Gytrash, Xilong and Garner have already ‘graduated’ and another bunch of stars could be unearthed on South Australian race tracks during the 2020 TAB Spring Bonanza.
The initiative comprises seven speciality series to be conducted during October, November and December, with each series culminating in a $100,000 final at Morphettville.
Horses must compete in at least one heat to be eligible for the final of that respective series, with points allocated for each race.
“It’s been a great initiative, giving benchmark horses a chance to progress through to those $100,000 finals,” said Thoroughbred Racing South Australia’s chief operating officer, Vaughn Lynch.
“With such a variety of distances and conditions for those finals, there’s something for all trainers to aim at.
“And the results speak for themselves, with some genuine quality horses coming through these series over the past two years.”
The Rebel Raider Series for three-year-olds (1200m, BM 75) has been particularly strong.
Well-performed SA horse Schilldora won the 2018 final, with Gytrash – who has gone on to be a superstar Group 1 sprinter – finishing third. In addition, the 2019 trifecta was Xilong, Garner and Jacobite Prince.
Star South-East sprinter Amberdi won the inaugural edition of Viddora Mares Series (1300m, mares, BM 76) and went on to run fourth in the Group 1 TAB Classic (Sangster Stakes) last month.
In addition, subsequent Black Type winner Chapel City won 2018 Alcopop Series (1600m BM 75), while last year’s Skybeau Series winner (2500m, MB 76) was promising South-East stayer Hasta La War.
2020 TAB Spring Bonanza finals:
Saturday, October 17: $100,000 Rebel Raider Series (3YO BM 75) 1200m
Saturday, October 24: $100,000 Viddora Series (Mares BM 76) 1300m
Saturday, October 31: $100,000 Riziz Sprint Series (BM 75) 1100m
Tuesday, November 3: $100,000 Skybeau Stayers Series (BM 76) 2500m
Saturday, November 7: $100,000 Happy Trails Series (BM 75) 1400m
Friday, December 18: $100,000 Alcopop Series (BM 75) 1600m
Saturday, December 26: $100,000 Southern Speed Series (BM 75) 2000m
Points for each race in the series
Points for each race in each series will be allocated on the following basis:
1st 10 points; 2nd 5 points; 3rd 3 points; 4th 2 points. All other starters will receive 1 point.