Doomben Cup Day takes place at Doomben Racecourse on Saturday the 17th of May, 2014. Featuring a sensational day of thoroughbred racing and a selection of other attractions, this special day is the highlight of the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival. Six of the eight races held on the day are at Group level, including the Group 1 Doomben Cup.
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The highlight of the day is the 2000 metre Doomben Cup, worth $500,000 in prize money. This historic race will be joined by other black type races, including the Group 2 XXXX Gold The Roses over 2000 metres, Group 3 Darley BRC Sprint over 1350 metres, and Group 3 Ascend Sales Fred Best Classic over 1350 metres. Three listed races will round off the day’s racing program.
Race Times
Race 1 12:10 PM QLD REEF AND BEEF (BM95) 1200m
Race 2 12:45 PM CHANNEL SEVEN DALRELLO STAKES 1200m
Race 3 1:20 PM GALLOPERS CLUB LANCASTER STKS 1200m
Race 4 1:55 PM DESIGNLINE GRAPHIC JUANMO STKS 1200m
Race 5 2:30 PM ASCEND SALES FRED BEST CLASSIC 1350m
Race 6 3:05 PM XXXX GOLD THE ROSES 2000m
Race 7 3:40 PM TITAN ENERGY SERV. DOOMBEN CUP 2000m
Race 8 4:20 PM DARLEY BRC SPRINT 1350m
In addition to the racing action, Doomben Racecourse are also putting on a range of entertainment and other attractions for members and guests to enjoy. There are a range of dining packages available on the day, along with a special performance by Aussie favourite Daryl Braithwaite after the final race has finished at 4.30PM.
Gates open for Doomben Cup Day at 10.30AM, with the first race run at 12.10PM and the last race at 4.20PM. The feature race, the Doomben Cup, is being run at 3.40PM. Entertainment for the day commences at 1.00PM. General admission tickets are just $25 through Ticketek or $20 on the gate, with a variety of dining packages available from the casual Pepperjack Steakhouse to the elegant Sparkling and Caviar function.
News:
Ways to boost the Group One Doomben Cup will be among of the priorities in a review of the Brisbane winter carnival.
Racing Queensland chief executive Darren Condon confirmed there would be a major review at the end of this year’s carnival including race dates, sponsorship and weight scales.
Condon said the Doomben Cup, which has just 10 runners on Saturday, would be closely looked at.
The now defunct Brisbane Turf Club switched the Cup from a handicap to a weight-for-age race in 1990.
It was designed to attract what was a vintage crop of weight-for-age middle distance horses at the time including Vo Rogue, Stylish Century, Super Impose and Better Loosen Up.
While none of those horses were enticed into the race the wfa idea proved a winner with top class gallopers such as Rough Habit, Might and Power, Durbridge, Danewin and Intergaze winning the Cup during the 1990s.
However, in the past decade the Cup has dropped away with only two of the 10 runners in Saturday’s race already Group One winners, early favourite Streama and $81 chance Fat Al.
“One thing we need to look at is how to maximise the spin-off the Doomben Cup gets from the $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes in Sydney,” Condon said.
“At the moment we are not getting some of the better horses out of the Queen Elizabeth. But does that mean we should move a race such as the Hollindale Cup at the Gold Coast to run the Doomben Cup earlier?”
“It would be ideal if Queen Elizabeth runners could go on to our Cup and then go for their winter spell before a Cox Plate campaign.”
Condon also conceded that for all winter carnival races apart from the $1 million Group One Stradbroke Handicap, prize money was becoming an issue.
“We are starting to get a major gap between us and the south but that is something else we will be reviewing,” he said.
