Balding’s $3 million feature honour

Russell Balding, the Racing NSW chairman whose long tenure was brought to a sudden end in December, is set to have a key spring race named after him.

The ‘Winners Stakes’, a $3 million sprint race run for the past five years and named after the previous year’s winner of The Everest, will be run as the Russell Balding Stakes.

The race, run over 1300 metres a Rosehill on Golden Eagle day at Rosehill in late October/ early November, carried a bonus for those horses who also contest The Everest. Over its history is has been won by Pierata, Gytrash, Eduardo, Private Eye and Bella Nipotina.

“It is only befitting to honour Russell’s extraordinary contribution to the NSW Thoroughbred Racing Industry through such recognition via this feature race name,” Racing NSW Chair Saranne Cooke said.

“Russell was the initial driving force behind this race, having identified that it would provide a further opportunity for top class sprinters to continue racing in Sydney following the Everest each spring,” Cooke added.

Balding was chairman of Racing NSW from 2016 until late 2023, while he served on the board for 12 years.

His time on the board came to an end when the Minns government pulled its support of a Bill it had initially put forward to extend his term beyond 12 years.

The proposed re-appointment ended up in a political storm which saw opposition and cross bench members only support it if it meant greater scrutiny on Racing NSW. The Bill did pass the upper house with those increased measure of scrutiny but was then abandoned at the last moment by Racing Minister David Harris.

Balding and Racing NSW CEO Peter V’landys worked very closely in the development of the revamped spring racing calendar, which included The Everest, Australia’s richest race.

Racing NSW recently renamed the Chipping Norton Stakes, a Group 1 feature run at Randwick in the early autumn, the Verry Eleegant Stakes.  

Balding to exit Racing NSW after dramatic u-turn by NSW government

The search is on for a new chairman of Racing New South Wales after the Chris Minns’-led state government made the extraordinary move of pulling support of its own bill which would have extended the board term of current chairman Russell Balding.

The StraightBren O’Brien