THIS year’s The Advertiser Balaklava Cup will deliver a bold new vision — quite literally.
As well as moving to a slightly later date in the second week of September in a bid to improve the quality of runners, this year’s Balaklava Cup also will be the first major SA country race meeting shown on free-to-air TV thanks to a new media rights agreement between Thoroughbred Racing SA and Racing.com.
“Racing.com’s entry into SA racing is the most exciting thing that has happened to SA racing for many years,’’ Balaklava manager Doug Hall said.
“And we can’t wait to showcase the Balaklava Cup to the viewers across Australia.
“Racing.com gives us the opportunity to promote racing, including major events like the Balaklava Cup, to the wider community. It’s a real game changer.
“We’re also confident the change in date will see a better quality and quantity of horse racing at Balaklava this year.”
The Balaklava Cup meeting is a regular highlight of the SA racing calendar, usually attracting close to 10,000 racegoers who make the pilgrimage an hour north of Adelaide.
The feature race has been a launching pad for the careers of a host of outstanding racehorses, including 2009 winner Alcopop, who went on to start favourite in the Melbourne Cup two months later.
The Jake Stephens-trained gelding eventually retired in 2012 with 10 wins and more than $ 2 million to his credit.
This year’s $ 100,000 Balaklava Cup will be run on September 13.
Originally published as All set for country racing’s biggest party