The 2017 Queensland Winter Racing Carnival takes place every year between April and July with quality racing across South East Queensland and is headlined by the Group 1 action of the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival.
Each year the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival features racing at Brisbane (Doomben and Eagle Farm), Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Ipswich.
Queensland Winter Racing Carnival Races
The carnival features eight Group 1 races:
- Doomben 10,000 – Doomben Racecourse
- Doomben Cup – Doomben Racecourse
- Kingsford-Smith Cup – Eagle Farm Racecourse
- Queensland Oaks – Eagle Farm Racecourse
- Stradbroke Handicap – Eagle Farm Racecourse
- Queensland Derby – Eagle Farm Racecourse
- T.J. Smith – Eagle Farm Racecourse
- Tattersall’s Tiara – Eagle Farm Racecourse
All but the Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m) are conducted as part of the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival in May – June. The Tattersall’s Tiara – formerly the Winter Stakes – runs at the end of June and is hosted by the Tattersall’s Racing Club.
The Queensland Winter Racing Carnival follows the autumn racing action held in Sydney and Melbourne and the first notable meeting runs in late April. The Queensland Group races of the season then kick off with Group 2 Victory Stakes Day in late April.
The Group 2 races across the winter season in Queensland are the:
- Victory Stakes – Eagle Farm
- A.D. Hollindale Stakes – Gold Coast
- Champagne Classic – Doomben 10,000 Day
- The Roses – Doomben Cup Day
- BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes – Kingsford-Smith Cup Day
- PJ O’Shea Stakes – Queensland Oaks Day
- QTC Cup – Queensland Oaks Day
- Dane Ripper Stakes – Stradbroke Handicap Day
- Brisbane Cup – Stradbroke Handicap Day
- Queensland Guineas – Stradbroke Handicap Day
Racing Clubs
The racing clubs involved in the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival are:
- Gold Coast Turf Club
- Brisbane Racing Club
- Ipswich Turf Club
- Tattersall’s Racing Club
- Sunshine Coast Turf Club
- Toowoomba Turf Cub
Feature Racedays
For more information about Brisbane racedays that are part of the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival see our Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival guide.
A.D. Hollindale Stakes Day
Gold Coast Racecourse
Held at the Gold Coast Racecourse in May, the A.D. Hollindale Stakes is a Group 2 weight-for-age race worth over $350,000 in prize money. Run over an 1800m distance, the event has been won by champion horses Shogun Lodge (2000-01), Might And Power (1998) and Rough Habit (1991-92). It now serves as the early lead-up to the Group 1 Doomben Cup with Sense Of Occasion (6th in 2017) the last Hollindale graduate to go on to win the Group 1. The A.D. Hollindale Stakes – Doomben Cup double meanwhile was most recently achieved by Streama (2014).
The Group 3 Gold Coast Guineas is a 1200m set weight race for three year old horses also held on Hollindale Day.
Ipswich Cup Day
Ipswich Cup Day in the west of Brisbane is conducted in mid-late June one week before Tattersall’s Tiara Day and is headlined by three Listed features, most notably the $175,000 Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m) that may attract Brisbane Cup graduates from the previous weekend.
Tattersall’s Tiara Day
Eagle Farm Racecourse
Held at Eagle Farm Racecourse towards the end of June, the Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m) is a Group 1 weight-for-age race for fillies and mares. Worth half a million dollars in prize money, the race is the final event held at Eagle Farm Racecourse and is part of the wider Queensland Winter Racing Carnival.
The Group 3 Tattersall’s Cup is worth $200,000 in prize money and is competed by horses which have previously raced in the earlier Brisbane lead-up races. Run over a 2200m distance, the open handicap event attracts strong staying type horses.
The Group 3 WJ Healy Stakes is a 1200m sprinting event which is worth $175,000 in prize money and is the other key Tattersall’s Tiara Day support race.
Caloundra Cup Day
Following the Brisbane winter racing action wrapping up with Tiara Day, gallopers may continue onto the Sunshine Coast in early July for Caloundra Cup Day featuring the Group 3 Sunshine Coast Guineas (1600m) for three-year-olds. The meeting’s unofficial headline event is the Listed Caloundra Cup (2400m) run over the mile and a half, while the Listed Glasshouse Handicap (1400m) gives the winter sprinters a final shot at black-type glory before heading to the paddock before a spring return.
Queensland Cup Day
Sunshine Coast racing returns to Caloundra Racecourse a fortnight after Caloundra Cup Day with two Listed features on the schedule. The $150,000 Listed Queensland Cup (3200m) is a genuine two mile cup race for the dour stayers, while the Listed Tattersall’s Mile (1600m) is a handicap event for the middle-distance gallopers.