Victoria’s newest and most innovative race, the $200,000 Magic Millions 2YO Clockwise Classic, will be run at Ballarat in November.
The race, run exclusively for Magic Millions graduates as a lead up to the $2 Million Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast in January, will be run for the first time on Ballarat Cup Day, November 25.
The 1000 metre dash for juveniles will be the first time a race is run in a clockwise direction in Victoria for over 60 years. It will carry prizemoney of $200,000.
The race was officially given the green light last night by the board of Racing Victoria – the governing body of racing in Victoria.
The RVL approval came after Ballarat held two successful clockwise trials at their Dowling Forest track late last month.
Star jockey Steven Arnold was one of the riders in the trials and he said the track raced well.
“It went extremely well and I look forward to riding in the race in November,” Arnold said. “The camber of the track works well and the horses in the heat all handled it well.”
“It was perfect to me,” the Cox Plate winning hoop added.
Former champion jockey and now leading trainer Patrick Payne also rode in the recent heats and was glowing in his assessment.
“The track is almost designed to race that way,” Payne said. “It’s better than a lot of tracks I’ve ridden in New South Wales and Queensland.”
The Ballarat Turf Club will replace a crossing on the track with strathayr turf and install a temporary finishing post and judges tower for the anticipated event.
Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox said the race would act as a perfect lead up to the company’s pin up event run the following January.
“Magic Millions receives a lot of support from Victorian based trainers and we want to help them train adequately for Magic Millions racedays, which run in a clockwise direction. We had requests from trainers, owners and jockeys to implement a platform for them to test runners aimed at our January carnival without having to travel to another state to do so,” he said.
“We have worked alongside the Ballarat Turf Club to present it to Racing Victoria and are very pleased we have been given the green light. This race will be a great opportunity for owners of Magic Millions graduates in the southern states to race their horses in preparation for the $2 Million Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast.”
The Ballarat Turf Club welcomes the addition of the Magic Millions race to its calendar which will add a further $200,000 in prize money offered at the Ballarat Cup meeting.
The Ballarat Turf Club’s Chief Executive Officer, Lachlan McKenzie said, “We couldn’t be more pleased with the announcement from Racing Victoria. We have tested the track under race conditions and believe our racecourse is ideal for the running of a clockwise race.”
“This is a great opportunity for Victorian Trainers to target a race with significant prize money whilst providing their Magic Millions graduates the opportunity to race clockwise in preparation for the Magic Millions Classic on the Gold Coast. The Ballarat Turf Club boasts one of provincial Victoria’s premier racetracks we are pleased to be working alongside Magic Millions on the clockwise initiative.”
The Magic Millions 2013 January Carnival will also be the first for another Magic Millions initiative to build the racing industry in Australia, the Racing Women’s incentive race. The race has been introduced by Magic Millions owners Katie Page and Gerry Harvey to incentivise women to own horses within the thoroughbred industry and drive interest from women about the broader scope of employment opportunities that the racing industry offers.
The Magic Millions Racing Women’s Bonus of $500,000 will be distributed between the top four all female owned or leased horses in finishing order of the 2013 $2 Million Magic Millions 2YO Classic. The Ballarat Clockwise Race will be an ideal opportunity for female owners with horses based in Victoria to trial runners in their bid for a share in the $500,000 on offer.
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