Elise Archer,Minister for Racing
The 2019 TAB Summer Racing Carnival has been a boon for Tasmania with 85 per cent ($2.37 million) in feature race stakes won by Tasmanian horses.
And it was only the global might of the Godolphin trained team that prevented Tasmanian trained horses from securing a clean sweep of the 26 feature races held.
This is a fantastic result for local trainers and owners and also for the economy, with prize money staying in Tasmania for owners to reinvest in the State.
The Hodgman Liberal Government provided $300,000 to the thoroughbred racing and breeding sector in 2018/19, and these great results reaffirm the strength and ongoing viability of the Tasmanian breeding industry.
Eastender, trained at Spreyton by Barry Campbell, was the star of the Carnival after claiming victory in the Devonport, Hobart and Launceston cups – the first horse to do so since Brallos in 1977 – and winning the $100,000 Cups Double Bonus as a result.
It shows yet again that Tasmanian horses can thrive against the rest of Australia and with star Tasmanian born, bred and trained Group 1 racehorse Mystic Journey taking all before her, the momentum shows no sign of slowing down.
