Thoroughbred racing in New Zealand

The racing of Thoroughbred horses is a popular sport in New Zealand. The governing body is New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Incorporated. The principal racing club, the Auckland Racing Club, races at Ellerslie Racecourse (where the first totalisator machine in the world was installed in 1919, see Sir George Julius).

Wellington Cup race in New Zealand

Horses frequently move between New Zealand and its neighbour Australia, for races and for breeding purposes. Famous New Zealand racehorses include the great mares Desert Gold, Cuddle, Horlicks and Sunline, plus Carbine, Kindergarten, Phar Lap, Nightmarch, Gloaming, Rising Fast, Il Tempo, Advance, Tulloch and Grey Way. Both Australia and New Zealand claim Phar Lap. Gloaming, an Australian-bred horse, raced in Australia and in New Zealand.

Between 1882 and 2009 New Zealand-bred horses won 40 Melbourne Cups and many other important races in Australia.[1] During the 2008-09 racing season 19 New Zealand-bred Thoroughbreds won 22 Group One races around the world.[2]

Major Thoroughbred horse races in New Zealand

Race
 Type
Stake
Month
Location
Distance
Karaka Million2yo$1,000,000JanuaryEllerslie Racecourse1200m
Karaka Million 3YO Classic3yo$1,000,000JanuaryEllerslie Racecourse1600m
Spring ClassicWeight for Age$300,000OctoberHastings Racecourse2040m
New Zealand 1000 Guineas3yo fillies$300,000NovemberRiccarton Racecourse1600m
New Zealand 2000 Guineas3yo$400,000NovemberRiccarton Racecourse1600m
New Zealand CupOpen$225,000NovemberRiccarton Racecourse3200m
Telegraph HandicapOpen$250,000JanuaryTrentham Racecourse1200m
Wellington CupOpen$200,000JanuaryTrentham Racecourse2400m
Thorndon MileOpen$200,000JanuaryTrentham Racecourse1600m
Auckland CupOpen$500,000MarchEllerslie Racecourse3200m
New Zealand Derby3yo$1,000,000MarchEllerslie Racecourse2400m
New Zealand Oaks3yo fillies$300,000MarchTrentham Racecourse2400m

List of Horse Races

List of Prominent New Zealand Horses

See also

References

  1. ↑ ASB VRC Melbourne Cup Race Winners Retrieved on 2009-7-25
  2. ↑ Racetrack Sires 2009, June/August, 2009, Record season for the New Zealand breed, p.52


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.