An extra $200,000 in prizemoney will be on offer during Wyong’s two-day spring carnival in a major boost for the provincial club.
Wyong Race Club announced the increase on Thursday, bringing the carnival’s total prize pool to more than $700,000.
The club has also programmed a new feature race for Ladies Day on September 6 – the 1600m La Giaconda for mares – worth $100,000.
Prizemoney for the Listed Wyong Gold Cup (2100m) on September 7 will jump $30,000 to $150,000 while the carnival’s other feature, the Listed Mona Lisa Stakes (1350m) for fillies and mares, will increase from $100,000 to $120,000.
The Da Vinci (1350m) for three-year-olds, which was only introduced to the program last year, will go up by $10,000 to $50,000.
Wyong Race Club chairman Rod Wicks is hopeful the beefed-up prizemoney will further enhance the carnival’s success.
“We have a racing surface which many owners, trainers and jockeys rate as the best in the state and we believe that warrants a carnival of this size and stature,” Wicks said.
“We believe this year’s carnival will provide them with an even bigger and better racing experience.”