Perth Racing raises the stakes for second successive year
Perth Racing raises the stakes for second successive year
Make your Good Friday great by going to the races for free and it is odds on you will see Perth’s next champion horse at Ascot Racecourse as pioneering Perth Racing raises the stakes for the second successive year.
Last year, Perth Racing became the first Australian thoroughbred racing club to host a Good Friday meeting, attracting more than 6,000 people to its family-friendly, history-making event at Ascot Racecourse.
This year, Good Friday racing at Ascot Racecourse will feature not one but two stakes races – the $150,000 Perth Stakes for the two-year-old boys and the $150,000 Gimcrack Stakes for the two-year-old girls.
Either the Perth Stakes or the Gimcrack Stakes has been the final step on the path to $500,000 Amelia Park-Karrakatta Plate glory for 11 of the last 12 winners of Western Australia’s unofficial two-year-old championship race, which is the most valuable contest of next month’s Autumn Racing Carnival at Ascot Racecourse.
“Good Friday at Ascot Racecourse is all about youngsters – both of the equine and human variety – learning about racing and having fun,” said Professor John Yovich AM, Managing Director of Perth Racing.
“On the track, most of the Karrakatta Plate favourites will continue their racing education in one of the two stakes races as they have one more run before competing in WA’s equivalent of the Golden Slipper.
“Off the track, free entry to Ascot Racecourse will result in many kids experiencing live racing for the first time, getting to know a little bit about horses in between enjoying the wide range of complimentary activities.
“Perth Racing will throw open the Ascot Racecourse gates at 12:00 noon on Good Friday. The eight-race program featuring the Perth Stakes and the Gimcrack Stakes will start at 1:40pm and finish at 5:20pm.”