Girl power at the track

$500k female owners bonus spurs racing gals

A $500,000 bonus for female-owned racehorses at the Gold Coast’s Magic Millions has spurred nearly 1000 women-only syndicates since its ground-breaking introduction.

Magic Millions co-owner Katie Page, who spearheaded the women-only prizemoney in 2013, said yesterday she could never have imagined the impact it would have.

In six years, 998 twoyear-old thoroughbreds have been registered as solely owned or leased by women chasing the bonus prizemoney.

The extra dosh is up for grabs in the annual Magic Millions feature Two-YearOld Classic race. The first female-owned horse past the post (it doesn’t matter which place) picks up an extra $325,000. The next wins $100,000 followed by $50,000 and then $25,000.

Of the past six Two-YearOld Classic races, three have been won by women with Real Surreal (2013), Le Chef (2015) and Sunlight this year.

In 2018, women shelled out $22.6 million on yearlings at the annual sales at Bundall chasing the bonus prizemoney, figures released by Magic Millions show.

It has inspired syndicates such as the co-owners of Champagne Jet which has 15 Gold Coast women among its stakeholders. They include former corporate banker Elise Cincotta and Gold Coast restaurant owner Lauren Mitchell who has Mamasan in Broadbeach with her partner JP Duitsch.

Champagne Jet is looking a likely starter in the Classic come January with Ms Cincotta saying she filled up the syndicate in a week. “I had to knock girls back,” she said.

Ms Page added: “The bonus was in response to women we knew were already horse-lovers but what has caught us all by surprise is the growth in participation among women with no previous connection to the industry.”

MILLIONS WATCH, P33