The new race, and it's $1 million in prize money, launched by Racing NSW on Monday will be held on November 23 as part of a stand-alone Saturday meeting.

In a further boost for the region's trainers, all races on the card will boast a minimum $125,000 in prize money.

For De Vries, the meeting has the chance to revolutionise horse racing in the Illawarra.

"It's such an exciting development," De Vries said. "It's a great initiative for both Wollongong and Newcastle, the holding of a standalone Saturday race meeting and a million-dollar race.

"It's an extension of the spring carnival and we're quite honoured Racing NSW decided to include us in the mix.

"We'll have a full-blown Saturday race meeting, it will be a standalone meeting with probably nine races. With eight races at $125,000 and the million-dollar race, that's a $2 million race day at Kembla Grange."

The Gong will be run over 1600 metres and will come at the end of an extraordinary spring carnival push by Racing NSW bosses, with a race worth at least $1 million held every week in October and November, starting with The Everest at Randwick on October 19.

The Bondi Stakes, a three-year-old race over 1600m, will jump at Royal Randwick on Cox Plate Day in Melbourne, then the four-year-old Golden Eagle (1500m) worth $7.5 million on November 2 and the new $1 million Golden Gift at Rosehill, to run over 1100m on November 9.

The new-look Sydney spring schedule will then extend to a 1300m race at Newcastle on November 16, designed to attract some of The Everest runners, before moving to Kembla Grange the following Saturday.

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The Gong will be a 1600m race, with top-line three and four-year-old's poised to swoop on the back of the carnival riches, likely including Golden Eagle runners.

With the big prizemoney on offer, The Gong could lure big-name Sydney and Melbourne trainers to continue their Group racing talent's preparations to include the Kembla Grange race.

De Vries is confident some of the Illawarra's top racehorses will be in the mix and will match it with the big city stables in front of what he's expecting will be a capacity crowd at Kembla Grange.

The raft of new races come on the back of the raging success of The Everest over the past two years, with Racing NSW keen to capitalise on the sport's current surge in popularity in both Sydney and throughout the state as a whole.

Racing NSW Chief Executive Peter V'landys said the race will provide an opportunity for Wollongong residents to watch Australia's best horses.

"I'm a Wollongong boy, so it's great to give back to Wollongong," V'landys said. "It started with me going to Kembla Grange as a little boy.

"I just think it's a magnificent racecourse, it's very conducive to competitive racing, it's modelled on Randwick and we want to get 20,000 people plus there.

"It's to promote racing in the third biggest city of NSW and get that prominence and get the community celebrating at the same time."

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