Racing New South Wales and The Australian Turf Club have ignited new initiatives to extend the Sydney Spring Carnival with the announcement of an added race to the racing calendar, the $7.5m The Golden Eagle.
Caulfield Guineas winner The Autumn Sun, above, could be an ideal candidate for The Golden Eagle at Rosehill. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
The Golden Eagle will be a race exclusively for four year olds and will be run over 1500m at set weights at Rosehill with the initial running to be on November 2, 2019.
“The Golden Eagle is the first feature race on the Australian Racing Calendar exclusively for four-year-old horses,” said Racing NSW Chairman, Mr Russell Balding AO.
“We believe The Golden Eagle will be attractive in retaining our top three-year-olds to race on as four-year-olds and benefit the racing industry, underpinning the strength of racing in NSW and Australia more broadly.”
“The Golden Eagle strengthens our spring carnival and provides a further highlight for spring racing in Sydney. It also opens up the possibility of attracting runners from diverse form lines including The Everest, the Sydney Stakes and the Epsom Hcp.”
As well as announcing the introduction of The Golden Eagle, ATC Chairman, Mr Matt McGrath said the $7.5m race for the four year olds will also be the third leg of the new Golden Slam at Rosehill, with a $5 million bonus offered to any horse that can win the Golden Slipper at two, the Golden Rose at three and The Golden Eagle as a four-year-old.
“The Golden Eagle is an exciting development, which will bring together the best sprinter-milers of their generation at an age when they have fully matured,” said ATC Chairman, Mr Matt McGrath.
“We are excited by The Golden Eagle, which alongside Rosehill’s other great races in the Golden Slipper and Golden Rose, creates a Golden Slam that only champions can dream of,” Mr McGrath continued.
The Golden Eagle will now become the third richest race in the world on turf behind $13m The Everest and the France’s €5,000,000 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
“Now having the third richest race on turf in the world behind The Everest and the France’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Sydney’s west has the perfect day to celebrate,” Racing NSW Chief Executive, Mr Peter V’landys AM.
Racing New South Wales also announced two more alterations to the Sydney Spring Carnival program with the introduction of the a new $1 million three-year-old and a $1 million two-year-old race.
The new $1 million Bondi Stakes will be run at Royal Randwick for three-year-olds over a distance of 1600m on 26 October 2019 while the Golden Gift, an 1100m race for two-year-olds which was first run by the ATC in 2015, will now be run for $1 million prizemoney on Saturday, 9 November 2019.
Below are the Feature Races on the major 2019 Sydney Spring Carnival race days.
| Date | Venue | Race | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2019 | Royal Randwick | Chelmsford Stakes | Weight for Age |
| 14 September 2019 | Rosehill Gardens | Run to the Rose | 3YOs SW |
| 21 September 2019 | Royal Randwick | George Main Stakes | Weight for Age |
| 28 September 2019 | Rosehill Gardens | Golden Rose | 3YOs SW |
| 5 October 2019 | Royal Randwick | Epsom Hcp | Handicap |
| 12 October 2019 | Royal Randwick | Spring Champion Stakes | 3YOs SW |
| 19 October 2019 | Royal Randwick | The TAB Everest | Weight for Age |
| 26 October 2019 | Royal Randwick | Bondi Stakes | 3YOs SW |
| 2 November 2019 | Rosehill Gardens | The Golden Eagle | 4YOs SW |
| 9 November 2019 | Rosehill Gardens | Golden Gift | 2YOs SW |
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