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A new summer feature race in Brisbane will give the winner ballot-free exemption into the 2020 Stradbroke Handicap.
The Gateway will wil be a feature of a new lok TAB Queensland Sumer Carnival son to be unveiled by Racing Queensland.
RQ has confirmed that the Summer Carnival will commence at the Sunshine Coast on November 16 and will feature 22 black-type races until its conclusion in January.
There will be a raft of prize money increases over the carnival supplementing the $10 million Gold Coast Magic Millions Race Day in January.
The path to the Magic Millions will be enhanced by three consecutive Saturday meetings at Eagle Farm in December.
They will include the first running on December 14 of The Gateway - a new $250,000 race exclusively for four-year-olds over 1400m with the winner securing a guaranteed berth in the time-honoured $1.5 million Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm in June.
The G3 Grand Prix Stakes for three-year-olds will be moved from its traditional winter timeslot to a new summer date on December 21 and will increase in value from $150,000 to $250,000 to become the Final of the 3YO Stayers Series.
The Road to the Magic Millions Race Day on December 28 will offer five up-graded black type races and four chances to secure a lucrative wildcard into Queensland's richest race day at the Gold Coast.
RQ CEO Brendan Parnell outlined the new look summer carnival.
"We've introduced a number of exciting initiatives including The Gateway which provides the perfect platform for sprinters looking to secure a berth in the Stradbroke," Parnell said.
"Working closely with the Brisbane Racing Club, three-year-old sprint and staying races have also received a major boost but we're not done yet and we look forward to sharing further enhancements in the near future."
The TAB Origin Jockeys Series will be staged at Doomben and Eagle Farm on December 13 and 14. The December 13 meeting will feature the Listed Phelan Ready Stakes and Listed Calaway Gal for 2YOs, each worth $125,000.
Brisbane Racing Club chairman Neville Bell said the exciting new program would provide high-quality racing across the Summer Carnival.
"We've worked collaboratively with Racing Queensland on this schedule and we thank them for their co-operation and their commitment to a format that offers so much," Bell said.
"This is exciting for our local industry because it provides real pathways for our local owners and trainers to achieve feature race wins in Brisbane with strong prize money on offer.
Prize money increases include:
- An uplift for 2YOs in the B.J. McLachlan Stakes ($200k to $250k);
- Increased prize money for 3YO sprinters in the Gold Edition Plate ($125k to $200k) and the Vo Rogue Plate ($200k to $300k);
- Increased prize money for 3YO stayers in the Eagle Way heats ($85k to $105k) leasding up to the Grand Prix
- Fillies and mares prize boost in The Nudgee ($125k to $200k).
