Newcastle and Kembla Grange are to have their own $1 million races after Racing NSW announced that the centres will each hold a stand-alone Saturday meeting from later this year.
Newcastle's new Saturday meet - scheduled for November 16, will be headlined by the $1m race named "The Hunter", while Kembla Grange's meet will be staged on November 23, its $1m highlight known as "The Gong".
"These new days will provide the change for Newcastle and Wollongong to shine as the feature NSW meetings immediately following The Everest Carnival," Racing NSW chairman Russell Balding AO said.
Being the feature NSW meeting for each of those Saturdays, both Newcastle and Kembla Grange will have support races carrying $125,000 in prizemoney.
With the $1m The Hunter being a quality handicap over 1300 metres, it may attract runners from The Everest race. The $1m The Gong will also be a quality handicap, however run over 1600 metres.
Provincial racing will further be bolstered with news of the Gosford Gold Cup meeting joining the Hawkesbury Gold Cup meet, as a stand-alone Saturday fixture at the conclusion of the Sydney Autumn Carnival.
The inaugural revamped Gosford Gold Cup meet is scheduled for May 9, 2020.
The Everest climbs to new heights
The Everest race will not only be a pinnacle in Sydney racing, but now a carnival staged over a six week period, with a $1m feature race each week.
The $7.5m Golden Eagle at Rosehill on November 2 will now be supported by the inaugural $1m Winners Stakes, a 1300 metres race under set weight and penalty conditions.
This race will be renamed each year in honour of the previous year's winner of The Everest, and accordingly will be known as The Redzel Stakes this year.
Dating back to 1971, the Spring Champion Stakes now has $1m in prizemoney (on October 12).
Other major changes include a three-year-old $1m race, the Bondi Stakes on October 26, the juvenile $1m Golden Gift on November 9, as well as a $500,000 fillies and mares race the Hot Danish Stakes.
Dundeel colt sets new National Yearling Sale record
A new record was created at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale at the Gold Coast last week, when a colt by emerging young sire Dundeel fetched $850,000 on its second day of the Book One session.
The colt from Santa Rocks was sold from Dundeel's home of Arrowfield Stud, Scone, and went to Hawkes Racing.
This bettered the previous record of $500,000 that was equalled on the auction's opening day, which was for a Snitzel colt, and sold via Baramul Stud, Widden Valley, to David Rapheal and Rosehill conditioner Gerald Ryan.
That colt is a half-brother to four stakes winners, including Ryan's Group 1 Oakleigh Plate winner Mrs Onassis and Miss Judgement, the latter being the dam of Group winner Missrock, the five-year-old maiden mare who topped the previous week's National Broodmare Sale at $2.3m.
Book One of the National Yearling Sale saw buyers spend $12.5m for a $52,556 average.
The Godolphin home-bred Commands four-year-old gelding Bandipur fetched a top of $260,000 at the Magic Millions National Racehorse Sale, of which 36 lots were offered and 29 sold on Friday.
Fellow Godolphin runner Morton's Fork (by Cangon Stud Farm's Ad Valorem) sold for $100,000.
New Basil Nolan Jnr award announced
Thoroughbred Breeders Australia (TBA) celebrated its centenary last month and during its Gold Coast evening of celebrations, made an announcement of a new Basil Nolan Jnr scholarship to further young people's skills within the industry.
The TBA president Basil Nolan Snr acknowledged the award, being created and funded by Aushorse, and which is named in honour of his late son.
The scholarship is available to graduates of the TBA's traineeship program 'Fast Track' - which is now in its second year of operation, allowing one graduate every year to study overseas.
Aushorse chairman Antony Thompson said the scholarship continues the organisation's commitment to the future of thoroughbred breeding in Australia.
"This prize will provide a graduate the opportunity to expand their knowledge base and broaden their experience, allowing them to go overseas and study at the Irish National Stud, or a similar program," Mr Thompson said.
Basil Nolan Jnr died in a farming accident on his family's Raheen Stud at Gladfield near Warwick in south-east Queensland, on Melbourne Cup day last November.
