The Championships are here to stay. Sydney’s Autumn Carnival, forever the second-stringer to Melbourne’s Spring Carnival, has risen. The meeting, across two big weeks, has given Sydney racing a focal point again.
Despite the big wet, 24,959 punters braved the conditions at Randwick to see world-class racing; the dash for cash and glory. And they witnessed something special.
The 2014 TJ Smith was one of the better sprinting races we’ll see all year, with almost all top-string sprinters engaged, and thrashed, by new star Lankan Rupee for the $2.5 million purse.
» Roar Racing Editor Justin Cinque says Lankan Rupee isn’t yet as good as Hay List. He’s right, for now. But, it’s just a matter of time. ‘Rupee is flying, and if he can remain fit, he will dominate for many seasons to come. (Thank goodness he’s a gelding.)’
The Doncaster Mile is always a strong race, but rather than feeling like a Grand Final for Sydney’s best horses, we saw a new depth to the full-field attacking the famous Randwick 1600m course. Sydney’s best trainer, Chris Waller, still dominated, taking the first four with his runners, but favourite Messene lost no admirers sitting wide the distance on a bog-track.
The Australian Derby still has room to grow, but we ultimately saw the best three-year old stayer in the land, Criterion, take out the race in commanding fashion – seeing off the best of New Zealand, and the rest.
And we’ll get to see it all again this Saturday, with the Queen Elizabeth Stakes worth $4m, the Sydney Cup, Australian Oaks, and Queen Of The Turf stakes, bringing together more than $8 million of prize money on the day.
And officials aren’t resting – already planning for more in 2015. There are rumours that the carnival will be moved a week earlier, while the Brisbane Winter Carnival will also be changed to attempt the make the local calendar as accessible as possible for owners and trainers.
Messara said the success of Saturday provides further positive signs for the revitalisation of NSW racing.
“This is only the beginning, we will build on this in terms of stakes money and other initiatives,” he told News Corp.
[roargal]
“The opening day exceeded our expectations. Despite the conditions, it was still a very successful and satisfying day.
“There was some fantastic racing, the atmosphere and vibe at the track was electric, and the wagering turnover results was the icing on the cake.
“We had some estimates that with the rain and the heavy track, the betting would be down but the final figures show betting on the NSW TAB tote and fixed odds was up 13 per cent on last year.”
Part of the efforts to continue to improve the event include reviewing quarantine protocols to better assist horses looking to tackle lucrative Hong Kong racing, with the Queen Elizabeth Cup on the final weekend of April and the Champions Mile on the first Sunday in May.
It’s also possible that International raiders may be incentivised to start a campaign during the Melbourne spring and stay over the summer in Australia to target the lucrative races in the autumn.
The pathways to and from The Championships will be considered in future months, yet for a first-time running, the event looked a winner and the talent on display was at a premium.
Editor’s note: While The Championships are an advertiser with The Roar, this piece is in no way affiliated with their presence on the site. It is the author’s opinion of the Carnival.
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