Racing Queensland has announced it will increase prize money for mid-week metropolitan thoroughbred maidens and programme more TAB races from next month.
Having returned thoroughbred stakes to pre-COVID levels at the weekend, RQ used the opportunity to review its current distribution model, identifying the need to raise its maidens in line with its standard mid-week metropolitan prize money.
From September 1, mid-week metropolitan maidens will rise from $27,500 to $35,000.
In addition, all mid-week Northern Provincial meetings will now be run for $18,000 and Saturday Provincial 2 meetings for $15,000, removing weekly showcase meetings from the calendar.
Finally, RQ will programme an additional 50 races, with the primary TAB meetings on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays increasing from seven to eight race cards across the state.
“Our stakeholders have stressed to us the importance of raising mid-week metropolitan maidens,” RQ CEO Brendan Parnell said.
“With standard mid-week prize money rising to $35,000 last year, maidens were the major anomaly and we’re correcting that now.
“We’re also taken the opportunity to standardise our prize money in the North, who will receive more opportunities to race with the additional races to be programmed on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.”
Full programming details will be provided in this month’s edition of Race magazine.