Australia’s tallest mountain will officially lend its name to the richest country race on the planet when the $1.3 million The Kosciuszko jumps in October.
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NSW minister for racing Paul Toole confirmed the million-dollar race will be held on Everest Day at Royal Randwick at an announcement on Wednesday.
The race will be restricted to only NSW country trained horses who will get a chance to compete on the biggest day of racing in Australia with more than $16 million of prizemoney on offer.
The announcement comes on the back of another hugely successful country championship campaign for Racing NSW, with interest surrounding the $500,000 final, and the race’s heats across the state, generating plenty of support for the industry.
Justin Stanley’s Good Host took out the $150,000 championship heat at Dubbo in March and would be one of the region’s leading contenders for a spot in The Kosciuszko.
“The race is a great way to showcase NSW country-trained horses, giving them the chance to compete at one of Australia’s biggest days of racing,” Toole said.
“I congratulate Racing NSW on this exciting new initiative to support regional NSW racing, which plays such a vital role in cities and towns across the state.
“With the recent success of The Everest and The Championships, the NSW racing industry continues to go from strength to strength.”
The Kosciuszko race will be run over 1200m and will be run at set weights and penalties, with eligibility restricted to horses trained in Country NSW.
A sweepstakes will be held to determine the 12 slot winners for the Kosciuszko. Tickets will be sold at all NSW Australian Hotel Association hotels that feature a TAB outlet, and at any TAB terminal too from Thursday, before the draw on September 14.
Essentially, that means any punter could end up with a slot in the race.
Those winners then select a country-trained horse to race in their entry and are put in contact with connections, striking an arrangement that’s mutually satisfactory.
“They have to do a deal similar to the slot holders in The Everest,” Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys said.
“They may take 50-50 or may take 60-40. That will be up to them. Who knows?
“It’s going to be exciting because (the owners of) the best 1200-metre horse will have a lot of these winners phoning them trying to do a deal. And that adds a another dimension to the race in itself, because there is going to be intrigue with these new people in the racing industry, potentially, that will be doing deals with our country trainers in a partnership.”