Gold Coast wants 10 metropolitan meetings

The Gold Coast Turf Club hopes to have 10 stand-alone metropolitan standard Saturday meetings within three years.

The club will host its second biggest day of the year on Saturday headlined by the Group Two Hollindale Stakes and seven other feature races.

CEO Steve Lines said racing on the Gold Coast was going ahead with the backing of major sponsors such as Aquis and Magic Millions.

“It is no secret we are after Group One status for the Hollindale which attracted five Group One winners and just about all Stakes winners in the nominations,” Lines said.

“But we also feel it is time our overall status was elevated to the third metropolitan club Queensland.

“We have some of Australia’s leading trainers based here and Racing Queensland is committed to undertaking track improvements.”

Lines said the facilities at the club including a state-of-the-art betting auditorium were luring punters back to the track.

The club will have five stand-alone metropolitan meetings next year, one more than in 2019.

“But we hope to have ten in 2022 and eventually one a month,” he said.