Canberra Carnival a Hit with the Community

The two distinct days of the Canberra Carnival delivered a rich race day experience for over 10,000 attendees. The move to a two-day Carnival was spurred by a desire to enhance the Canberra Day long weekend, boosting tourism and keeping Canberrans local. An IER report indicated that the move to two-days would increase the economic impact of the weekend from $425,591 to more than double that, $861,667. A significant boost to the Canberra community. 

Day one of the Canberra Carnival saw the John McGrath Auto Group Black Opal Stakes on the traditional Sunday. Sparkling fashions and celebrations were the flavor of the day that attracted a huge crowd.  A Peter and Paul Snowden quinella saw Kerrin McEvoy win the $250,000 Group 3 John McGrath Auto Group Black Opal Stakes aboard Barbaric.  

Day two, the TAB Canberra Cup was much more relaxed and provided families with a perfect opportunity to enjoy a fantastic day out at an affordable price. An abundance of free kids’ rides and entertainment littered the grounds of Thoroughbred Park. Kerrin McEvoy become only the third jockey (Tim Clark in 2017 & Glyn Schofield in 2013) to collect the Canberra features double when he steered Mugatoo (IRE) to victory in the $250,000 Listed TAB Canberra Cup. It continues a healthy trend for McEvoy of success in inaugural events after taking out the first two Everests. 

The Canberra Carnival provided something for everyone across a fantastic long weekend and should see exponential growth in the coming years. Barbara Joseph who has been training out of Canberra since 1994 said “It was the biggest Black Opal crowd I’ve seen in years, it was a very successful inaugural Carnival.“  

“The family day on Canberra Day was a great move and it will get bigger and bigger in the years to come.”