Casey and Cardinia community groups set to win big on cup days

Local community groups are in contention to win big when the spotlight of Victorian racing focuses on Cranbourne and Pakenham in the coming weeks. (Rob Carew: 375565)

Excitement is building for Saturday’s $500,000 Ladbrokes Cranbourne Cup day with 14 community groups in contention to win significant cash prizes over five weeks of fantastic racing action.

Southside Racing randomly selected the community groups to participate in the inaugural Southside Slot Series, Australia’s first-ever thoroughbred Slot Racing Series.

The Southside Slot Series begins at Cranbourne on Saturday, with the running of the $1million Ladbrokes Meteorite (1200m), before the series continues with the $1million Sportsbet Supernova (1400m) at Sportsbet Pakenham Cup Day on Saturday, 21 December.

With support from major partners Ladbrokes and Sportsbet, this ground-breaking event will match these local organisations with prestigious slot holders for two thrilling days of racing in November and December.

Each group will attend the Meteorite Barrier Draw on Wednesday, 20 November, where they will be assigned a slot holder and discover the horse they will support in the first leg of the series.

The process will be repeated in December at the Supernova Barrier Draw.

The call for Expressions of Interest received an overwhelming response, with many worthy groups vying for a place in this exciting event.

To ensure fairness, Southside Racing conducted a random draw to select the 14 participating groups.

Participating groups have a chance to win significant cash prizes based on their horse’s performance, with rewards of up to $5,000 for first place, $3,000 for second, and $2,000 for third in each race. Additionally, each group will receive 10 complimentary general admission tickets for both race days, allowing them to fully experience the excitement on track.

Southside Racing said it was proud to offer this unique opportunity to local non-profit organisations in Cardinia Shire and the City of Casey, celebrating their invaluable contributions to the community and marking a historic chapter in Australian racing.

The selected community groups from Cardinia Shire and the City of Casey include:

1. A Better Life for Foster Kids

2. Cranbourne Cricket Club

3. Cranbourne Football Netball Club

4. Devon Meadows Cricket Club

5. Devon Meadows Football Netball Club

6. Equine Pathways Australia Limited (EPA)

7. Frankies Community Kitchen

8. Hallam Valley Pony Club

9. Koo Wee Rup Football Club

10. Nar Nar Goon Junior Football Club

11. Orchard Park Primary School

12. Pakenham Cricket Club

13. Pearcedale Baxter Junior Football Club

14. Southern Cross Kids’ Camps (SCKC)