Queensland carnival sees spike in crowds and turnover

Racing Queensland is hailing a resurgent winter carnival, which saw the largest crowds of the decade as well as record wagering turnover.

Across the carnival, which took in 10 meetings from May until July 4 at Doomben, Eagle Farm, Ipswich, Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, a record $411.8 million in domestic wagering turnover was generated.

That was 11 per cent growth over 2024 numbers and higher than the 2023 results, which had previously stood as the benchmark.

The Doomben 10,000, Kingsford Smith Cup and Hollindale Stakes all set turnover records, and, for the first time, three races across the carnival surpassed $10 million.

Among those to acknowledge the result was acting Racing Queensland chief financial officer Jeremy Dailhou.

“As someone who spends most of their time looking at the numbers, it’s easy to focus on the result. But this achievement is about far more than a record turnover figure,” he posted on LinkedIn.

“Wagering is the largest source of Racing Queensland’s revenue, and strong commercial outcomes like this help fund prize money, participant returns and investment back into the industry. That’s why results like this matter.”

Crowd numbers on course increased 8.6 per cent and it was the first winter carnival in more than five years to attract more than 60,000 patrons.

“The quality of racing and the experience you delivered for participants and racegoers continues to raise the bar each year, which is evident in 2026 being the most attended carnival since before COVID,” Dailhou said.

“It’s exciting to see the carnival I grew up with and attended since the age of 18 has continued to strengthen its position as one of Australia’s premier racing carnivals.”

An additional meeting was added to the 2026 carnival calendar with the inclusion of the Magic Millions night meeting on the Gold Coast on May 22