The Blacktown Workers Hawkesbury Guineas and Panthers Hawkesbury Gold Cup will have an extra $50,000 up for grabs in 2016.
The Hawkesbury Race Club decided to bump the on offer prize money for the group three races, which take place on the club’s Stand Alone Saturday, in a bid to attract higher quality horses.
Race club CEO Brian Fletcher said it was a move designed to one day see the races classed as group two.
“It is good and it is nice to get them up to $200,000,” he said.
“Hopefully it will bring a better a better class of horse, it is probably at the higher end of group three prize money.
“Hopefully it might increase the quality of the field and the races might be able to become group two in the future.”
Fletcher said the club was in a financially sound position, thanks to its motel and the functions arm of the business.
He said while it was great to see the race club doing well financially, the end result meant better quality races for the club.
“The idea is to put it back into the racing industry,” he said.
“The board had been thinking about raising the prize money for a few weeks and the Hawkesbury Race Club will be contributing to the full increase.”
Fletcher said all the club needed now was some luck with the weather in 2016 for the Stand Alone weekend.
