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TAB Queensland Winter Greyhound Carnival Wrap

5 August 2019

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The Sky Racing Brisbane Cup has created history by becoming the first Queensland greyhound race to record more than $500,000 in wagering turnover.

With the TAB Queensland Winter Greyhound Carnival recently drawing to a conclusion, the Group 1 feature, which saw prize money increased to $375,000 to become the nation’s third richest race, was among the highlights from the campaign.

Across the Winter Carnival’s five premier meetings, wagering turnover increased by 12% on a per race basis to $15 million, with revenue increasing by eight per cent on a per race basis.

Annual turnover for Queensland greyhound racing also surpassed $865 million for the first time – an eight per cent increase – and continues to be the fastest growing wagering code in the state.

While the Brisbane Cup was the Carnival’s premier race, the Greyhound Origin Series underlined its popularity with punters as the highest turnover meeting with $3.3 million wagered.

RQ’s full financial performance will be published within the 2018/19 Annual Report later this year.

“We wanted to reinvigorate the TAB Queensland Winter Greyhound Carnival and that’s exactly what we did,” RQ CEO Brendan Parnell said.

“We unashamedly wanted a Group 1 blockbuster for our Winter Carnival – the $375,000 Brisbane Cup including $250,000 to the winner was a clear highlight on and off the track – but we were delighted with the performance of the Greyhound Origin Series and our other marquee races.

“With more plans in store for Summer, the greyhound code continues to perform strongly with eight per cent wagering growth on a year-on-year basis.”

At Albion Park, Victorian raider Sennachie set a new track record en route to victory in the Brisbane Cup.

Throughout the Carnival, nominations were particularly strong with some of Australia’s best greyhounds electing to campaign in the Sunshine State week after week.

The Brisbane Cup alone attracted nominations from seven individual Group 1 winners, while New South Wales included five Group 1 winners in their Origin victory.