The Queensland Winter Racing Carnival, breeding ground to Australia's future stars of the turf, launched in Brisbane today with $18.4 million in prizemoney up for grabs.
Racing Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said this year's carnival includes 60 feature races and provides a proven pathway to greatness.
"Year in, year out we see future greats of the Australian turf emerge from the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival," he said.
"Last year it was the Autumn Sun who blazed a trail in Brisbane, before going on to thrill racegoers in Melbourne and Sydney with a series of stunning wins.
"Several years before that the legendary Winx began her winning run in the Queensland winter, going on to forge a reputation as one of our all-time greats.
"The 2019 Winter Carnival could unearth yet another future champion, home grown right here in Queensland.
"I want to encourage racegoers to head trackside for this year's carnival and enjoy all that racing in Queensland has to offer.
"And there's also great news for those who want to enjoy the carnival from the comfort of their own lounge room, with Channel 7 set to broadcast four major race days live on free-to-air TV."
The Queensland Winter Racing Carnival runs over 12 weeks and features 60 black type races, including eight Group 1 races.
The carnival is headlined by the $4 million Stradbroke Handicap race day on June 8 at Queensland's premier racecourse Eagle Farm.
