The best and brightest trotters from across the nation will be given their opportunity to take centre stage throughout this year’s Queensland Constellations.
A new Group 1 trotting feature for three and four-year-olds, The Great Square, will form part of this year’s Winter Carnival showpiece at Albion Park on Saturday, July 8.
The new trotting feature will be run for $75,000, with a further $25,000 bonus on offer if the race is won by a three-year-old – similar to the Group 1 The Rising Sun.
The three-year-old trotters will shine across the Constellations’ programme, with a pair of Group 3 events introduced in the form of the Queensland Derby and Queensland Oaks – both worth $30,000.
In a further boost to the state’s square gaiters, the Queensland Trotters Cup prize money will also double to $100,000, as a part of Harness Racing Australia’s Australian Trotting Masters series.
Racing Queensland EGM Operations Adam Wallish said the added investment was part of the growth strategy implemented in 2018, to increase the breeding and racing of trotters across the state.
“Since the 2018 financial year, the number of trotting races in Queensland has increased by close to 20 per cent,” Mr Wallish said.
“During that same period, the total prize money raced for by trotters has increased by over 100 per cent.
“We have seen significant growth in the breeding of trotters in Queensland, resulting in a record number of horses that will be offered at the Queensland yearling sales this year.
“With the harness code set to receive almost $5 million in additional prize money from February 1, this is just another example of our commitment to boost the breeding and racing of trotters across Queensland.”
Pleasingly, the Redcliffe Trotters Cup will be boosted to $30,000 and elevated to Group 3 status, while the two and three-year-old QBRED trotting features, which will form part of the QStars card, have been lifted to Group 2 level and will now be run for $50,000 apiece.
The 2023 Queensland Constellations will commence on June 16, with Australia and New Zealand’s brightest harness racing stars preparing to descend on the Sunshine State.
The six-week program features a raft of enhancements, with more than $3 million up for grabs including seven Group 1s and 20 Group races in total.
RQ is expected to announce further enhancements to the Constellations over the coming weeks.