Racing Queensland Launch Winter Carnival

AUSTRALIA'S best greyhounds are poised to converge on Queensland this winter with a whopping $1.3 million to be splurged across 14 Group and Listed races.

Racing Queensland today unveiled its lucrative TAB Winter Greyhound Racing Carnival which returns to full strength in 2021 after being restricted last year due to COVID.

"We're looking forward to welcoming back the TAB Queensland Winter Greyhound Racing Carnival," RQ Executive General Manager Operations Adam Wallish said. 

"It is our aim to position Queensland as the place to chase throughout the winter months, and this program ensures that all eyes will be on the Sunshine State."

CARNIVAL DETAILS HERE

The carnival's flagship event will be the Group 1 Sky Racing Winter Cup Cup (520m) which will take place at Albion Park in early July.

Worth a cool $375,000, the showpiece event has been won by the sport's brightest stars during its illustrious history, including Hall of Famers Flying Amy (1995) and Bogie Leigh (2003).

"The Brisbane Cup remains amongst the world's richest races, and we saw in 2020 that even with the restrictions in place, the Group 1 feature was still able to attract the nation's top-tier chasers," Wallish added.

In another positive move, the successful Origin greyhound series returns this year with two $60,000 Group 3 races on June 17.

The Origin Sprint (520m) and Origin Distance (710m) will see Queensland and NSW greyhounds clash, igniting the state against state tribalism Origin was founded on.

Brisbane GRC CEO Luke Gatehouse said that he was excited to reignite the Winter Carnival following last year's disruptions. 

"All the favourite nights will be back in full swing," Gatehouse said.

"With the exceptional prizemoney on offer across this year's carnival, we are anticipating strong interstate representation to take on our local stars."

The carnival begins on May 13 and runs through to August 12.

Group racing commences on June 10 with the Group 3 Flying Amy Classic – Queensland's richest age-restricted event – offering Group 1 prize money of $113,000.