The Pink Ribbon Cup day is one of the biggest days of the year at the Gold Coast Turf Club, according to Club Racing Manager Ian Brown.
Last year’s Pink Ribbon Cup was run for the first time as a standalone Saturday metropolitan meeting, giving the day extra prominence, with the same status afforded to the popular event in 2021.
The day went close to raising $200,000 last year according to Brown, with club officials hoping to raise the bar again.
Now in its 14th year, the Pink Ribbon Cup has become Australia’s largest community fund-raiser for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
“We have been building this day for over 13 years, it started with about 30 people just in a room somewhere and now we are getting around 5000-6000 people,” Brown said.
“It is the single largest day for racing funds for breast cancer survivors, the Gold Coast Turf Club – including chairman Brett Cook and CEO Steve Lines – have done a fantastic job to get it as a standalone Saturday.
“It was a huge day last year being the first metropolitan Saturday meeting and we are looking forward to growing on that this year.”
Boasting as many as 60 gallopers in her stable as one of the top trainers in Queensland, Heinrich has down-sized in recent years after her cancer scares, training around 30 these days at her Bundall yard.
The Pink Ribbon Cup race day is an event the entire Gold Coast gets behind Heinrich says, as she hopes to have as many as three starters go around across the card.
“Anyone that has had cancer, a really good day out like this, it really resonates with you,” Heinrich said.
“You find a lot of the ladies there that do promote the day, they have gone through cancer as well – so it does hit home.
“You realise how grateful you are, I know I am, to still be here.
“I know there is a lot of women who feel the same way.”
Aquis Park will be a sea of pink this Saturday with club staff even donning pink attire to mark the occasion.
“We are a non-for-profit organisation and that is one of our big drivers, we want to be able to put back into the community,” Brown said.
"We have a number of fund-raisers throughout the year and this is easily our biggest.
“Hopefully we can raise as much money as possible for the community.”
With six metropolitan race days to be held on the Gold Coast this season, Brown says the club is always keen for more feature Saturday racing at their club.
The Pink Ribbon Cup, for fillies and mares, will be run over 1300 metres for $125,000.
Heinrich, one of the most famous names in Gold Coast racing, has four gallopers from her stable nominated across the program for this Saturday on her home track.