ATC targets bigger Everest crowds after record 52,110 sell-out

Australian Turf Club (ATC) chief executive Steve McMahon says the club wants to lift capacity for the TAB Everest again after a record, sold-out crowd of 52,110 attended the race’s 10th running at Royal Randwick.

“We aim to further increase capacity for the TAB Everest which has become one of the hottest tickets in town and a race which has captivated the racing world,” McMahon said in a carnival statement.

He said the ATC and Racing NSW were “aiming even higher across all Carnival racedays – in the Spring and the Autumn – to not only see these new fans return to the track but bring others with them”.

This year’s crowd was the third consecutive Everest sell-out. It was up from the 50,167 the club reported for the previous Everest meeting in its latest annual report and from 33,512 at the inaugural running.

The ATC had already added 2,000 places for the 2026 meeting, announcing them in September. Half were general admission tickets, made available after corporate hospitality was relocated to free up trackside space. The other 1,000 were hospitality places in the TAB Clubhouse, an infield precinct the club built with Racing NSW and TAB after its original hospitality inventory sold out.