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The Murray Bridge Racing Club has announced a new $50,000 feature for Murray Bridge Gold Cup Day – The Moorundi.

The $50,000 race will be run over the 900m short-course at Gifford Hill and be the opening two-year-old race of the 2023-24 racing season in South Australia.

In addition Murray Bridge Racing Club's loyal partner Magic Millions will provide the winning trainer an additional $10,000 voucher to spend at any Magic Millions bloodstock sale around Australia in 2024.

The race provides the Murray Bridge Racing Club with an opportunity to engage with and celebrate the contributions of the local Indigenous community.

In Ngarrindjeri, the word Moorundi means river and refers directly to the Murray River.

"We are thrilled that we have been granted permission to use the name Moorundi for our new feature two-year-old race on Carlton Draught Murray Bridge Gold Cup Day," Murray Bridge Racing Club Chairman John Leahy said.

"The Ngarrindjeri people are the traditional Aboriginal Australian inhabitants of the lower Murray River and Coorong area, and the river has always been their main aorta of food and sustenance for generations.

"The honour to have the Moorundi name on the first two-year-old race of the season gives the Murray Bridge Racing Club an opportunity to connect to the proud Indigenous history of our district,'' he said.

The opening two-year-old race of the season can prove a vital one for young horses to bank the prizemoney required to earn eligibility to tackle some of the country's premier two-year-old races.

Chris Bieg's Dubenenko came through the race last year before going on to run third in the Magic Millions 2yo Classic at Ballarat and then finishing a luckless sixth in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes at Sandown in February.

The Moorundi will be run as part of a big Cup Day program, the first time the $120,000 Listed Murray Bridge Gold Cup (1600m) will be held on a Saturday with the meeting also featuring the $65,000 Reg Nolen Murray Bridge Sprint (1200m) and the $55,000 Andrew Mills Gifford Hill Guineas (1000m).