2023 New Zealand Derby
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2023 New Zealand Derby
The 2023 New Zealand Derby was a Group I horse race which was run on Saturday 4 March 2023. It was the 148th running of the New Zealand Derby, and it was won by Sharp 'N' Smart. Details The New Zealand Derby is traditionally staged at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, but was relocated to Te Rapa Racecourse in Hamilton due to extensive track redevelopment work. Sharp 'N' Smart became the first New Zealand Derby winner for New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame trainer Graeme Rogerson, who has won more races in New Zealand than any other trainer in the history of the sport. Sharp 'N' Smart was bred by Gerry Harvey and is a son of Westbury Stud stallion Redwood. Bought by Graeme Rogerson for $55,000 at the 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka, Sharp 'N' Smart is raced by Rogerson in partnership with a syndicate that includes Harvey, Merv Butterworth, Craig Leishman and Todd Bawden. Sharp 'N' Smart brought impressive credentials into the 2023 New Zealand Derby, ...
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Group One
Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race system introduced in 1971 and monitored by the European Pattern Committee. To attain or maintain a Group One status, the average rating for the first four finishers in the race must be 115 or higher over a three-year period. The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities works to ensure consistent international standards. Group One races may only be restricted to age groups or a stipulated sex: they should not be restricted to horses bred in a certain country (though there are regional exceptions to this rule). Group One (G1) races may be run under Handicap (horse racing), handicap conditions in Australia, but in Europe Weight for Age, weight-for-age conditions always apply. In the case of Classic Races, as exampled by Britain's The D ...
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Opie Bosson
Owen Patrick "Opie" Bosson (born 24 July 1980) is a jockey in Thoroughbred racing in New Zealand. Riding career Bosson started as an apprentice for Stephen Autridge, his godfather. He began his race-day riding career as a 15 year old on 25 October 1995 with Comette at Dargaville and soon after had his first win on Fairlie Airlie at Gisborne. In the 1997 season he was the McBeath Apprentice of the Year at the BMW New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Awards and was eighth on the New Zealand Premiership, behind Lance O'Sullivan, with 75 wins from 703 starts.New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual 1997 (26th edition). Dillon, Mike, Editor. Mike Dillon's Racing Enterprises Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand. The next apprentice was Mark Sweeney on 53 wins. On 2 September 1998 Bosson rode the first Australian winner for Chris Waller, Party Belle, in a 2100m maiden race at Wyong. His first Group 1 victory was Jezabeel in the 1998 Auckland Cup, aged 17. In March 2019 Bosson surpassed the rec ...
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2017 New Zealand Derby
The 2017 New Zealand Derby was a horse racing, horse race which took place at Ellerslie Racecourse on Saturday 4 March 2017. It was the 142nd running of the New Zealand Derby, and it was won by Gingernuts (horse), Gingernuts. Sold for $5,000 as a weanling and $42,500 as a two-year-old, Gingernuts made a low-key start to his career with two wins in his first five starts – mostly in minor midweek company. The son of Iffraaj was not even nominated for the Derby until 21 February. But everything changed in the Avondale Guineas, a Group Two race two weeks before the Derby. Gingernuts was a 26-to-one longshot in the $100,000 race and dropped back to a distant last after breaking slowly from the starting gate, but he produced a remarkable finishing burst to win by a length and a quarter. The Guineas win earned Gingernuts second-favouritism in the Derby, in which he again produced a formidable finish down the home straight to beat the Australian-trained Rising Red by a length. The win s ...
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2018 New Zealand Derby
The 2018 New Zealand Derby was a horse race which took place at Ellerslie Racecourse on Saturday 3 March 2018. It was the 143rd running of the New Zealand Derby, and it was won by Vin De Dance. Vin De Dance was offered at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale as a two-year-old, but was passed in. A sale was later negotiated for $70,000, with breeder Luigi Muollo retaining a share alongside new owners OTI Racing and the Kilted Taniwha Syndicate. The son of Roc de Cambes was sent to the Cambridge stable of Hall of Famer Murray Baker and his training partner Andrew Forsman. The team has won multiple New Zealand training premierships, and guided Mongolian Khan to victory in the 2015 New Zealand Derby. Vin De Dance made a winning debut at Pukekohe in early September, then was placed in two subsequent appearances at Te Rapa. He was sent to Melbourne, where he finished third at Flemington and fifth in the Moonee Valley Vase. Withdrawn from the Victoria Derby and given several m ...
