Record Stakes On Offer From The Wgtn Racing Club

Record stakes on offer

A record $1.859m in prize-money is on offer from the Wellington Racing Club across the three days of the Century City Developments 2008 Wellington Cup Carnival on 19, 21 and 26 January.

Total stake-money has increased $295,000 (19%) on last year and has risen by an impressive $577,000 (45%) in the last two years.

The Group One Telegraph Handicap has surpassed the Ellerslie’s Railway Handicap as New Zealand’s richest sprint race, with the stake having more than doubled from $120,000 in 2006 to $250,000 this January.

Prize-money for the Group One The Trusts Charitable Foundation Thorndon Handicap has increased by $100,000 in two years to $250,000; while the Group One Century City Developments Wellington Cup is also up $100,000 to $350,000.

A number of the major supporting races across the carnival have also had significant stake increases in the past two years with Group Three Weight for Age Trentham Stakes, Group Three Wellington Stakes and the Group Three Desert Gold Stakes all worth $100,000 for the first time.

Wellington Racing Club President, Mike Brown, says increased support from the Club’s commercial partners, increased funding from New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and the excellent financial results achieved by the Club across the 2006 and 2007 Cup Carnivals have contributed to the growth.

Brown says the comprehensive marketing of the Cup Carnival and in particular the promotion of the Century City Developments Wellington Cup Day, which is New Zealand’s biggest and most successful thoroughbred race-meeting of the year in terms of on-course turnover, attendance and total TAB betting will continue to support the Club’s vision to make this event an even bigger success in the future.

“With three days of fun, excitement, colour, glamour and fashion - together with the thrill of racing and the beauty of the thoroughbred horse - Cup week has to be Wellington’s social occasion of the year. Last year 40,000 people were part of Cup week at Trentham, this was worth more than $8.6 million to the local economy.

“We believe the Club can grow the total attendance across the Carnival to over 60,000 people in the next few years.”

ENDS

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