Golden Pendant Recieves Prizemoney Injection

Sharnee Rose upset a strong field to win the 2013 edition of the Golden Pendant.

Sharnee Rose upset a strong field to win the 2013 edition of the Golden Pendant. Photo by: Steve Hart

The Golden Pendant will be worth $300,000 during the 2014 Sydney Spring Racing Carnival after the Australian Turf Club announced that they had increased the prizemoney for the Group 3 race by $50,000.

The Golden Pendant, formerly known as the Research Stakes, was first run back in 1996 and has received a number of prizemoney upgrades in recent years; with the Australian Turf Club hoping that the race will eventually be upgraded to Group 1 level and become the Sydney Spring Carnival equivalent of the Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m) that is run at Flemington on Victoria Derby Day.

Australian Turf Executive General Manager Of Racing Matt Rudolph told News Limted that Stan Fox Stakes Day will now be known as Golden Pendant Day and said that he believes the Golden Pendant is close to being upgraded after being won by a number of classy gallopers in recent years.

More Joyous won the race in 2012 and then Sharnee Rose beat a red hot field (including Red Tracer, Bennetta and Appearance) last year so the race’s rating keeps going up.

“We are confident the Golden Pendant will obtain Group 2 status very soon and eventually get to Group 1 which will plug that hole in our spring.’’

While Rudolph and the Australian Turf Club are confident that the Golden Pendant can develop into one of the feature races during the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival, New South Wales racing personality Ken Callendar has attacked the prizemoney increase.

Callendar, writing in his regular column in The Daily Telegraph, said that racing officials were wasting their time building up a race like the Golden Pendant and should be focusing their attentions of time-honoured races like the Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m).

The ATC is kidding in ramping up prizemoney for the Golden Pendant to $300,000 with the view to building it into a Group 1 spring race,” Callendar wrote.

“When in the hell are administrators going to listen to their customers, the punters, and stop making moves to please breeding interests.

“It is races like the Melbourne Cup, the Doncaster, the Sydney Cup and classic weight-for-age races that captures people’s imagination, not races restricted to one sex.

“The Metropolitan is the race in the spring the ATC should be rebuilding.

“It is a race that can give a final boost for imports coming to Australia for the Melbourne Cup and for locals trying to qualify for our greatest race.

“The Metrop used to be a top race and it can be again.”

The 2014 edition of the Golden Pendant will be held at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday September 27

About The Author

Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.