The Qld carnival kicks off at Albion park on Saturday night Photo by Dan Costello
The Queensland Winter Trotting Carnival will explode into action at Albion Park this Saturday night with an all-star cast assembling for the Carnival’s first Group 1, the Sunshine Sprint.
When nominations closed on Tuesday morning, many were left to ponder whether the raiders, spearheaded by homecoming queen Natalie Rasmussen and stable star Smolda, would be able to pinch the spoils from a local contingent headlined by 2014 Horse of the Year Avonnova and Majestic Major.
The Luke McCarthy-trained For a Reason has also nominated for the Sprint, adding some southern flavour to a race which was last year won by Western Australian superstar Im Themightyquinn.
Racing Queensland Racing Operations Manager, David Aldred said there was no shortage of talent across Saturday night’s meeting but predicted all eyes would be on the Sprint.
"This year’s Carnival has already attracted a great response right across the five weeks, and it is great to see such a quality field nominated for the Carnival’s first Group 1 this weekend," Mr Aldred said.
"After what was a hugely successful carnival last year, the calibre of horses is even stronger in 2015 and we are expecting to see some really open races at Group 1 level."
Albion Park Harness Racing Club Chairman David Fowler said the big-name horses, coupled with the compact format and the recent track re-surfacing pointed towards a successful carnival.
"This is obviously the richest carnival we have ever had and we’ve attracted an unprecedented response from New Zealand and interstate," Mr Fowler said.
"Racing Queensland and Albion Park have timed the re-surfacing of the track perfectly and it is performing very well, so I think we can expect to see some very quick racing over the next few weeks."
Redcliffe Harness Racing Club Chairman Kerry Ebert also predicted some high-quality racing as the Carnival wraps up with two big nights on the Peninsula.
"We are looking forward to the Carnival finishing at Redcliffe with four really strong races, including the 3YO version of the Garrard’s Yearling Sales race," he said.
"We also understand the Redcliffe Cup has attracted international and interstate interest, so we should have a great couple of nights of racing over the two weekends."
This year’s Winter Carnival Dates are:
Saturday July 4 – Albion Park: Sunshine Sprint (G1), Nursery Flying Stakes (G1) 2&3 YO
Saturday July 11 – Albion Park: Queensland Oaks (G1), 4&5 YO Championship (G2), Fleur De Lil Ladyship Stakes (G3), Gold Coast Derby (G3)
Saturday July 18 – Albion Park: The Blacks A Fake (G1), 4YO Championship (G2), Queensland Derby (G1), QBred Triad Final F&M (G1), Qbred Triad Final C&G (G1)
Friday July 24 Redcliffe: Chris Garrard’s Patron’s Purse (G3), Garrard’s Redcliffe Yearling’s Sales 3YO Final
Friday August 1 Redcliffe: Redcliffe Cup
