VRC Announce Cup Consolation Bonus

Tuesday, 08 June 2010 04:53

The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) have today announced a $100,000 consolation bonus for horses who are balloted out of the Melbourne Cup and then win the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

The move is in a bid to entice runners that do not make the Melbourne Cup field to race over the carnival.

In doing so, it should preserve the Group 3 status of the $250,000 Queen Elizabeth Stakes on the final day of the carnival.

“It is arguably every owner’s dream to have an Emirates Melbourne Cup runner, and to get as close as having a Cup final acceptor, yet miss out on a place in the field of twenty-four, would be an extremely frustrating and disappointing experience,” VRC Chief Executive Dale Monteith said in a statement.

“On average, about 40 per cent of the horses balloted from the Emirates Melbourne Cup, from year to year, do not race at the Carnival in other events.

“This statistic is likely to improve, with the bonus opportunity now in place,” he added.

Subsequently, this year’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes has been extended an extra 100 metres to a 2600 metre race in order “to provide an extra staying test for all runners."

Had the bonus been introduced last year, Queen Elizabeth winner Sterling Prince would not have collected the bonus as connections mistimed the third declaration payment of $2,420.

Vigor was controversially balloted from the Melbourne Cup final field with connections refunded their $45,375 final acceptance fee.

However rather then running over the more suitable 2500 metres in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Vigor contested the $1 million Group 1 Emirates Stakes (1600m) and finished seventh.

Picture: Quentin Lang