Northern Queensland Winter Racing Carnival returns in 2025

The Northern Queensland Winter Racing Carnival is set to return with more than $3.5 million in prize money and bonuses up for grabs over two months of racing, including a brand-new Cairns Super Carnival.

The Northern Winter Carnival commences early next month with a two-day extravaganza at the Rockhampton Jockey Club from July 4, and will close with the Cairns Cup Day on Saturday, August 23.

The action gets underway at Callaghan Park with the $100,000 Rockhampton Newmarket on Friday, July 4, before the running of the famous $150,000 Rockhampton Cup and Magic Millions Capricorn Guineas the following day.

Racing continues north to Mackay one week later, with the running of the $75,000 Mackay Newmarket on Friday, July 11, followed by the $150,000 Mackay Cup on Saturday, July 26, alongside the Magic Millions Whitsunday Guineas.

Attention then turns to Townsville, with the city hosting two weekends of feature racing, starting with the Townsville Lightning and Belle of the Burdekin on Saturday, August 2.

A week later on August 9, the $150,000 Townsville Cup and time-honoured $100,000 Cleveland Bay Handicap will take centre stage, alongside the Magic Millions Townsville Guineas.

“The Northern Winter Carnival is the time for our Central and North Queensland clubs to take centre stage, headlined by five traditional cups races and a number of feature sprint and Guineas races,” Acting Racing Queensland CEO Lachlan Murray said.

“Over the years, the central and northern regions have unearthed a number of the state’s big names, headlined by the ‘Rockhampton Rocket’ Our Boy Malachi, and in more recent times The Harrovian and Chinny Boom.

“We look forward to another incredibly successful Northern Queensland Winter Racing Carnival and wish all involved the best of luck.”

Finally, the winter racing action heads to the Far North for the first iteration of the brand-new three-day Cairns Super Carnival, with the Cairns Amateur Cup and Lighting Handicap kicking off the new-look event on Saturday, August 16.

The $100,000 Cairns Newmarket will be held on Friday, August 22 before the curtain draws on the carnival at Ladbrokes Cannon Park with the $150,000 Cairns Cup and Magic Millions Daintree Guineas on Saturday, August 23.

Click here for more information on the 2025 Northern Queensland Winter Racing Carnival.