BALLARAT Turf Club is pursuing a dream of having a two-day international jumps carnival as early as next year.
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BTC chief executive Lachlan McKenzie said the club had mooted the idea with Racing Victoria.
He said it would need to be something special – a carnival of the like Australian racing had not seen before.
Ballarat Turf Club had its appetite for high profile jumps racing whetted earlier this year when it hosted the $250,000 Grand National Steeplechase for the first time.
The race received international attention through the involvement of champion Irish jockey Ruby Walsh, who rode champion jumper Bashboy to an unprecedented third victory in the classic.
Walsh travelled to Australia to specifically to ride Bashboy – riding only in Ballarat.
McKenzie said the club’s vision was to have a carnival based on the Melbourne Cup model, most likely in August, with a rich event featuring overseas runners as the centre piece.
He said it would obviously take a significant injection of stakemoney to ensure it attracted the interest of overseas trainers and owners.
The Australian Jumping Racing Association has expressed in-principle support for the proposal.
McKenzie said even if this idea did not come to fruition, the BTC was keen to again host the Grand National Steeplechase, which was moved to Ballarat when Sandown was closed late last season for remedial work.
Meanwhile, the Ballarat Cup is set to remain a standalone Saturday metropolitan class race meeting again next season. The Cup has been set down for November 19 in the RVL’s draft racing calendar for 2016-17.
