INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
APRIL 11, 2014
Emerald City set to shine
by Christina Bossinakis
The run up to Easter has always
been a busy one in New South Wales,
courtesy of the fall’s Sydney Carnival
and the Inglis Easter Yearling sale.
However, this year, a season-concluding jewel has been added to Sydney’s crown
with the
launch of the inaugural running of The Championships.
The series kicks off at Randwick Saturday, and is highlighted by a quartet of
Group 1
events: the A$3 million Doncaster Mile, A$2.5 million TJ Smith S.,
A$2 million Australian Derby and A$1 million Inglis Sire’s Produce
S.
The second day of The Championships is contested Saturday,
April 19, and boasts an additional four Group 1’s (six races
included in The Championships): the A$4 million Queen
Elizabeth S., A$1 million Schweppes Sydney Cup, A$1 million Australian Oaks and A$1 million Queen of the Turf S. in
addition to the A$500,000 Royal Sovereign (Aus-G2) and A$500,000 Royal Randwick
(Aus-G3).
“We badly needed in Sydney, a peak, iconic type of meeting,” Chairman of Racing NSW John Messara
explained. “We did have
one in the past during the Autumn Carnival, which used to occur at Easter time.
Over the
years, it lost it’s zest. The idea was to have an aspirational meeting that
would bring the best
against the best and that would draw the best horses from all over Australia and
New
Zealand, and hopefully, from all over the world. It would bring Australia into
focus,
worldwide.”
Kicking off The Championships week in Sydney Monday afternoon was the unveiling
of the
event’s custom-made trophy, featuring an emerald-encrusted horse with pink
argyle diamond
eyes and black diamonds on its mane and hooves. The statue was crafted by
Sydney’s Nicola
Cerrone.
“The trophies are magnificent works of art that will sit proudly on any
mantlepiece,”
Messara said of the opulent sculpture. “They truly reflect the stature of our event
these wonderful
trophies are fitting prizes for owners of winners of the Grand Finals of
Thoroughbred racing.”
After a lengthy period of visiting existing racing meets all over the globe,
Racing NSW
officially launched The Championships in 2013.
“We drew on the best features of the Breeders’ Cup, Royal Ascot, Hong
Kong and Meydan,” Messara explained. “The championship aspect came from
the
Breeders’ Cup, pitting the best against the best. Our Carnival is held in April,
and is the last
major carnival before year end, which is July in Australia. It fits neatly to
allow for the top horses to fight it out.”
He added, “At one stage, we were very keen on doing something with Breeders’ Cup direct, but after industry
consultations, we decided we would have our own championships, akin to the Breeders’ Cup and open to all comers.”
Regarding some of the challenges
in drawing international competitors ahead of the inaugural championship series, Messara
offered, “It was
announced in November, which gave us very little time to get things in place for
international
horses to plan to be here, because plans had already been made for them. We hope
that next
year, the international community will work The Championships into their
schedules.”
In addition to the relatively short run-up to the series, the issue of the
location of the
quarantine facilities also posed somewhat of a challenge for international
visitors, which could
lend to the absence of runners from several members of the international racing
community.
“We don’t currently have quarantine facilities nearby, so we went to Victoria’s
quarantine
station in Werribee (outside Melbourne), but it is a fair trip away,” Messara
admitted.
Currently, visiting competitors ship to Canterbury after completing quarantine
and continue
their training there before shipping to Randwick in advance of the championship
day.
According to Messara, Racing NSW has been working toward setting up an easily
accessible
quarantine station for upcoming runnings of The
Championships.
“We have been doing quite a bit of research on provincial
tracks around Sydney, which have very good surfaces, where
some land would be available and suitable upon which we can
build our quarantine station next year,” he said. “I think we’ll
have that sorted out next year and we’ll have a quarantine
station within an hour or two from Canterbury, which is a
great facility and a short ride away.”
While satisfied with the way the series stands now, Messara
indicated a few adjustments might be in the offing for future
runnings of the series.
