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A major shake-up in Sydney's spring carnival will see the Golden Eagle leave its Rosehill Gardens home for Royal Randwick, a move driven by disappointing crowds and dwindling sponsorship. Introduced in 2019 as a $10 million showpiece exclusively for four-year-olds, the Golden Eagle was designed to do for Rosehill what The Everest did for Randwick – draw huge crowds, lure top-class runners and chip away at Victoria's traditional dominance of the spring. Instead, after just five runnings, Racing NSW has decided the race will now take place at headquarters from this year. Last year's attendance told the story: only 10,000 spectators came through the gates despite extensive promotion, half the crowd that watched the inaugural running in 2019. Sponsorship was also thin on the ground. Rosehill's 1500 m Golden Eagle had regularly drawn a full field of 20, but Randwick's configuration will limit the field to 18 when it clashes directly with Victoria's Derby Day at Flemington on November 1. The decision comes less than three months after Australian Turf Club members voted against selling Rosehill to the NSW government for $5 billion, a proposal that would have brought an end to racing at the venue entirely. Industry insiders say the venue change is aimed squarely at boosting attendance, hospitality and sponsorship revenue. Officials are betting Randwick's proven pulling power will make the difference. Everest Day last year attracted more than 49,000 on-course, and the ATC believes the Golden Eagle could double or even triple its Rosehill numbers in the new location. The club will also unveil a $7 million Base Camp entertainment precinct this spring, inspired by VIP enclosures at major events like the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, Australian Open tennis and LIV Golf in Adelaide. ATC chair Tim Hale said, "The move to Royal Randwick will further increase the event's appeal to audiences and punters on and off track following the running of the TAB Everest. The addition of a new modern trackside spectator precinct this Spring will be a pivotal viewing point for Australia's two richest races." The change also raises the stakes for Randwick, which will now host four major carnival days – The Everest (October 18), Spring Champion Stakes (October 25), the Golden Eagle (November 1) and the Big Dance (November 4) – in just over a fortnight. Racing NSW chair Saranne Cooke said the Golden Eagle's $1 million charity component and its status as the second-biggest betting race in NSW make it a centrepiece of the new Randwick Carnival. "It will, like The Everest, become the young generation's must-go event," she said. For now, no other Rosehill features are slated to move, with the Golden Gift meeting on November 8 staying put.
