AN INVITATION TO THE BRISBANE RACING CARNIVAL

By Graham Potter | Friday, May 8, 2015

The Brisbane Racing Carnival kicks off at Doomben on Saturday. Brisbane Racing Club Chairman Neville Bell had this to say when launching the carnival:

“This year we have an opportunity to experience a different format of race-days ... all at Doomben while the Eagle Farm track undergoes a multi-million dollar upgrade.

“Also, this year it is a prize-money boosted carnival focussed of four days of top class racing action, featuring seven Group 1 races and $9.75 million in prize-money over those four days.

“May 9 is Day One of the carnival action. It will be a Super Saturday. The Ubet Carnivale Day ... a Group 1 double-header... featuring the Ubet BTC Cup and the Bundaberg Rum Doomben Cup.

“These two Weight-For-Age events will showcase some of Australia’s best sprinters and middle distance horses.

“Day Two is the James Boags 10 000 race-day. Day Three is the Treasury Casino and Hotel Ladies Oaks day.

"Then the grand finale, Day Four on June 6, Queensland’s most prestigious day of racing. Three Group 1 races with $4.4 million prize-money in one day ... featuring the AAMI Stradbroke.

“The Stradbroke now, due to a funding boost due to the foresight and support of Racing Queensland, is worth a massive $2 million, making this year’s AAMI Stradbroke the richest 1400m race in the world.

“The day includes the Channel 7 Queensland Derby, the Group 1 for three-year-old stayers worth $600 000 and the BMW Australia J J Atkins, the final Group 1 race for the season for the two-year-olds worth, once again, $600 000.

“It has been part of the BRC vision and strategy for some time now to internationalize our great carnival and to attract the attention of owners and trainers of the elite horses in Asia, Japan, Europe and our good friends in New Zealand.

“I can tell you we are now on their radar. Only the logistics need to be resolved to have those international raiders to come and compete right here at Eagle Farm and Doomben.

“Having said that, 2015 is shaping up to be an epic carnival.

“As usual I’m sure this year’s carnival will unveil a future champion, elite, equine athlete.

“Couple that prospect with confirmed with big name personalities, a fantastic line-up of world class hospitality and the fact that, to cap it off, Brisbane’s most stylish men and woman will have four weekends to impress the celebrity judges in the Fashions On The Field, where more than $25 000 in prizes can be won ... and you can see why our vision and catch-cry this year for Channel 7’s racing carnival is... ‘a feast for the senses’.

“I invite you all to come down trackside at Doomben to touch and smell the action.”

Brisbane Racing Club CEO David Whimpey with Kimberley Busteed. The Former Miss Universe Australia is back as the face of the 2015 Channel Seven Brisbane Racing Carnival. The television personality is the carnival's headline ambassador and will join international superstar Jessica Mauboy on day one of the carnival, UBET Cup Carnivàle Day

“As usual I’m sure this year’s carnival will unveil a future champion, elite, equine athlete. Couple that prospect with confirmed with big name personalities, a fantastic line-up of world class hospitality and the fact that, to cap it off, Brisbane’s most stylish men and woman will have four weekends to impress the celebrity judges in the Fashions On The Field, where more than $25 000 in prizes can be won ... and you can see why our vision and catch-cry this year for Channel 7’s racing carnival is... ‘a feast for the senses. “I invite you all to come down trackside at Doomben to touch and smell the action."

Neville Bell (BRC Chairman)