud has not yet revealed the fee for their champion stallion, I Am Invincible, who also stood at $275,000 last year.

Arrowfield Stud’s evergreen sire Snitzel is the only other stallion with a comparable service fee which is set at $247,500 for the spring.

🌟WIDDEN 2025 STALLION FEES🌟#ValleyOfChampionspic.twitter.com/GwPEY9vQWb

— Widden (@widdenstud) April 23, 2025

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Thompson said Zoustar remained extremely popular with breeders after he was the world’s leading sire of winners in 2024. He is on track to defend that title this year.

Zoustar has already sired 12 stakeswinners this season, including Group 1 winners Joliestar and Schwarz, with his progeny’s earnings already topping $20 million.

The stallion’s yearlings were in hot demand this year with 26 selling for $500,000 or more including sons or daughters a filly that was knocked down for $2.6 million at the Inglis Easter Sale.

Originally published as Racing Confidential: Australian Turf Club throws open the gates for Royal Randwick double-header