Kicking off next Saturday, August 17, Cannon Park will come alive for Cairns Jockey Club’s annual staging of its Red Beret Hotel Cairns Cup Carnival, delivering two thrilling days of racing, fashion, and entertainment destined to draw racegoers, revellers, and fashionistas from near and far.
The Red Beret Hotel Cairns Cup Carnival will be held on Saturday, August 17, and Saturday, August 24 at Cannon Park, featuring racing, Fashions on the Field, and an extensive range of hospitality packages that offer the ultimate race-day experience.
Ahead of next weekend’s much-anticipated opening of the 2024 Red Beret Hotel Cairns Cup Carnival, Cairns Jockey Club’s general manager, Cameron Riches said Cannon Park is in peak condition with hospitality infrastructure set and ready for the most significant two days of racing in the carnival’s history.
With 16 races running across both weekends for a share of the sizable prize cache of $743,000 and the $30,000 Myer Style Stakes’ spectacle of nine hotly contested fashion categories.
“From travel and hospitality to fashion and grooming, horse racing and this event in particular, focuses the spotlight on Cairns and provides an incredible and much-needed boost to our economy,” Mr Riches said.
Mr Riches said gates open on August 17 from 10.30am at Cannon Park with a full program of eight races delivering $343,000 in prize money, including $75,000 for the Ladbrokes Newmarket feature race.
Myer Style Stakes will also launch its two days of Fashions on the Field with a tropical springtime theme that will inspire a colourful showcase of racewear and millinery to help judges decide who will win the hotly contested competition.
Carnival track facts and stats:
- Up to 100 horses will compete each day of the Carnival, thanks to the involvement of 40 individual trainers and approximately 30 jockeys.
- On the racetrack, local hopes present in both feature races across the two weekends, including Trevor and Peter Rowe’s Smart Image (contesting Ladbrokes Newmarket on 17 August).
- In 2023, approximately 8,000 racegoers attended the Carnival with this year set to equal attendance.
- Caterers will serve over 3,000 meals in the hospitality/function areas.