New slot race heads shake up of New Zealand’s racing calendar
Ellerslie to host southern hemisphere’s richest race for three-year-olds with changes to summer carnival announced
Racing in New Zealand is set to have a new look from 2025, with New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR), TAB New Zealand and Entain all combining to launch what will be the southern hemisphere’s richest three-year-old race – ‘The NZB Kiwi’.
In an announcement made at a press conference yesterday, The NZB Kiwi, that will be sponsored by New Zealand Bloodstock (NZB), will be one of the major highlights in a newly established ‘Champions Day’ which will feature more than NZ$9 million in total prize-money in year one, before then climbing to NZ$10 million in year two.
Set to be held on the second Saturday of March at Ellerslie Racecourse, Champions Day will also include the New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) and three other Group 1 races as it forms part of a new New Zealand summer racing calendar.
“It’s the injection that the industry needed,” NZTR CEO Bruce Sharrock told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“We were fortunate last year with Entain becoming our wagering partner, which allowed us to lift stakes money, but this has just taken it to another level. Everyone’s very excited.
“The slot race has clearly worked in a number of jurisdictions in Australia, with The Everest being the most recent, and it’s pretty obvious it has garnered more than just the racing industry’s interest.
“That’s what we need in New Zealand, we need to broaden our appeal.”
The race will carry prize-money of at least NZ$3.5 million in 2025, increasing to NZ$4.5 million by 2027 and hopeful slot holders will have to stump up at least NZ$450,000 to secure a three-year spot in the race.
Slots will be acquired through auction, and an additional $1 million in bonuses will be available each year to the three placegetters of The NZB Kiwi, if they have already won one of a number of iconic New Zealand and Australian lead-up races.
“The reasons behind having an auction was one, to make it exciting for everyone, but mainly to take away any political issues with who may have preferential treatment to get a slot,” Sharrock said.
“It’ll start at $450,000, so $125,000 for the first year, $150,000 for the second, and $175,000 for the third year, and then we will auction from there. If it ends up going for $10,000 more fantastic and if it goes for $100,000 more, then great.
“Early indications are positive, but you never know until the pen is on the paper. But early indications would lead me to think we’ll be more than over-subscribed for the slots.”
NZB managing director Andrew Seabrook said that yesterday’s announcement provides the New Zealand racing industry with a huge boost when it comes to keeping good horses within its jurisdiction.
“I think it’s really encouraging for the long term,” Seabrook told ANZ Bloodstock News. “The stakes money in New Zealand has now got to a point where owners will have second thoughts about selling their horses. There will be more opportunities for them to race.
“Not only do you have the Karaka Millions night, but you now have this added incentive for three-year-olds to remain in the country for a $3.5 million race.
“The beautiful thing about the slot race is the returns. If it’s $125,000 first year, you’ll be guaranteed $100,000 for just coming last. That moves to $125,000 the following year and then in the third year it jumps to $175,000, so that’s a pretty good model.
“What Entain, NZTR, and the TAB have done in joining forces to make this race happen is pretty significant, and to be racing at Ellerslie, which I’m sure will be one of the great tracks in world racing, is really exciting.
Seabrook revealed NZTR chairman Cameron George had spoken of the idea a few weeks ago, and that NZB felt the best way to support the initiative would be through sponsorship rather than being a slot holder.
“Cameron George first told us about the idea a few weeks ago and told us about the concept, which we absolutely love. We wanted to get behind the industry and support this initiative,” Seabrook said.
“Buying a slot was certainly an option, but we made the decision to sponsor the race and show our support that way instead. We think the slots are going to be hotly contested, so I think our position will be better seen.”
With the 2024 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale less than a week away, Seabrook was delighted with the timing of yesterday’s announcement.
“The announcement, which is just a week out from our sales, couldn’t have happened at a better time for us,” he said.
“Hopefully it inspires our clients and buyers, not just in New Zealand but throughout Australia, to bid up.”
Also announced yesterday, as part of the new-look summer programme, was the creation of a two-day Karaka Millions Carnival.
Bookending the NZB National Yearling Sales Series, the carnival will see the Railway Stakes form part of a new Super Sprint Series, with a $500,000 bonus for horses that perform well across three New Zealand legs that include the Telegraph Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m), the Railway Stakes, and the BCD Sprint (Gr 1, 1400m), as well as a number of soon-to-be-named races in Australia later in the Autumn carnival.
“For us down here it’s about targeting that summer window, and it’s a great time to have it as we’re not competing against Australian racing as much,” NZ TAB’s managing director Cameron Rodger told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“We think the plan [for the summer] is really good, if you’re a racing fan then you’re not going to be short of good racing during that period, over Saturdays particularly.
“We’re thrilled with it from a wagering perspective and think it’ll drive really good activity.”
