$50,000 winner-take-all bonus announced for Southern Cups series

Southern Cup races in the lower South Island are now even more enticing for connections with a $50,000 bonus on offer across the five time-honoured races.

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing, Entain New Zealand and the Riverton Racing Club have joined forces to announce the $50,000 Southern Cups bonus.

The series will cover five cup races, starting with the Gore Cup (February 2), followed by the Invercargill Cup (February 15), the Dunedin Gold Cup (March 1) and the Wyndham Cup (March 9), and finishing with the Riverton Cup on April 19.

The prize will be a $50,000 winner-take-all bonus, awarded to the connections of the horse with the highest points accumulated from the five cup races.

NZTR chief executive Bruce Sharrock congratulated the clubs involved and particularly Gallop South’s Jo Gordon on bringing the concept to reality.

"This bonus identifies these popular southern race days which already receive excellent regional participation," Sharrock said.

"We see this series as encouraging even greater participation and investment in this passionate region."

Cameron Rodger, the New Zealand managing director for Entain, the operators of the TAB and Trackside, said they were delighted to be on board.

"This series has a great feel to it," Rodger said.

"We see considerable value in driving participation and engagement in these Southern Cup races, so we were happy to help establish this bonus series," he said.