Could Hartnell be the first winner of The All Star Mile?
Racing Victoria’s chief executive Giles Thompson has called upon Australian racing fans to show their passion and to engage with the newly-announced $5 million race The All-Star Mile to be run for the first time at Flemington next March.
‘’Australia boasts so many passionate and dedicated racing fans across all states and we want to give them a race to own,’’ he said at Monday’s announcement of next year’s inaugural March 16 race.‘’The All-Star Mile will be the first race in Australia where the fans decide who secures their shot at stardom.
“We want racing fans to determine who the All-Stars are and who should get their chance to compete for a share of the $5 million in prize money on offer.
‘’Will you vote for your favourite horse, your favourite trainer or be parochial and vote for your state? The choice is yours.’’
How does The All-Star Mile work?
- Owners/trainers are invited to nominate their horse for The All-Star Mile by early January 2019;
- Fans are then invited to vote online for the horse they want to see contest The All-Star Mile from among the list of nominations. Voting will close late February 2019;
- The 10 highest vote-getters will be selected to contest The All-Star Mile;
- Four wildcards will be determined by 5 March 2019 to complete the field of 14 All-Stars;
- The final field will be confirmed and the barrier draw conducted by 12 March 2019.
In another first for Australian racing, The All-Star Mile will be rotated annually across three Victorian metropolitan tracks with the inaugural edition to be held at Flemington.
With total prize money of $5 million on offer, the race launches as the richest 1600-metre event in world racing with the coveted All-Star to collect $2.25 million for winning.
The nomination fee for is just $500 with no acceptance fees required.
The race will be run under weight-for-age conditions with a field of 14 All-Stars and four emergencies selected.
The top 10 vote-getters will secure a start in The All-Star Mile with Racing Victoria retaining four wildcards to include horses into the final field, whether an original nominee or not.
In line with RV’s existing group 1 entry conditions and to ensure the race’s competitiveness, horses must have an official RV handicap rating of 70 at the close of nominations to be eligible to compete as a fan-voted runner.
In keeping with the theme of the new race, fans will also get to share in the thrill and glory with one lucky voter selected for each All-Star.
They will become a nominal owner of that horse for The All-Star Mile and each will win a share of $500,000 in prize money as part of the $5 million total prize pool.
Neil Wilson said the Victoria Racing Club was thrilled to stage the race first.
‘’It has been great to work with the metropolitan racing clubs and Racing Victoria in a collaborative manner to bring The All-Star Mile to life,’’ he said.
‘’We’re delighted to be hosting the inaugural The All-Star Mile at Flemington next March and look forward to delivering an exciting and memorable raceday experience for the all who attend Flemington on the day.’’
The Melbourne Racing Club’s CEO Josh Blanksby said: ‘’This is such a great initiative and yet another example of the Victorian racing industry’s commitment to delivering great events and experiences for the fans of racing.
’’The All-Star Mile is for the fans to own and we can’t wait for it to be run at Caulfield.’’
The Moonee Valley Racing Club’s Michael Browell added: ‘’It’s terrific that the three metropolitan clubs and Racing Victoria can come together on this exciting new initiative with The All-Star Mile and to drive deeper engagement with racing fans across the Autumn Carnival.’’