Bumper bonuses headline Northern Queensland Winter Racing Carnival in 2026
The Northern Queensland Winter Racing Carnival returns in 2026 with more than $4 million in prize money and bonuses on offer across two thrilling months of racing. 
Proudly sponsored by Great Northern, the new Great Northern Crowns bonus initiative will see $1 million in bonus payments headline this year’s carnival.
A $500,000 bonus will be awarded to any horse that can secure all four major Cups races held across Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns.
A further $500,000 will be on offer if any horse can claim all four of the Northern Carnival’s feature sprints - the Rockhampton Newmarket, Mackay Newmarket, Cleveland Bay Handicap and Cairns Newmarket.
In addition, a $250,000 bonus will be awarded to any horse that can secure three out of the four staying or sprint races.
The carnival kicks off at Callaghan Park with the $100,000 Rockhampton Newmarket Handicap on Thursday, July 9, before the running of the famous $150,000 Rockhampton Cup and Magic Millions Capricorn Guineas on Saturday, July 11.
Racing then heads north to Mackay for the $75,000 Mackay Newmarket on Friday, July 17, followed by the $150,000 Mackay Cup on Saturday, July 25, alongside the Magic Millions Whitsunday Guineas.
Attention then turns to Townsville, with the city to host two weekends of feature racing from Saturday, August 1.
A week later on August 8, the $150,000 Townsville Cup, the $100,000 Cleveland Bay Handicap, and the $75,000 Magic Millions Townsville Guineas will take centre stage.
In the final stretch, the winter racing action heads to the Far North for the second iteration of the Cairns Super Carnival. The Cairns Amateur Cup and Lightning Handicap will kick off the event on Saturday, August 22.
The $100,000 Cairns Newmarket will be held on Friday, August 28, 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 29.
The Cairns Jockey Club will also welcome one of Australia’s most decorated jockeys, William ‘The Wizard’ Pike, to ride at the Cairns Super Carnival on both August 28 and 29.
In recent years, turf stars such as The Harrovian and Chinny Boom have graduated from career starts in the Central and North Queensland regions and gone on to claim metropolitan black-type success.
Do we have a star in waiting who will stake their claim this Northern Winter Carnival?
Local clubs involved:
