The Brisbane Winter Carnival spans six Saturday race meetings, commencing with the Doomben 10000 on the 14th of May and ending on June 25th on Tatts Tiara Day. The who’s who of Australian racing head North to Queensland for the carnival hoping to find some sun and share in the riches on offer. The carnival has eight Group 1 races in total with the time-honoured Stradbroke Handicap the most prestigious and richest.
Group 1 Glory
There are eight Group 1 races throughout the Winter Carnival. They are listed below:
The Doomben 10000 is the first Group 1 of the Brisbane Winter Carnival. Run over 1200m the race is the first leg of the Brisbane Winter Sprint Triple Crown and draws the best sprinters in Queensland and interstate. The honour roll features the biggest names in racing with legendary trainer Tommy Smith training the winner 6 times and hall of fame jockey George Moore saluting on 5 occasions.
The Doomben Cup is run over 2000m and was undoubtedly the most talked about race of the 2021 carnival due to the dominance of the winner ZAAKI. The imported stayer won the race by over 7 lengths and went on to become a star in the Spring.
The Kingsford Smith Cup is the second leg of the Winter Sprint Triple Crown and is run over 1300m. It has proven to be a hard race for punters with only two favourites winning since the race was upgraded to Group 1 in 2006.
Dating back to 1868, the Queensland Derby is one of the most prestigious races on the racing calendar. The distance of 2400m is a test of stamina for the 3yo horses with some relishing the step up in trip while others flounder. The Cassidy brothers were successful in the race 7 times, with Jim riding the winner 4 times and Larry 3.
The 3yo Fillies battle it out over the 2200m in the Queensland Oaks, a race that will always be known as the scene of WINX’s first Group 1 win. While not in the same class as the incomparable superstar, the 2021 winner DUAIS has gone on to enjoy Group 1 success at weight for age.
The richest and most prestigious race of the Winter Racing Carnival, the Stradbroke Handicap has $1.5M in prizemoney on offer. The Handicap conditions of the race ensure a close finish and good odds are on offer for all runners.
The JJ Atkins Stakes gives the 2yos the opportunity to step up in trip to 1400m, many for the first time. THE AUTUMN SUN came from well back in the run to win the race in 2018, the first of his five Group 1 victories. The Colt was retired after his 3yo season with an estimated value of $30 Million.
The Tattersalls Tiara is run over 1400m on the last day of the Brisbane Winter Carnival. A number of horses who have run well in the Stradbroke will back up in the Tatts Tiara in the hope of Group 1 glory.
The Biggest Names on the Biggest Stage
The megastars of Australian racing this century, WINX and BLACK CAVIAR have both added their names to Brisbane Carnival folklore. BLACK CAVIAR is one of only two favourites to have won the Kingsford Smith Cup since the race was promoted to Group 1 status. This illustrates the difficulties that punters have had in the race!
While WINX won the first of her 25 Group 1s when she came storming down the outside to defeat her rivals in the 2015 Queensland Oaks. She started favourite that day, but the $1.95 on offer looks like a great price in hindsight.
Brisbane Winter Carnival Betting Tips
Palmerbet provides free horse racing tips and horse racing previews as well as updated betting markets, breaking news and information about the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival for 2022. They offer a variety of betting markets including exotics and you can bet either pre-post or on the day.
The Palmerbet Blog is a great source for free expert racing tips, betting previews and up-to-date betting odds as well as the all-important Winter Racing Carnival tips.
Palmerbet is your one-stop for all your betting tips as well as racing and sports betting markets. Visit Palmerbet.com.au or download the Palmerbet app via the app store.
