Summer Cup a major stepping stone for jockeys an trainers targeting big dance

BALLINA Jockey Club will take centre stage as hundreds flock to its premier race day, the Summer Cup, on Friday, January 16.

Cup day in Ballina has attracted bigger crowds since moving from September to the January period in 2020.

“People are used to it now and its just become an accepted part of the Racing NSW calendar,” Ballina Jockey Club general manager Matthew Bertram said.

“Like anything, it had some teething issues, but with the focus on being family-friendly during the holiday period and looking after our corporate partners, it really works.

“Ballina RSL are locked in as sponsors for the next three years which helps us out enormously.

“They’re big on running a Calcutta the night before at the club and having a big marquee on the day.”

This year, there will be eight races with about $400,000 prize money up for grabs.

The first two finishers in the cup will qualify for the $3 million Big Dance at Randwick in November.

Last year’s cup winner, Lord of Biscay went on to win the provincial championship before the six-year-old Kris Lee-trained gelding finishing seventh in the big race.

Lees won the inaugural event in 2022 with Rustic Steele, while Murwillumbah trainer Matt Dunn had runner-up Cepheus in 2023.

“Traditionally what’s happened here on the Northern Rivers has gone on to play a role in the outcome of the Big Dance,” Bertram said.

“We’re ideally placed at Ballina because they can have a look here before moving on to the autumn carnival and targeting that spring racing season.

“We’ve really evolved past being just country cup to where it’s attracting bigger fields with owners and trainers chasing more money.”

The day will also feature $8000 in prizes with multiple categories in the Fashions on the Field presented by Ballina Fair Shopping Centre.

Tickets for the race day can be purchased at ballinajockeyclub.com.au/ballina-cup/