“We are willing to tweak as we go along, but will probably remain at 10 races,
because if
you have more than that you start to dilute the product — too much of a good
thing is not a good thing,” Messara said. “You want to maintain the quality without too much
quantity. We
want the races to be special.”
Integral to the launch of The Championships has been the redevelopment of Royal
Randwick, which was first established in 1860. Over the course of the last two
years, the
facility has undergone a major facelift, to the tune of A$170-million.
“This type of series could not have taken place without improvement of the
customer or spectator facilities,” Messara explained. “The old Randwick stand had structural
issues and
was past its prime. The renovation is more grandiose than it probably needed to
be, but it
effected a twin purpose of infrastructure now. A lot of functions are held there
on racing
occasions on the big race days.”
The new facility is highlighted by a six-level grandstand, which has an internal
capacity of
over 14,000, and offering floor-to-ceiling frontage with the latest audiovisual
technology. The
five-level main building also includes a ground floor betting auditorium,
internal tiered dining
catering for over 1,300 diners, 1,000 capacity ballroom, 24 corporate suites,
the Owners Pavilion, 11 bars, 11 commercial grade kitchens and the membership club, The
Stables Royal
Randwick.
One of unique features of the new Randwick is the Theatre of the
Horse, an
amphitheatre-style saddling area situated behind the grandstand.
“Spectator facilities at Randwick are outstanding,” Messara said. “They are
truly elite,
comfortable and great viewing of the races. The Theatre of the Horse is behind
the stand, and
it no longer interferes with the capacity on the front. It has reshaped the
viewer experience.
“The Chairman’s Club is fantastic and luxurious facilities, which allows for
capacity of
corporate entities to enjoy the races and become sponsors of racing. The
facility will attract
more than the hardened racegoer. People can have a wonderful afternoon of
eating, watching,
imbibing and networking.
“On fourth floor, there is a club called “The Stables,’
which is
absolutely groovy. It’s state-of-the-art, designed for younger brigade. My wife
(Kris Messara)
went up there and said, “We must become members of this club immediately.’ It’s
open 24/7.
Randwick is somewhat of a hub for racing and entertainment.”
While the concept of The Championships was drawn from other international
events,
Messara was quick to point out that Australia’s version has many unique features
to
distinguish it from other championship days, including trophy presentations,
which will be
made on the course proper and presentations by celebrities and dignitaries.
“We have arranged a series of trophy presenters, who are famous or fixtures in
the community, but with no speeches,” Messara explained. “That’s the new way of
doing it in
Australia. We have done away with those boring speeches. People will be able to
get close to
faces that they aren’t used to seeing.”
Besides establishing the championship days as a stage for equine racing
excellence,
Messara hopes to make the championships one the key drawing points for visitors
arriving
from all over the country and the world. However, Messara indicates some
adjustments would
be needed to establish early April in Sydney as the ultimate destination
experience.
“What we are trying to achieve here is the destination week, where people say,
‘I
can’t
afford to miss that week in Australia,'” he explained. “We haven’t got there
yet, because the (Inglis Easter) sale would need to be wedged between the two (championship)
Saturdays.
That would require some readjustment of dates, but we are working toward that. It could keep
everybody here.
“In addition to that, we are trying for a Wednesday afternoon
race meeting,
and evening champagne sale session immediately after that. In addition to the
two Saturdays,
that would offer people a feast of equine excellence. Between the sales and the
racing, people
will know what Australia has to offer. We are a global player and we want to
continue to
climb up the global ladder.”
The Championships received a vote of support from across the pond on Thursday when
Prince
William delivered a message wishing success for the event.
The Queen’s horse, Carlton House will contest the Queen
Elizabeth S.
on the second day of The Championships, April 19, and thus will attempt to become
the first
of The Queen’s horses to win a race named for her.
Prince William’s video message will be displayed on the big screen at Royal
Randwick at
around 1:45 p.m. (AEST) Saturday.
“We thank His Royal Highness, Prince William, for going out of his way to pass
on this
message wishing us success on what will be a special two days for
racing, and indeed for Sydney,” Messara said.