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2019 New Zealand Derby
The 2019 New Zealand Derby was a horse race which took place at Ellerslie Racecourse on Saturday 2 March 2019. It was the 144th running of the New Zealand Derby, and it was won by Crown Prosecutor. With a dividend of $105.40 for a $1 win bet, it is considered the biggest upset in Derby history. Crown Prosecutor was bred by Hesket Bloodstock in Victoria, Australia and was bought for A$50,000 at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale. He is owned by Huntingdale Lodge 2012 Ltd (managed by Harvey Green) and JML Bloodstock Ltd (Lib Petagna) and is trained by Stephen Marsh in Cambridge. Although he had won the Wellington Stakes at Group Three level in November, Crown Prosecutor had been disappointing in two subsequent starts and had the highest odds in the 18-horse Derby field. Ridden by Craig Grylls, Crown Prosecutor raced fiercely in the early stages of the race but settled into a good position trailing the leaders. He was travelling smoothly approaching the home turn and quickene ...
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2020 New Zealand Derby
The 2020 New Zealand Derby was a Group one, Group I horse racing, horse race which took place at Ellerslie Racecourse on Saturday 29 February 2020. It was the 145th running of the New Zealand Derby, and it was won by Sherwood Forest (horse), Sherwood Forest. Sherwood Forest was bred by the Goodson & Perron Family Trust and was sold for A$100,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. He is owned by the Goodson & Perron Family Trust, Calder Bloodstock Ltd and Deborah Martin. Sherwood Forest is trained by Tony Pike in Cambridge, New Zealand. Sherwood Forest had made an impact in the spring, winning two races including the War Decree Stakes at Group Three level in October, and he also finished third in the New Zealand 2000 Guineas in November. But trainer Tony Pike believed he would come into his own over longer distances later in the season. The 2020 Derby had been billed as a two-horse battle of the sexes. The filly Two Illicit had scored a seven-length win in the Waikato ...
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2021 New Zealand Derby
The 2021 New Zealand Derby was a Group I horse race which took place at Ellerslie Racecourse on Sunday 7 March 2021. It was the 146th running of the New Zealand Derby, and it was won by Rocket Spade. Because of restrictions around public gatherings following an outbreak of COVID-19 in Auckland, the race was run a day later than its original date and with a limited audience of owners and Auckland Racing Club members. Rocket Spade became the second consecutive son of champion sire Fastnet Rock to win the Derby, following on from Sherwood Forest in 2020. Bred by Sun Kingdom, Rocket Spade was sold for A$425,000 at the Inglis Sydney Easter Yearling Sale. He is owned by Hermitage Thoroughbreds, and trained by Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott at Matamata. O'Sullivan was a two-time Derby winner as a jockey but had never previously won the race as a trainer, while Scott saddled Cut the Cake and Xcellent to win back-to-back runnings of the Derby in the early 2000s. Rocket Spade had sh ...
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2022 New Zealand Derby
The 2022 New Zealand Derby was a Group I horse race which took place at Ellerslie Racecourse on Saturday 5 March 2022. It was the 147th running of the New Zealand Derby, and it was won by Asterix. Asterix became the second consecutive winner of the New Zealand Derby for his trainers, the Matamata-based partnership of Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott. He was also the second Derby winner in the green and red colours of the Kelt family, who also owned the 1993 winner Popsy. Former international cricketer Mark Greatbatch also shares in the ownership. Asterix was bred by Sir Owen Glenn's Go Bloodstock, and he was bought for NZ$450,000 at the 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale by bloodstock agent Bruce Perry. Asterix made his debut less than two months before his Derby triumph, finishing sixth in a 1400-metre race at Matamata on January 12. An eighth placing followed at Te Rapa on February 2, before Asterix stepped up to 2100 metres and recorded a maiden victory at Tauranga ...
