Emerald City Set to Shine

EMERALD CITY SET TO SHINE 
by Christina Bossinakis 
The run up to Easter has always been a busy one in New South Wales, courtesy of the fall’s Sydney Carnival and the Inglis Easter Yearling sale. However, this year, a season-concluding jewel has been added to Sydney’s crown with the launch of the inaugural running of The Championships. 
The series kicks off at Randwick Saturday, and is highlighted by a quartet of Group 1 events: the A$3-million Doncaster Mile, A$2.5-million TJ Smith S., A$2-million Australian Derby and A$1-million Inglis Sire’s Produce S. The second day of The Championships is contested Saturday, Apr. 19, and boasts an additional four Group 1’s (six races included in The Championships): the A$4-million G1 Queen Elizabeth S., A$1-million G1 Schweppes Sydney Cup, A$1-million G1 Australian Oaks, and A$1-million G1 Queen of the Turf S. in addition to the A$500,000 G2 Royal Sovereign S. and A$500,000 G3 Royal Randwick S. 
“We badly needed in Sydney, a peak, iconic type of meeting,” explained Chairman of Racing NSW John Messara. “We did have one in the past during the Autumn Carnival, which used to occur at Easter time. Over the years, it lost it’s zest. The idea was to have an aspirational meeting that would bring the best against the best and that would draw the best horses from all over Australia and New Zealand, and hopefully, from all over the world. It would bring Australia into focus, worldwide.” 
Kicking off The Championships week in Sydney Monday afternoon was the unveiling of the event’s custom-made trophy, featuring an emerald-encrusted horse with pink argyle diamond eyes and black diamonds on its mane and hooves. The statue was crafted by Sydney’s Nicola Cerrone. 
“The trophies are magnificent works of art that will sit proudly on any mantlepiece,” said Messara of the opulent sculpture. “They truly reflect the stature of our event–these wonderful trophies are fitting prizes for owners of winners of the Grand Finals of Thoroughbred racing.” 
After a lengthy period of visiting existing racing meets all over the globe, Racing NSW officially launched The Championships in 2013. 
“We drew on the best features of the Breeders’ Cup [the U.S.], Royal Ascot [England], Hong Kong and Meydan [Dubai],” explained Messara. “The championship aspect came from the Breeders’ Cup, pitting the best against the best. Our Carnival is held in April, and is the last major carnival before year end, which is July in Australia. It fits neatly to allow for the top horses to fight it out.” He added, “At one stage, we were very keen on doing something with Breeders’ Cup direct, but after industry consultations, we decided we would have our own championships, akin to the Breeders’ Cup and open to all comers.” Regarding some of the challenges in drawing International competitors ahead of the inaugural championship series, Messara offered, “It was announced in November, which gave us very little time to get things in place for international horses to plan to be here, because plans had already been made for them. We hope that next year, the international community will work The Championships into their schedules.” 
In addition to the relatively short run-up to the series, the issue of the location of the quarantine facilities also posed somewhat of a challenge for international visitors, which could lend to the absence of runners from several members of the international racing community. 
“We don’t currently have quarantine facilities nearby, so we went to Victoria’s quarantine station in Werribee [outside Melbourne], but it is a fair trip away,” admitted Messara. 
Currently, visiting competitors ship to Canterbury after completing quarantine and continue their training there before shipping to Randwick in advance of the championship day. According to Messara, Racing NSW has been working toward setting up an easily accessible quarantine station for upcoming runnings of The Championships. 
“We have been doing quite a bit of research on provincial tracks around Sydney, which have very good surfaces, where some land would be available and suitable upon which we can build our quarantine station next year,” he said. “I think we’ll have that sorted out next year and we’ll have a quarantine station within an hour or two from Canterbury, which is a great facility and a short ride away. ” 
While satisfied with the way the series stands now, Messara indicated a few adjustments might be in the offing for future runnings of the series. 
“We are willing to tweak as we go along, but will probably remain at 10 races, because if you have more than that you start to dilute the product–Too much of a good thing is not a good thing,” said Messara. “You want to maintain the quality without too much quantity. We want the races to be special.” 

