Clarence River Jockey Club will kick off their 2023 XXXX July Grafton Carnival on July 2, with the running of their Kensei Club Community Prelude Day.
As one would expect from the title, the seven-race card will be headlined by preludes to major races later in the carnival, including the running of the Grafton Cup Quality Prelude (2200m), Grafton Guineas Prelude 3YO Benchmark 66 Handicap (1400m), 2YO Springboard Prelude Maiden Plate (1000m), John Carlton Quality (1175m), which is a Prelude to the Ramornie, and the new Belflyer Prelude Class 3 Handicap (1100m).
Clarence River Jockey Club CEO Michael Beattie believes it is the best way to kick off five big meetings over 15 days.
“For us, it’s an extremely important day because, through the program, we run preludes to most of our major races,” Beattie said.
“On a seven-race card, we have five preludes, and even horses that miss out, from a punting perspective, it’s important because generally, if they have entered these races, it signals their intention to race in some of the bigger races later in the carnival.
“It’s just an excellent way to start the biggest country carnival of racing.”
Excitement has been building ahead of the Grafton carnival, with recent meetings at Port Macquarie, Murwillumbah, and Lismore providing other preludes to major races in July.
“It’s a bit of a back-to-the-future moment for us, which is what we like to do here a lot,” Beattie said.
“The Murwillumbah Cup run at that distance of 2020m in June provided a free run into the Grafton Cup Prelude, and it worked out well,” Beattie said.
“We had spoken to Murwillumbah, and they were happy to re-introduce something similar, and they came up with the idea of a Grafton Cup Preview,
“Additionally, there were two exempt from ballot races for the Big Dance qualifier South Grafton Cup on July 9, one being the Wauchope Cup at Port Macquarie and the Beef Week Cup, which is usually run at Casino.
“They are there to ensure as many country horses get a chance to qualify for the Big Dance, and we’ll look to extend on that because we need to look after country trainers and owners.”
Beattie was pleased to see his club working with other race clubs in northern NSW, which he believes benefits everyone involved.
“We are always looking to join with other clubs to promote racing, not only our race meetings, but their race meetings, and make their feature events more relevant,” Beattie said.
“The Wauchope Sprint on Wauchope Cup day is another Prelude of sorts, with the winner exempt from ballot for the John Carlton Cup or the (Sir James) Kirby.”
Beattie and his team are preparing for a massive 15 days, with meetings on July 2, 9, 12, 13, and 16.
While racing five times in 15 days is challenging, Clarence River Jockey Club track maintenance staff have worked hard to prepare their racecourse for the carnival.
The course proper had major work done on it in December, and throughout the year, the club uses only three rail patterns. It also balances its load of racing on any one part of the course, ensuring that by the time they reach the carnival, the racecourse is ready for the five race meetings.
“From a track perspective, the preparation for the carnival commences in December each year when we do a full renovation,” Beattie said.
“Then our rail positions are managed in such a way that by the time we get to this meeting in June and our carnival, we have essentially used all parts of the track on equal occasions.”
Additionally, the course proper has never been in better condition, and Beattie explained why the Grafton racecourse was fairing so well.
“In 2020, the track management team decided to no longer oversew with Ryegrass, and we are continually gaining the benefits of that because of the significant improvement in the Kikuyu cover on this race track,” Beattie said.
“As a consequence, I don’t believe I have seen the grass cover on the Grafton course proper better at this time of the year.”
Punters, racing fans, trainers, owners, and jockeys will be hoping that Beattie is on the money, with many people set to make their annual northern pilgrimage for what many pundits describe as the premier country racing carnival in NSW and Australia.
All the action kicks off on July 2, and NSW Country and Picnic Racing will be there, providing readers with updates and stories as the carnival progress.
For more on the race days and available packages, readers visit the Clarence River Jockey Club by clicking here.
2023 XXXX JULY RACING CARNIVAL DATES
- Sunday, 2 July: Kensei Club Community Race Day
- Sunday, 9 July: Grafton Toyota Sth Grafton Cup Day
- Wednesday, 12 July: Grafton District Services Club Ramornie Hcp Day
- Thursday, 13 July: Westlawn Finance Grafton Cup Day
- Sunday, 16 July: Maclean Bowling Club Maclean Cup Day
