By DAVID NAGEL
PRIZE-MONEY for October’s TAB Cranbourne Cup has been raised to a record $300,000 after an announcement from Racing Victoria earlier this week.
A significant prize-money boost for three country cups, Ballarat, Bendigo and Cranbourne, will enhance the regional racing program across the 2015 Spring Racing Carnival.
The joint initiative between RV, the Cranbourne Turf Club, Bendigo Jockey Club and Ballarat Turf Club, will see prize-money for each club’s cup rise.
The Listed Cranbourne Cup (2025m) and Group 3 Ballarat Cup (2200m) received the biggest injection of funds, up from $200,000, while the Group 3 Bendigo Cup is up from $250,000.
The timing of the races, Cranbourne Cup 11 October, Bendigo Cup 28 October, and Ballarat Cup 21 November, was a crucial factor in the funding, according to RV racing operations manager Paul Bloodworth.
“To have prize-money lifted to $300,000 for each of the Cranbourne, Bendigo and Ballarat cups is a fantastic achievement for the respective clubs and is testament to the importance of these races to Victoria’s Spring Racing Carnival,” Mr Bloodworth said.
“The increased prize-money further strengthens and reinforces Victoria’s position as the premier state for staying races. It will assist in further growing these races and ensuring that they are supported by Australia’s premier trainers and jockeys, while remaining front of mind for international visitors also.”
It brings to four the number of country cups offering prize-money of $300,000 during this year’s Spring Racing Carnival with the trio joining the Group 3 William Hill Geelong Cup (2400m) on 21 October.
Cranbourne Turf Club chief executive Neil Bainbridge said the club was delighted with the increase.
“This increase further stakes Cranbourne’s claim as one of the country’s premier country cups and a significant event of the Spring Racing Carnival,” Mr Bainbridge said.
“The TAB Cranbourne Cup has always been a popular lead-in race for the Group 1 Caulfield Cup and we hope this prize-money boost will enhance that trend and further incentivise trainers to take that path.
“It has long been the club’s ambition to continually improve the quality of the Cranbourne Cup, and this will hopefully help us achieve that, as well as our aim to upgrade the race to Group status in the future.”
