Gold Coast Turf Club
The Gold Coast Turf Club is one of the busiest racetracks in South-East Queensland. Located at Bundall, the GCTC plays host to around 50 race meetings a year, including one of Australia’s most prestigious meetings, the Magic Millions Raceday. Generally, the Gold Coast races are conducted as provincial meetings on a Saturday, but they do have a handful of metropolitan meetings throughout the year, including the Jewel Raceday and Gold Coast Cup Raceday.
Gold Coast Turf Club news
HorseBetting’s Queensland racing writers often write news stories on horses, trainers and jockeys from the Gold Coast. Here is all of the latest racing news about the Gold Coast Turf Club:
Gold Coast betting tips
HorseBetting’s Queensland racing analysts often preview race meetings at the Gold Coast. Catch all of the Gold Coast horse racing tips here:
Gold Coast Turf Club history
The Gold Coast Turf Club is one of the oldest clubs in Queensland. While racing on the Gold Coast first happened in the late 1800s, the current Gold Coast Turf Club was opened in 1946. At that point in time, it was known as the Southport and District Amateur Turf Club.
At the start of the New Year in 1971, regular Saturday racing started, which led to the launch of a three-day carnival for the Newmarket and Gold Coast Cup in August.
Three years later, the richest provincial race in Australia was run and won, with the Prime Minister’s Cup carrying a purse of $30,000.
Racing on the Gold Coast has gone from strength to strength in recent years, with the Magic Millions Carnival arguably one of the biggest in Australia, with prizemoney across two consecutive Saturdays in January well and truly exceeding $10 million.
The Gold Coast Turf Club has done tremendous work raising money for charities as well, with the Pink Ribbon Raceday and Men Matter Raceday becoming very popular events on their racing calendar.
Features races at the Gold Coast
While there are no Group 1 races run and won at the Gold Coast, some of Australia’s most competitive races are held at the track.
January’s Magic Millions race meeting sees two $2 million races contested – the Magic Millions 2YO Classic and the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas – while the remainder of the program is made up of capacity fields running for big money.
The QTIS Jewel 2YO and QTIS Jewel 3YO races in March are worth $500,000 apiece, with those races exclusive to Queensland-bred racehorses, while the Gold Coast Cup meeting generally signals the start of the Queensland Winter Carnival.
On that day, the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes headlines the program, with that race now worth $500,000. The Group 3 Gold Coast Guineas, Group 3 Ken Russell Memorial Classic and Listed Gold Coast Bracelet are also run and won on Gold Coast Cup Day.
Across the 12 months of the calendar year, four Listed races, two Group 3 events and a Group 2 are run at the Gold Coast, as well as the Magic Millions Carnival feature races and The Wave, which was introduced in 2020.
Gold Coast track details
At the present time, there is just one horse racing track at the Gold Coast – a turf track. That is all set to change from 2023, as work is underway to build an all-weather synthetic racetrack on the infield, which would see two tracks suitable for racing at the precinct.
The current turf track has a circumference of 1885m and a home straight of 400m. There are four chutes at the Gold Coast – 900m, 1200m, 1800m and 2400m.
Over the shorter sprinting trips – 900m, 1000m and 1100m – there is only one turn, so low barriers are often essential to a horse’s winning chances. From those three starts, horses make their way down the southern side of the track, before turning into the home straight.
The 1200m starting spot has two turns to contend with, with just a short run into the first turn, while the 1300m and 1400m starts give horses and their riders most of the back straight to find a position.
The 1700m and 1800m starts are both at the northern end of the course, with horses running over those distances having to navigate three corners.
The two staying distances that are run at the Gold Coast are 2200m and 2400m. The barriers for those two starting positions are in the home straight, giving horses plenty of time to find a spot. These are both typically fair starting positions.
Where is the Gold Coast race track?
The Gold Coast Turf Club is in the heart of the Gold Coast, located just 10 minutes from Surfers Paradise on Racecourse Drive. From Brisbane, the Gold Coast Turf Club is approximately a one hour drive.
How to get to the Gold Coast racecourse
Given that the Magic Millions Sales precinct is directly across the road from the racetrack, there is plenty of free parking available on race days.
On major race days, courtesy buses will run from the Gold Coast Turf Club into the heart of the popular tourist location, while there are numerous pick-up and drop-off points for taxis and rideshare services.
The Gold Coast also has a number of public transport options, with trams, buses and trains also able to get you to and from the races.
How to bet on races at the Gold Coast
Being a provincial racetrack, every meeting held on the Gold Coast is a TAB meeting, meaning you can bet on the Gold Coast races from wherever you are. TAB facilities are available on course, as too are bookmakers if you are wanting to be with cash.
Alternatively, you can bet with one of the many horse racing bookmakers and sports betting sites we promote.
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