Aquis Park
Southport Racecourse, officially known as Aquis Park due to commercial naming-rights, is home of the Gold Coast Turf Club. Regular racing at the current headquarters began on 15 May 1946 when the club was known as the Southport and District Amateur Race Club (formed on 17 March 1946). Racing in those days was on a sand track.
The club hosts over 60 thoroughbred racehorse meetings each year the largest event being the Magic Millions Raceday held in January each year as part of the Magic Millions Carnival & Yearling Sale held over 10 days on the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast Cup is held on the last Thursday of September. In 2016 a record crowd of 24,000 people witnessed the running of the Australia’s richest raceday, the 2016 Magic Millions.
Facilities include a main grandstand which includes outdoor and indoor seating and over a dozen separate bars, restaurants, cafes and bistros, a 2,000-square-metre function centre and grassed areas enabling the track to host up to 25,000 spectators. The turf track has 10 starting positions, the longest being 2400 metres, while the length of the home straight is 400 metres.
The Queensland Government has announced a $31.5 million commitment to the $38 million Gold Coast Turf Club redevelopment with the project to include an all-weather synthetic track, a full refurbishment of the racing surfaces, lights and the development of a tunnel.
Aquis Park Details
Aquis Park
Gold Coast Cup