Southside Racing have unveiled a lucrative slot racing series this year, with each of the two A$1 million races in the series also becoming qualifying races for New Zealand’s inaugural Sport Nation Champion Sprint series.
The Southside Racing slot series includes the A$1 million The Meteorite (1200m) and A$1 million Supernova (1400m), with The Meteorite set to take place on Cranbourne Cup Day on November 23, while The Supernova will be run on Pakenham Cup Day on December 21.
Both events are open to three-year-olds and older, and will be conducted under set weights and penalties conditions.
On Thursday, Southside Racing revealed the 14 slot holders for the series:
- Busuttin Racing
- Cape Schanck Racing (Tony Ottobre)
- Carl Holt
- Cavallo Park
- Ciaron Maher Racing
- Ladbrokes Racing Club
- Lindsay Park Racing
- Lofty Group
- Moody Racing
- Moonee Valley Racing Club
- OTI Racing
- Sheamus Mills Bloodstock
- Southside Racing
- Sportsbet / Melbourne Racing Club
“The Southside Slot Series is unlike anything we’ve seen before in Australian racing, and the calibre of slot holders reflects the industry’s enthusiasm for this ground-breaking format,” Southside Racing chief executive Neil Bainbridge said. “We can’t wait to see the best contenders compete on the track and make history.”
In addition to the prizemoney on offer, the slot holder who accrues the most points across both races will also be awarded a special bonus.
To add further incentive to the series, each race has become a qualifying race for the Sport Nation Champion Sprint Series in New Zealand, which has become a part of Entain Australia and New Zealand and New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing’s Champion Bonus series.
As part of the new Summer Carnival, the new Champion Sprint Series will join the revamped Champion Middle Distance Series and will be run for a total of $1 million in bonuses, with the final race in each series to be run on Champions Day, also home to the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m), on March 8 at Ellerslie.
Points will be allocated to the first four placegetters of each race in the respective series, with a bonus pool of $500,000 being shared amongst the owners of the three highest point-scoring horses at the conclusion of each series ($300,000 for first, $150,000 for second, and $50,000 for third).
To be eligible to win or place in a series, a horse must compete in at least one Group One race in New Zealand in the relevant Series. If two or more horses finish with the same number of points in a series, the relevant bonus amount will be shared amongst the owners of those horses.
Sport Nation Champion Sprint Series – Qualifying Races
- Listed Lindauer Stewards Stakes – November 16, 2024
- The Meteorite (Melbourne) – November 23, 2024
- Group 3 Haunui Farm Counties Bowl – November 30, 2024
- Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (Perth) – November 30, 2024
- Group 3 George Moore Stakes (Brisbane) – November 30, 2024
- Group 3 Concorde Stakes – December 7, 2024
- The Supernova (Melbourne) – December 21, 2024
- Listed Christmas Stakes (Melbourne) – December 26, 2024
- Listed Canterbury Sprint (Sydney) – January 1, 2025
- Group 1 TAB Telegraph – January 4, 2025
- Group 1 Sistema Railway – January 25, 2025
- Group 1 BCD Group Sprint – February 8, 2025
- Group 3 Haunui Farm King’s Plate – March 8, 2025
Horse racing news
