Turf club’s $1m offer

THE Cranbourne Turf Club is offering $1 million to Cox Plate hopefuls who run and win this year’s TAB Cranbourne Cup and the Cox Plate.
The TAB Cranbourne Cup will be run on Sunday 9 October while the Cox Plate, Australia’s premier weight-for-age championship, kicks off on Saturday 22 October at Moonee Valley.
The Cranbourne Turf Club is offering a bonus of $1 million to the connections of a horse that can win both the Listed $300,000 TAB Cranbourne Cup (2025 metres) and the Group 1, $3 million Cox Plate (2040 metres).
Winning connections of the Cox Plate will collect $1.8 million in prize money.
Cranbourne Cup victors would look forward to $180,000 in prize money.
Potential earnings would be close to $3 million including trophies.
Cranbourne Turf Club CEO Neil Bainbridge said the club hoped this bonus would lure a top quality field to Cranbourne this spring.
“Cox Plate contenders now have a million more reasons to gallop up the home straight at Cranbourne on their way to the Cox Plate, one of the major races of the Spring Racing Carnival,” Mr Bainbridge said.
“Being two weeks out from the Cox Plate, the TAB Cranbourne Cup lends itself as a possible lead-in race, and the TAB Cranbourne Cup is a Quality Handicap with a maximum top weight of 60kg, making it even more appealing for Australia’s weight for age stars.”
Nominations for this year’s Cox Plate closed on Tuesday, with 157 entries received.