The Sydney Carnival, also known as the Sydney Autumn Carnival, is a major Australian

Thoroughbred racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

series held in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

in March and April each year. It consists of six weeks of racing conducted by

Australian Turf Club Australian Turf Club (ATC) owns and operates thoroughbred racing, events and hospitality venues across Sydney, Australia. The ATC came into being on 7 February 2011 when the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) and the Sydney Turf Club (STC) merged. The ...

across the city's two primary racecourses: Royal Randwick and Rosehill Gardens. The most important races include the AAMI

Golden Slipper Stakes The Golden Slipper Stakes is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old horses run over 1,200 metres on turf at set weights conditions, held at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia. It is the premier two ...

, the world's richest race for two-year-old horses, the BMW Stakes, the

Rosehill Guineas The Rosehill Guineas is an Australian Turf Club Group One Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds at set weights run over a distance of 2000 metres at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia annually in March. Total prize money for t ...

, the

Australian Derby The Australian Derby is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds at set weights held at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia in April, during the Autumn ATC Championships Carnival. The race is considered to b ...

, the

Doncaster Handicap The Doncaster Mile, registered as the Doncaster Handicap is an Australian Turf Club Group One Thoroughbred handicap race for horses three years old and older, held over 1,600 metres at Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia. Although the ra ...

and the

Sydney Cup The Sydney Cup is an Australian Turf Club Group One, Group 1 Thoroughbred handicap horse race, for horses three years old and older, run over 3200 metres at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia in the autumn during the ATC Championships series ...

. The 2015 Sydney Autumn Carnival consists of 20 Group 1 races, and offers $26.5 million in prize money.

New Format - "The Championships"

Inaugurated in 2014 and dubbed "The Grand Finals of Australian Racing", The Championships is held on two days over the Easter Holiday period. The Championships have combined previous stand alone races such as the Doncaster Mile, The Australian Derby, the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and The Sydney Cup into two weekends of racing with nearly $10 million prize money on offer each Saturday. The 2015 Championships will be hosted at Royal Randwick, known as the home of Thoroughbred racing in Sydney. Racing days are 4 and 11 April 2015. The Championships is attempting to attract global interest in Sydney Racing, and in 2015 six international horses will be participating. The Canterbury racetrack, after being granted federal government approval, is to be used as a quarantine training and stabling area for overseas horses. In 2014, The Queen Elizabeth Stakes prize money was raised to $4 million, becoming the richest race of the Sydney Autumn Carnival. Another iconic race is the Doncaster Mile, which offers $3 million in prize money.

References

External links

Australian Turf Club

Rosehill Gardens

Royal Randwick
Horse racing in Australia Horse racing meetings Sports competitions in Sydney Carnivals in Australia Equestrian festivals Autumn in Australia {{Horseracing-stub