With more than $22 million in prize money and bonuses on offer, Australia's most exciting Summer Carnival will take centre stage over 11 action-packed meetings, culminating with The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions.

Coast-to-coast meetings once again open the Summer Carnival, moving from the Sunshine to the Gold Coast for the Tattersall's Celebration Season Raceday on November 26, featuring a pair of $150,000 Listed races – the Recognition Stakes and the Tattersall's Classic.

The Brisbane Racing Club will then take centre stage for six consecutive weeks of action, culminating in the Magic Millions Prelude Raceday on New Year's Eve, with 15 black-type races and six chances to secure a lucrative wildcard into Queensland's richest raceday at the Gold Coast. 

Racing Minister Grace Grace said showpiece events like the Queensland Summer Racing Carnival are a key contributor to the industry's significant economic contribution and attendance.

"For more than 150 years, racing has been a part of Queensland's DNA," Ms Grace said.

"The racing industry here in the Sunshine State continues to go from strength-to-strength, with record-breaking prize money and participation.

"In the last year alone, we have seen an increase of more than $2 million in prize money for the Summer Carnival, which is returned and re-invested back into the industry.

"With meetings staged right across the South East of the state, this year's Summer Carnival is set to shine brightly once again."

Group racing will commence at Doomben on December 3, thanks to the $200,000 Group 3 George Moore Stakes over 1200 metres, a day that also features the finals for both the $200,000 Country Cups Challenge and $105,000 Country Stampede in support of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

The Carnival's famous two-year-old programme will include the Listed Calaway Girl and Phelan Ready (December 10); while this year's starters in the Group 3 BJ McLachlan Stakes (December 24) will be hoping to emulate 2021 champion Coolangatta, who went on to claim the famed Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

The $250,000 Gateway for four-year-olds provides a coveted 'win and you're in' exemption into the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap next June, while for the stayers, the $125,000 Shoot Out on December 31 comes back to 2000 metres as a lead into the Magic Millions Subzero a fortnight later.

For the first time, the Summer Carnival heads up the range to Clifford Park on New Year's Eve, where the Toowoomba Turf Club will host the inaugural $750,000 King of the Mountain slot race.

In a boost for the local industry, the race is restricted to Queensland-bred horses that are prepared by a trainer based in the Sunshine State, incentivising the local breeding industry and the highly vaunted QTIS scheme, which provides more than $12 million in prize money bonuses each year.

Racing Queensland CEO Brendan Parnell said that this year's Queensland Summer Racing Carnival is set to be the most exciting and innovative yet.

"There has never been more anticipation and excitement than the build up for a Queensland Summer Racing Carnival than this year's iteration," Mr Parnell said.

"The Summer Carnival is designed to cater for all sectors of the industry; inclusive of breeders, owners, trainers, syndicators, and participants at every level, highlighted by the $12 million Queensland Thoroughbred Incentive Scheme, with a number of QTIS bonuses on offer.

"The expansion of the famous Magic Millions Raceday to now showcase eight million-dollar plus races and more than $11 million in total prize money is a testament to its stature on the national racing calendar.

"As we embark on our most lucrative Summer Carnival yet, we once again welcome the opportunity to showcase everything that makes Queensland the 'must-race' summer destination."

The Carnival culminates at the Gold Coast Turf Club, hosting back-to-back meetings including the Aquis Wave Raceday on January 7 before Magic Millions Raceday one week later.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the Magic Millions Raceday would receive an added investment of $1.5 million, taking the prize money pool to $11.75 million across the day.

As a result, the meeting expands to a 10-race card, and will be the first raceday in the Southern Hemisphere to stage eight million-dollar plus races on the one card.

The meeting also features the inaugural $1 million Magic Millions The Syndicate for horses owned by a minimum of 20 individual registered owners and/or syndicate members, as well as the $500,000 Magic Millions The Debut – restricted to first starters – set to become the richest two-year-old maiden in the world.

"The participation and reach of The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Raceday in January 2023 will be its largest ever," Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said. 

We are enormously excited for what is the finale to the Queensland Summer Racing Carnival, introducing introduce two new world-first feature races that will benefit all sectors of the industry in driving growth, investment and returns.

"The raceday's expansion to $11.75 million over 10 races will bring more participants to the Gold Coast to experience one of the biggest and best racedays in the world.

"This is fantastic for racing and fantastic for Queensland."

In further changes, the Magic Millions Country Cup (1200m) will double in prize money from $250,000 to $500,000 relocating from the Aquis Wave Raceday to the Carnivals' showpiece meeting one week later.

At the same time, the $250,000 Magic Millions Maiden will be run as part of Aquis Wave Raceday, meaning that more than $13 million in prize money and bonuses will go on the line across both Gold Coast meetings.

Finally, the popular Magic Millions Racing Women's Bonuses will be on offer once again, with $750,000 in total across both the 2YO Classic and 3YO Guineas races for eligible horses owned solely by women.

Click here to see the full programme for the 2022/23 Queensland Summer Racing Carnival.