Two $1m juvenile races for Brisbane

Queensland racing is backing its elite late-season juvenile racing with the announcement on Monday of a $2.25 million Future Champions Series.

The state will boast two $1 million juvenile races with the group 2 Sires Stakes in May boosted from $400,000 last year while the group 1 J J Atkins in June rises $400,000 to $1 million.

The 2020 Future Champions Series for two-year-olds will include:

- $250,000 group 2 Champagne Stakes (1200m), Doomben, May 9;

- $1 million group 2 Sires’ Stakes (1400m), Eagle Farm, May 23; and

- $1 million group 1 JJ Atkins (1600m), Eagle Farm, June 6.

This will be the first time that the established two-year-old races have been joined as a series.

Over the years, the honour roll across the three races includes The Autumn Sun, Zoustar, Brazen Beau, Press Statement, Sizzling, Darci Brahma, Show A Heart, Mossman, Mahogany, Winning Rupert and Melody Belle.

‘’’The TAB Queensland Carnival has long been a springboard to stardom for two-year-olds,” Racing Queensland CEO Brendan Parnell said.

‘’Having turbo-charged our summer carnival, we’re looking forward to enhancing winter with record prize money for our late season two-year-olds.

“With the new QTISx bonuses on top of the $1 million Sires’ Produce and the $1 million JJ Atkins, there will be more than $3 million up for grabs for juveniles next year.”

BRC Chairman Neville Bell said the series would be a welcomed addition to the winter carnival.

“These races really are the nursery of Australia’s modern racing history and we’re thrilled to be collaborating with Racing Queensland for this Series,” Bell said.

“This is an innovative series that will only increase the interest in these races and the winter carnival as a whole.”

Nominations for the Future Champions Series close on December 6 followed by first acceptances on January 21 and second acceptances on April 28.

All nominations will be automatically entered for the three races that comprise the Series.