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2024 New Zealand Derby
The 2024 New Zealand Derby was a Group I horse race which was run at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday 2 March 2024. It was the 149th running of the New Zealand Derby, and it was won by Orchestral. Details Orchestral became the sixth New Zealand Derby winner for Roger James, who now trains in partnership with Robert Wellwood. His first win came in 1986 with Tidal Light, who he trained in partnership with Jim Gibbs, and he later won with Roysyn, Zonda, Hades and Silent Achiever. He now holds the record for the most victories in the modern-day New Zealand Derby, which was created when the New Zealand Derby (Riccarton) and Great Northern Derby were amalgamated in 1973. Orchestral was ridden by Craig Grylls, who had previously won the Derby aboard Crown Prosecutor (2021) and Rocket Spade (2019). Orchestral was bred by Barneswood Farm and is a daughter of the champion Waikato Stud stallion Savabeel. Bought by James and Wellwood for $625,000 at the 2022 ...
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Railway Stakes (New Zealand)
The Railway Stakes is a Group One New Zealand horse race. Held at Ellerslie it is raced over 1200 metres, and is one of New Zealand's feature sprint races. Among its most notable winners are: * Avantage, the winner of the 2021 Railway, the 2020 and 2021 Telegraph Handicap, 2020 Otaki-Maori Weight for Age, Foxbridge Plate and Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes. * Bawakalasana the winner of both the Railway and the Telegraph Handicap in 1999. * Diamond Lover in 1987 who broke the Ellerslie track record, running 1:07.73. * Imperatriz in 2023, who went on to win multiple group 1 races in Australia. * Loader, the winner of the Railway and Telegraph Handicap in 1996. * Mayo Gold in 1970, the first winner to finish under 1:10. * the great Mr Tiz, who won this race three times (1989-1991), the 1991 Waikato Sprint and the 1989 and 1990 Telegraph Handicap. * Rizzio, the 1948 and 1949 winner. * Tudor Light, in 1977. * Yahabeebe, the 1957 and 1958 winner. Some of the biggest upsets in the h ...
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Captain Cook Stakes
The TAB Classic is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run at weight-for-age over a distance of 1,600 metres (1 mile) at Trentham Racecourse in Wellington, New Zealand. Known for many years as the Captain Cook Stakes, in 2023 it became known as the TAB Classic. Over the years the race has been won by great New Zealand racehorses such as Rough Habit (1992), Solveig (1986) and Copper Belt (1977). History Name * Marlboro Mile (1977-1979) * Penfolds-Chardon Mile (1980-1981) * DB Mile (1982-1983) * Double Brown 1600 (1984-1985) * Double Brown Mile (1986-1988) * DB Draught 1600 (1989) * Captain Cook Stakes (1990-2000) * Fayette Park Prized Stakes (2001) * Captain Cook Stakes (2002–2022) * TAB Classic (2023) * TAB Mufhasa Classic (2024) Race Date * Run In March (1977-1997) * Run In October (1998-2008) * Run In December (2009–Present) In 2009 the Wellington Racing Club changed the race date from the end of October to the beginning of December, to move it away from the Hawke's Bay ...
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Karaka Million
The Karaka Million refers to two major New Zealand horse races for young horses - the original Karaka Million for two-year-old (2YO) horses and the Karaka Million 3YO Classic that started in 2018. Held at Ellerslie Racecourse, they are among New Zealand's richest races, with a stake of NZ$1,000,000 each. The races are restricted to horses sold through the New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sales held at Karaka. The two $1,000,000 races are held on the eve of the National Yearling Sales Series at Karaka. History The 2YO race was run for the first time in 2008, replacing a similar race held at Te Rapa. Up to 2017, horses eligible for the Karaka Million could also be entered in an associated race, the Karaka Three Year Old Mile over 1600m (NZ$200,000), in the following year. However, from 2018 New Zealand Bloodstock introduced a second Karaka Million $1,000,000 race for three-year-olds. Since 2018, the "Boys Get Paid" Facebook group have organized a large gathering of hundreds of me ...
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