Last year’s initiative to revamp the autumn through the Championships was a bold move that showed plenty of promise.
The injection of prize money and rescheduling saw two back-to-back weekends of high quality racing at Randwick, which drew in a combined crowd of 50,000.
Arguably, had the weather been kinder on the weekend of the ATC Derby/Doncaster, that figure would have been higher.
Unfortunately, the focus on Randwick and the Championships came at the expense of what was once the best day of racing in Australia, Golden Slipper day.
The redistribution of the George Ryder and the Queen of the Turf across the carnival dulled the attraction of the Rosehill leg of the carnival, reflected by disappointing crowd figures, especially for Ladies Day and Guineas Day.
The ATC must now be applauded for their decision to restore Slipper day to its former glory.
To be held on March 17 – three weeks before the prestigious Queen Elizabeth at Randwick – Golden Slipper Day now carries five Group 1s: the Galaxy, Rosehill Guineas, George Ryder, Ranvet, and of course the Golden Slipper.
It establishes a firm apex for the Rosehill leg of the carnival. With the even distribution of Group 1s across the Rosehill carnival last season, Golden Slipper day was only marginally the feature day. Now it is restored to a truly standout day of quality racing- possibly the best on the Australian racing calendar.
The rescheduling however does pose questions for trainers priming for the Queen Elizabeth.
Many horses that compete in the Australian Cup, the week before the Ranvet, may make their move up to Sydney the fortnight after for the BMW (weight-for-age, 2400m) on the 28th March. This allows for a fortnightly gap between runs from the Australian Cup to the Queen Elizabeth.
Similarly, horses that compete in the Ranvet may back up for the BMW the next week, or progress to the Doncaster on the first day of the Championships two weeks after and then back up for the Queen Elizabeth.
One thing is now for certain: Sydneysiders can now look forward to three autumn racedays of the absolute highest quality.
What do you think of the changes and the impact it may have? What will the route to the Queen Elizabeth look like for most contenders?
NathanA
Guest
I really don't like the idea of splitting the Tancred (BMW) and the Slipper. It encourages both the racing purists and the once a year racegoer to the days racing and consistently attracts good crowds. The STC rarely changed their big races in the past and that was part of their success, while the AJC seemed to change every year. Just leave things alone for a few years before making decisions as to what works and what doesn't.