Patrick Carbery aboard Amelia's Jewel - 2022 Amelia Park-Karrakatta Plate winner at Ascot Racecourse
Western Australia’s newest race The Gold Rush has sparked a flurry of nominations from interstate contenders hoping to strike it rich with the $1.5million prize money.
Racing and Wagering Western Australia and Perth Racing today unveiled the stunning field of talent lining up to join the feature races of The Pinnacles racing carnival, with strongest demand focused on The Gold Rush.
Racing and Wagering WA Chief Racing Officer David Hunter said the race promised to be the crowning glory of the carnival, with an astonishing 112 nominations from across Australia.
“We were always confident The Gold Rush would be a lot more than a flash in the pan and the list of nominees is a glowing endorsement of the new race,” David said.
“Potential starters include Amelia’s Jewel, Elite Street, God Has Chosen, Kementari, Kissonallforcheeks, Paulele, Rothfire, Tuvalu as well as two-time G3 winner Swat’s That, multiple stakes winner Ayrton and dual G1 winner Streets of Avalon.”
Perth Racing CEO James Oldring said almost every major stable in Australia could be represented across the three $1.5million Group 1 races of The Pinnacles series.
“As expected, the Furphy-Railway Stakes has attracted an exceptional set of 72 nominations, which includes recent Toorak Handicap winner Tuvalu, three-time G1 winner Kolding for Chris Waller and 2021 Epsom Handicap winner Private Eye,” James said.
“The home team is headed by Dan Morton’s exceptional Alaskan God, reigning WATC Derby champion and God Has Chosen, eight-time winner from 14 career starts.”
The Crown Perth Winterbottom Stakes has 80 nominations, including the 2020 winner Elite Street and other local stars Amelia’s Jewel and Kissonallforcheeks.
“They could be facing the stiffest of competition from the likes of Queensland star Rothfire, winner of the G1 JJ Atkins, Paulele, who took out the G2 Schillaci Stakes at Caulfield recently and G1 Goodwood winner Savatoxl,” James said.
“Also in the mix are three-time G1 winner Behemoth, G2 Sapphire Stakes winner Bella Nipotina and September Run, winner of the G1 Coolmore Stud and G1 William Reid Stakes.”
The $1.5m Northerly Stakes (formerly known as The Kingston Town Classic) has attracted 87 nominations, which include the ever-popular Alligator Blood, winner of three G1s, representing the powerful Waterhouse-Bott training partnership and Cascadian, winner of the G1 All Aged Stakes and G1 Doncaster Stakes.
On Euroz Hartleys Champion Fillies Day – the opening day of The Pinnacles – there are 55 horses nominated for the $500,000 Placid Ark Stakes.
They include WA’s champion two-year-old Amelia’s Jewel alongside Baby Paris, unbeaten as a three-year-old, having finished runner up in the Karrakatta and Neville Parnham duo Snowdome and Bustler, both victorious at Crown Perth Opening Day at Ascot on Saturday.
The potential east coast representation includes nominations from the powerful stables of Ben & JD Hayes and Tony & Calvin McEvoy.
“We are exceptionally pleased with the depth and quality of the nominations received for the feature races of The Pinnacles and it’s fantastic to see the commitment of WA racing rewarded in this way,” James said.
“The uplift in prize money has laid the foundations which we hope to build into an outstanding carnival.
“We look forward to extending the very warmest WA welcome to all those eastern-states horses that have been nominated. They are a wonderful addition to our carnival and it would be fantastic to see as many as possible of them over here to compete against the very best our home team has to offer.
“The Pinnacles is shaping up to be an exceptional sporting and social event, and all of us at Perth Racing are extremely proud to be hosting some of the best horses, jockeys and trainers in the world at Ascot come November.”
The Pinnacles runs from 12 November to 10 December at Ascot Racecourse, with $10.5 million in overall prize money.
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