Tasmanians are encouraged to catch the track-side excitement at the 2015 Betfair Tasmanian Summer Racing Carnival and back the industry that supports many jobs.

Tasmania’s valuable and vibrant racing industry employs about 1,000 full time equivalent workers, importantly many of those jobs are in regional areas across our state.

The industry is also a strong contributor to the Tasmanian economy and generates more than $100 million in economic activity every year.

More than $3 million will be up for grabs in prize money at this year’s carnival, which was launched in Launceston today.

There’s no doubt this will generate exposure for the racing industry in important markets interstate, and the series of social events will provide off-course economic benefits for the state through retail, fashion and accommodation spending.

Betfair’s partnership with Tasracing and the host clubs, the Tasmanian Turf Club (TTC) and the Tasmanian Racing Club (TRC), is entering its second year of delivering the carnival.

TattsBet, meanwhile, is again offering a $100,000 bonus for the owner and trainer of any horse that can win both the Betfair Hobart and Launceston Cups in the one year.

Last year, the Mick Kent trained Epingle achieved the double for the first time since 2004.

Tasracing and the host clubs are confident the carnival will attract strong local and interstate interest, with Tasmanian horses such as The Cleaner, Gee Gees Blackflash, Admiral and Valiant Warrior expected to feature prominently in the carnival’s marquee races.

Last year the 2014 carnival celebrated about $1.4 million of prize money, or 70 per cent of the total prize pool, won by Tasmanian horses.

This was clearly a good result for the industry– it confirmed we can compete with interstate horses and prize money was kept in the state for the benefit of the industry and the economy.

The carnival will officially start in Hobart on 11 January and conclude on 25 February on Betfair Launceston Cup Day. This year’s Betfair Hobart Cup is on Monday 9 February.

There are two Wednesday night meetings in Launceston (21 January and 18 February) and a Friday twilight meeting in Hobart (6 February) leading into the Hobart Cup.

The carnival also features the Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale.

The Cleaner, which attracted so much attention interstate during the Melbourne Spring Carnival, is a Magic Millions sale graduate from 2009.
Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Racing