The Gong is the final addition to the revamped Sydney Spring Racing Carnival that sees the festival offer over $45 million in prize money across the six weeks surrounding the world’s richest turf race, October’s $14 million The Everest (1200m) in October.

There are now 11 seven-figure Sydney spring races giving away at least $1 million in prize money, the last of which is the $1 million The Gong held at Wollongong in late November at the Kembla Grange track.

A week prior Newcastle hosts the $1 million The Hunter (1300m), which is proceeded by The Gong over the 1600m at another new stand-along metropolitan meeting outside of Sydney’s premier tracks – Rosehill and Randwick.

In 2019 jockey James McDonald rode the inaugural winners of both The Hunter and The Gong aboard Savatiano and Mister Sea Wolf respectively.

The addition of this new feature meeting for the Illawarra region – best known for their NRL club the Dragons – sees the spring racing spotlight stay on the greater Sydney area for far longer than in previous seasons as the attention tends to head south for the iconic Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Like The Hunter, The Gong is a quality handicap race with no class or gender restrictions open to horses aged three-years-old and above that offers a generous $580,000 to the winner.

On both The Hunter Race Day and The Gong Day meeting, all support races will carry a prize purse of $125,000.

This spring’s edition of The Gong ran on 2019 at Kembla Grange and was won by the Chris Waller-trained Mister Sea Wolf. 

2019 The Gong Results

The official The Gong 2019 Results & Finishing Order will be provided below once the race is run and won on Saturday November 23, 2019.

• 1st: #1 Mister Sea Wolf
• 2nd: #15 Quackerjack
• 3rd: #2 Star Of The Seas

Trainer Chris Waller continued his dominance over the spring in Sydney with yet another feature race win, this time his 59kg topweight Mister Sea Wolf atoning for a last start flop to score an upset at $21 in a thrilling 2019 The Gong result.

The Gong Info

• Date: Saturday November 23, 2019.
• Track: Kembla Grange Racecourse
• Distance: 1600m
• Conditions: Quality Handicap
• Status: Special Condition
• Prize Money: $1 million
• First Run: 2019

The Gong Betting

Betting on The Gong is led by in-form spring gallopers coming off a good lead-up campaign in similar distance / class races.

Proven milers with a good 1600m record, any local hopes with previous form at Kembla Grange and the quality Group 1 runners down in grade dominate The Gong betting.

There are a number of key lead-up races that impact The Gong betting markets including the $1.3 million The Kosciuszko (1200m) open only to NSW country-trained horses and held at Randwick in October’s The Everest Day and the recently revamped $500,000 Group 2 Hot Danish Stakes for mares.

In 2019 The Gong was won for the first time in an upset by $21 outsider Mister Sea Wolf.

2019 The Gong Odds

The season’s premier The Gong 2019 odds and betting market links will be provided below as soon as released.

The Gong field features a line-up of quality spring gallopers, many stepping up to a mile off lead-up runs in shorter distance features over the 1400m distance range.

2019 The Gong Field

The official The Gong 2019 Final Field and Barriers will be announced by Racing NSW the Wednesday of race week and published in full below.

The 2019 The Gong field will run at the 16 starter capacity. Already the Chris Waller-trained first emergency Asterius drawn the rails has gained a start after the early scratching of the widely-drawn Testashadow (15).

El Dorado Dreaming drawn gate five leads early The Gong betting after her lead-up third in the Hot Danish Stakes, while fellow mare Luvaluva (6) on her outside presents as a danger looking to improve on a fifth last start in the same lead-up.

2019 The Gong Nominations

The early 2019 The Gong nominations will close on the Monday of race week and the list of potential runners in the seven-figure feature will be available below.

A bumper 25 early entries were received for The Gong 2019 nominations including four for Newcastle’s Kris Lees led by pre-race favourite El Dorado Dreaming, the mare a last start third in the Hot Danish Stakes.

The Gong Form

The Gong Form Guide details the full race field, horse statistics including track / distance records for all the runners, the race track conditions for the day and early betting previews.

Following The Gong form on the in-form milers that get in well weight-wise under the handicap conditions will be key to picking The Gong winner in the spring.

2019 The Gong Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive The Gong 2019 Form Guide and race selections will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

The Gong Tips

The Gong betting tips center around the spring’s best performing metropolitan milers coming off good lead-up campaigns in earlier races over at least 1400m.

Any stakes performers staying in Sydney to target The Gong over a trip to Melbourne will make good The Gong race tips as they are being set specifically for the $1 million feature.

2019 The Gong Tips

Our insider Ladbrokes’ The Gong 2019 race tips will be detailed below once the final field is out so stay tuned for the milers to back and sack in the lucrative Illawarra feature race.

The Gong Results

The Gong results detail the full finishing order of the sprinter – milers in the 1600m feature, the official The Gong trifecta results plus the winning time / margin for the end-of-spring feature.

The Gong Winners