Coffers grow and grow for country racing prize money

This is highlighted with almost $9m in prize money increases for country race meetings including its non-TAB and picnic races.

Prize money for Saturday's country trained gallopers TAB Highway Handicap races will also be increased to $100,000.

From July 1 this year there will be an additional 20 country race meetings that will be ungraded to Country Showcase status carrying prize money of $30,000 per race an annual increase of $1.28m.

Other bush prize money rises are Country TAB races to $24,000; Country Sky 2 to $15,000, Country Non-TAB to $10,000, and Country Picnic to $3000 per race. Since 2012 country prize money has risen from $58m to now being more than $91m.

The new $100,000 Midway Races are exclusively for horses from small to mid-sized city and provincial stables, and will be run at metropolitan Saturday meets from July 1 this year. A point scoring system will be applied to such trainers based on the number of level of winners trained by them in the previous year to see if they meet the mid-size category.

While there are also significant prize money increases for weekly metropolitan races, there have also been boosts for black type spring racing including the time-honoured mile event ATC Epsom Handicap-G1 which now carries a purse of $1.5m.

According to RNSW chairman, Russell Balding, these increases broaden the spread of prize money and further improve the dividends back to owners and participants.

He said that the objective of the Midway Races is to build the competitiveness of small to mid-sized stables and further develop the field sizes and quality for metropolitan racing.

DANEWIN - a member of the first Australian crop of Danehill, was euthanized at Emirates Park, Murrurundi, the stallion's home for the past 25 years late last year.

Aged 29, Danewin belonged to a unique generation.

A stakes-winning two-year-old, Danewin became a champion Australasian Three-Year-Old. He won 13 races from a brilliant race-record in the 1200 metres STC Frederick Clissold Handicap-G3, to his favourite 2000 metres including five Group 1 events. His toughness was displayed with a further six Group 1 placings and earning $2m, which today would equate to many millions more.

Despite his well-known stud fertility issues, Danewin sired 281 winners (from 385 starters) including 25 stakes winners for progeny earnings of over $51 million. Danewin's best would be Theseo, who emulated his sire by also winning five Group 1 events and $3.2 million.

WIDDEN Stud - a property owned by the Thompson family that has been producing horses for 150 years located in the Widden Valley, are set to have a Victorian base with announcement of connections taking over Sun Stud at Riddles Creek. Its outstanding stallions Star Witness (by Starcraft), and Nicconi (Bianconi) will relocate to Victoria.

Widden Stud principal - Antony Thompson, believes it is an opportunity to expand into a growing Victorian market.

"Star Witness and Nicconi both won their major Group 1 races in Victoria and their progeny continue to excel on Melbourne tracks, and they made obvious appeal as candidates to send south - we predict they will fill a productive niche in the market," Thompson said. "The first two Group 1 races run in Victoria this year were won by sires that will stand on our Victorian roster this spring - Nature Strip by Nicconi, and Streets of Avalon by Magnus, who won the VRC Lightning Stakes and MRC CF Orr Stakes, respectively."

Sun Stud's existing stallions - Bel Esprit (Royal Academy), Magnus (Flying Spur), Palentino (Teofilo), Ready For Victory (More Than Ready), Squamosa (Not A Single Doubt) and Thronum (Snitzel), and the imported Fiorente (Monsun) and National Defense (Invincible Spirit) will continue to stand at the property.

WRITTEN Tycoon scored his fourth seven-figure horse when agent James Harron signed for a colt from Gybe on the first day of Inglis' Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale last Sunday.