The New Zealand Pattern Committee (NZPC) has completed its annual review of black-type racing in New Zealand, with several changes made to the schedule of feature races for 2023-24.
The total number of black-type races has been reduced by eight to 142 races. This is due to a downward trend in the overall number of races being run every season, leading to an increasingly disproportionate number of races holding black-type status.
“A significant decline in the number of races run in recent seasons has seen the New Zealand Pattern race percentage increase to over 6 percent,” the NZPC said in its report. “This was generating international concern and affecting the perceived quality of the New Zealand Pattern.”
The NZPC formed a subcommittee to review the pattern with an aim of reducing that percentage to around 5 percent or less, which is the international norm.
The eight races that have lost their Listed status are the Staphanos Classic (1950m), the Feilding Cup (2100m), the Levin Stakes (1200m), the Newmarket Handicap (1200m), the Timaru Cup (1600m), the New Zealand St Leger (2600m), the Riverton Cup (2147m) and the Easter Cup (1600m).
“The NZPC strongly endorses the ‘Heritage’ race concept for these races as continuing to support races which are major regional targets, have considerable historic importance and wide public appeal,” the report stated. “With the exception of the Newmarket Handicap, this will see prize-money remain as though each race had its former status.”
In another notable change, the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m) has returned to its previous midsummer slot and will be run at Trentham on January 13. Both last year and this year’s renewals of the three-year-old feature were staged on New Zealand Oaks Day in March.
“This race has struggled in recent years due to the impact of the Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) on its former January slot,” the report said. “It was hoped that the move to March would attract the top three-year-olds that were not aimed at the Derby (2400m) or Oaks (2400m), but they tended to be aimed at Australian targets instead.
“As an alternative to being downgraded, the NZPC offered a return to the former January date. The APC (Asian Pattern Committee) unanimously voted that the race remain at Group One status under a warning, subject to returning to its former January date. A further failure to meet the tolerance threshold would very likely see the race being downgraded.”
In a direct swap with the Levin Classic, the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m) has been moved from January to March.
To act as a better lead-in to the Levin Classic, the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1600m) will switch from New Year’s Day to Boxing Day and will be run over 1400m. The Listed Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m), previously part of the Boxing Day meeting, has been put back to February.
Another three-year-old feature that has a new position on the calendar is Wanganui’s Listed Fillies’ Stakes (1200m). Previously run in September, it will this year be held on December 2.
There was also a relocation for Riccarton’s Listed Welcome Stakes (1000m), which was previously run in November as the first stakes race of the season for two-year-olds. It has been a low-rated race in recent years and has been given one last opportunity to retain its status, shifting to the autumn to serve as a lead-up to Riccarton’s other juvenile feature, the Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m).
In an additional blow to the New Zealand Cup Carnival at Riccarton in November, the Stewards’ Stakes (1200m) has been downgraded from Group Three to Listed.
On the other side of the coin, two races were upgraded – most notably the Soliloquy Stakes, which will this year be run at Pukekohe on October 28 and now has Group Two status.
The Soliloquy Stakes was a Listed race until 2018, when the three-year-old fillies’ feature was upgraded to Group Three. Four of its five winners since then have been subsequent Group One winners – Media Sensation (2018), Travelling Light (2019), Imperatriz (2021) and Legarto (2022). Legarto was chased home by minor placegetters Romancing The Moon and Prowess in last year’s race, and both of those fillies also went on to win at the elite level later in the season.
The Mufhasa Stakes (1400m), run as part of the New Zealand Derby undercard, has been upgraded from Listed to Group Three. Its recent winners include Need I Say More (2021), On The Bubbles (2022) and The Intimidator (2023), while the placegetters behind On The Bubbles were I Wish I Win and Bonny Lass.
The NZPC also approved a change to the flow of two-year-old races in the northern region in the latter part of the season. This year, the three races in question were the Listed Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Pukekohe on April 22, the Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre Stakes (1200m) at Te Rapa on May 6, and the Listed Auckland Futurity Stakes (1400m) on May 27.
This season, there will be a 1200m race at Ellerslie on April 20, a 1400m race at Te Rapa on May 4 and the Champagne Stakes over 1600m at Ellerslie on May 25.
The NZPC has the following races on a watch list for potential promotion to the pattern: the Taupo Pak ‘N’ Save Fillies (1100m) in August, an open 1200m race at Pukekohe/Ellerslie in early December, the Karaka Cup (2200m) at Ellerslie in January, the Lisa Chittick Plate (1400m) at Matamata in February, the Royal Descent Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie in March, the Francolin Stakes (1400m) at Riverton in April and a two-year-old race at Hastings in April.
The brand-new $1 million Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic (1600m) for four-year-olds, which will be run for the first time at Ellerslie on January 27, needs to be run on two occasions before being considered.
(Link to full report: https://nztr.co.nz/sites/nztrindustry/files/2023-09/Report-of-the-NZPC-2023_FINAL.pdf )