The Victoria Racing Club has announced a huge financial incentive to overseas Global Sprint Challenge winners to race in this year’s Patinack Farm Classic at Flemington.
Apart from a $250,000 stakes increase to $1 million for the 1200m Group One weight-for-age feature, a $600,000 bonus will be available to any horse who has already won a sprint challenge race outside Australia since October 1.
“The club has for some time been exploring the development of other races in the Melbourne Cup carnival to attract international participation,” said VRC chief executive Dale Monteith.
“The Patinack Farm Classic offers such an opportunity, and we believe the announcement today will entice the connections of the world’s best sprinters to hopefully take on Black Caviar and Australia’s best sprinters.”
If Singapore’s Rocket Man or Hong Kong’s Sacred Kingdom win the KrisFlyer International Sprint at Kranji on Sunday, they would be racing for a cheque of $1.2 million in the Patinack Farm Classic, the biggest winner’s payout for any sprint race in the world.
The Patinack Farm Classic, won by superstar sprinter Black Caviar last year, will be run on Saturday, November 5.
An Australian or New Zealand-trained horse can become eligible for the bonus if they win any 2011 sprint challenge race outside Australia.
Bonus eligible horses so far are the South African trained JJ The Jet Plane, Hong Kong’s Ultra Fantasy and the Japanese-trained Kinshasa no Kiseki.
Upcoming races in 2011 are the Krisflyer International Sprint, the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 14, the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 18 and the July Cup at Newmarket on July 8.
Patinack Farm chief executive said Nathan Tinkler’s breeding and racing empire had extended its sponsorship commitment to the race for a further three years.
The VRC will offer more than $16 million in prize money over the four days of the Melbourne Cup carnival and the Patinack Farm Classic is one of six races offering $1 million or more in stakes.
AAP TURF
