Queensland Racing Receives $2 Million Boost

A $2 million injection into Queensland racing has been announced to improve training facilities across the state.

The state government will outlay $1.2 million to 37 race clubs immediately and a further $800,000 will be allocated on a discretionary basis depending on the number of runners competing from particular clubs.

The funds are part of the Training Track Subsidy Scheme which Racing Minister Steve Dickson said is vital to ensuring the viability of clubs in the sunshine state.

“Training facilities are vital to the operation of the industry but are a significant impost on individual race clubs,” Mr Dickson said.

“This funding helps to offset the cost to race clubs of providing high quality training facilities and keeping the industry viable, particularly in rural and regional areas.”

Mr Dickson said the onus was on the clubs to secure a slice of the remaining $800,000 which will be allocated by the end of the financial year.

“This is an incentive to clubs to ensure they are attracting thoroughbred trainers to utilise their facilities,” he said.

The announcement comes on the eve of Queensland’s winter racing carnival which begins at the Gold Coast on Saturday.

The Gold Coasts a bumper nine-race program featuring six black-type races, with the program spearheaded by the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes.

Peter Moody’s Brisbane Cup winner Lights Of Heaven is favourite to take out the Gold Coast feature but is expected to face stiff competition from the likes of Foreteller and Solzhenitsyn.

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