Build it and They Will Come… 
Integral to the launch of The Championships has been the redevelopment of Royal Randwick, which was first established in 1860. Over the course of the last two years, the facility has undergone a major facelift, to the tune of A$170-million. 
“This type of series could not have taken place without improvement of the customer or spectator facilities,” explained Messara. “The old Randwick stand had structural issues and was past its prime. The renovation is more grandiose than it probably needed to be, but it effected a twin purpose of infrastructure now. A lot of functions are held there on racing occasions on the big race days.” 
The new facility is highlighted by a six-level grandstand, which has an internal capacity of over 14,000, and offering floor-to-ceiling frontage with the latest audiovisual technology. The five-level main building also includes a ground floor betting auditorium, internal tiered dining catering for over 1,300 diners, 1,000 capacity ballroom, 24 corporate suites, the Owners Pavilion, 11 bars, 11 commercial grade kitchens and the membership club, The Stables Royal Randwick. One of unique features of the new Randwick is the Theatre of the Horse, an amphitheatre-style saddling area situated behind the grandstand. 
“Spectator facilities at Randwick are outstanding,” said Messara. “They are truly elite, comfortable and great viewing of the races. The Theatre of the Horse is behind the stand, and it no longer interferes with the capacity on the front. It has reshaped the viewer experience. The Chairman’s Club is fantastic and luxurious facilities, which allows for capacity of corporate entities to enjoy the races and become sponsors of racing. The facility will attract more than the hardened racegoer. People can have a wonderful afternoon of eating, watching, imbibing and networking. On fourth floor, there is a club called ‘The Stables,’ which is absolutely groovy. It’s state-of-the-art, designed for younger brigade. My wife [Kris Messara] went up there and said, ‘We must become members of this club immediately.’ It’s open 24/7. Randwick is somewhat of a hub for racing and entertainment.” 

Day of Champions… 
While the concept of The Championships was drawn from other international events, Messara was quick to point out that Australia’s version has many unique features to distinguish it from other championship days, including trophy presentations, which will be made on the course proper and presentations by celebrities and dignitaries. 
“We have arranged a series of trophy presenters, who are famous or fixtures in the community, but with no speeches,” explained Messara. “That’s the new way of doing it in Australia. We have done away with those boring speeches. People will be able to get close to faces that they aren’t used to seeing.” 
Besides establishing the championship days as a stage for equine racing excellence, Messara hopes to make the championships one the key drawing points for visitors arriving from all over the country and the world. However, Messara indicates some adjustments would be needed to establish early April in Sydney as the ultimate destination experience. 
“What we are trying to achieve here is the destination week, where people say, ‘I can’t afford to miss that week in Australia,’” he explained. “We haven’t got there yet, because the [Inglis Easter] sale would need to be wedged between the two [championship] Saturdays. That would require some readjustment of dates, but we are working toward that. It could keep everybody here. In addition to that, we are trying for a Wednesday afternoon race meeting, and evening champagne sale session immediately after that. In addition to the two Saturdays, that would offer people a feast of equine excellence. Between the sales and the racing, people will know what Australia has to offer. We are a global player and we want to continue to climb up the global ladder.” 

Prince William Delivers Message of Support… 
The Championships received a vote of support from across the pond yesterday when Prince William delivered a message wishing success for the event. 
The Queen’s horse, Carlton House (Street Cry {Ire}) will contest the G1 Queen Elizabeth S. on the second day of The Championships Apr. 19, and thus will attempt to become the first of The Queen’s horses to win a race named for her. 
Prince William’s video message will be displayed on the big screen at Royal Randwick at around 1:45 p.m. Saturday. 
“We thank His Royal Highness, Prince William, for going out of his way to pass on this message wishing us success on what will be a special two days for 
racing, and indeed for Sydney,” Messara said.