Prize Money Increases for Murray Bridge Races
The Murray Bridge Racing Club has welcomed a series of prizemoney increases to several feature races at Thomas Farms Racecourse Murray Bridge that were announced by Racing SA on Friday.
This year’s Listed Carlton Draught Murray Bridge Gold Cup, which will be run on Saturday, 3 October, will rise to a record $150,000, ensuring its position as the state’s richest country cup.
The Reg Nolan Flying and the Andrew Mills Gifford Hill Guineas, both run on the Gold Cup undercard, will also receive a boost under a new prizemoney structure revealed by Racing SA that will reward connections of the state’s premier three-year-olds and higher rated open-class horses.
The Moorundi 2YO Classic has also received a boost, rising from $65,000 to $110,000. It will move from its traditional position as SA’s first two-year-old race in October and now be run as the feature race on Saturday, 19 December.
Murray Bridge Racing Club General Manager James Tzaferis said the prizemoney increases will help ensure large, deep fields for the Club’s showpiece races. “This is great news for the Club and a real vote of confidence from the industry about the quality of our track and the horses it can attract,” Tzaferis said. “The Carlton Draught Murray Bridge Gold Cup has consistently been one of the state’s premier spring races and this boost to $150,000 will ensure it continues to attract South Australia’s best milers, as well as talented interstate contenders.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that the rise to $110,000 can really help stamp the Moorundi 2YO Classic as the pre-Christmas focal point for connections of early two-year-olds. With the prizemoney boost and the move to mid-December, I think it can really become a launching pad for South Australian two-year-olds attempting to secure starts in feature races like the Magic Millions Classic, the Blue Diamond or even the Golden Slipper.”
The racing programs for both of Murray Bridge’s spring Saturday race meetings on 26 September and 3 October can be found here.