With TAB having secured slots in both The Everest (1200m) and The Quokka (1200m) in partnership with Entain, Rodger revealed that NZ TAB will again be aiming to secure a place in The NZB Kiwi.
“We’d love to have one,” he said. “We have one in The Everest with our Trackside media brand and we’ve got one in The Quokka, so we think slot races are a great way of attracting a wider audience.
“But it’s an auction and we’re just another bidder in that, so we’ll see how we go.”
In total, the revised summer racing program will see an injection of more than NZ$9 million in stakes and bonuses made available in 2025 versus current levels, climbing to an additional NZ$12.7 million in total stakes and bonuses by 2026 during this 14-week period from December 26, 2024 through to March 31, 2025.
Key changes in the revamped summer carnival:
New Year’s Day – January 1, 2025 – Ellerslie
- The Concorde Handicap (Gr 3, 1200m) moves from Karaka Millions Day to New Year’s Day, swapping with the Railway Stakes. The conditions of the Concorde will also be amended to set weights and penalties (SWP) from Handicap
January 4, 2025 – Awapuni
- Addition of the Anniversary Handicap (Gr 3, 1600m) that will move from Trentham
January 11, 2025 – Trentham
- Addition of the Thorndon Mile (Gr 1, 1600m), creating a two-week gap between the Thorndon Mile and the Aotearoa Classic (1600m) on day one of the Karaka Millions race meeting
- The Group 2 Levin Classic will remain on this day, but will see its distance reduced to 1400 metres (from 1600m), while the Telegraph Handicap will also retain its place on this day
January 18, 2025 – Trentham
- Remains headlined by the Wellington Cup (Gr 3, 3200m), Desert Gold Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m) and the NZTR innovation race, the Remutaka Classic (2100m)
Karaka Carnival – Day 1 – January 25, 2025 – Ellerslie
- Remains as a six-race twilight meeting headlined by the $1 million TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (RL, 1200m), the $1.5 million TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (RL, 1600m), the $1 million Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic (1600m) and the Westbury Classic (Gr 2, 1400m)
- Addition of the Group 1 Railway Stakes, bringing the excitement and exposure of Group 1 racing to the Karaka Carnival
Karaka Carnival – Day 2 – February 1, 2025 – Ellerslie
- The newly-created second day of the Karaka Carnival will feature the Almanzor Trophy (Gr 3, 1200m), which will move back a week from its traditional date of Karaka Millions Day 1 of NZTR’s innovation races, The Rangitoto Classic (1500m), will move to this date from the first weekend in March
- A number of other black-type and feature races will be added to the Ellerslie programme, with details to be announced in the coming months
- The Taranaki feature day will continue to be run on February 1, 2025, featuring the Taranaki Cup (Gr 3, 1200m), Taranaki 2YO Classic (Gr 3, 1200m) and Taranaki Oaks Prelude (Listed, 1800m)
February 8, 2025 – Te Rapa
- Addition of the Waikato Guineas (Gr 2, 2000m), which will move from its current mid-week location in late January. This change will improve the spacing between the Karaka Millions 3YO and the Waikato Guineas, and will see the Waikato Guineas run two weeks prior to the Avondale Guineas (Gr 2, 2100m) on February 22, 2025
February 15, 2025 – Matamata
- The Matamata meeting will move forward a week from its current date, with the programme remaining unchanged. This movement will improve the spacing of the feature two-year-old races at Matamata between the Karaka Carnival and the Sistema Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) in March
February 22, 2025 – Ellerslie
- Moving back a week, effectively swapping places with the Matamata meeting. On this date, the Avondale Guineas will now be run two weeks after the Group 2 Waikato Guineas (Gr 2, 2000m) and will retain its two week gap to the New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m)
- The Group 1 Otaki WFA Classic meeting will continue to take place on this day at Otaki
March 1, 2025 – Wingatui
- Becomes a newly created feature day for the South Island featuring a number of black-type races, as well as the Southern Mile Final. Further details on this programme will be provided at a later date
Champions Day – March 8, 2025 – Ellerslie
- Consolidation of Auckland’s two-day March carnival to create a pinnacle day of New Zealand racing, featuring four Group 1 races – the New Zealand Derby, the New Zealand Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) and the Sistema Stakes
- Champions Day will also feature the newly introduced slot race, The NZB Kiwi, which will be run over 1500 metres for the best three-year-olds in the country.
- Supporting the Group 1 action on Champions Day will be the Auckland Cup (Gr 2, 3200m), Sunline Vase (Gr 3, 2100m), King’s Plate (Gr 3, 1200m) and the Entain-NZB Insurance Pearl Series Final
March 23, 2025 – Trentham
- New Zealand Oaks Day moves back one week from its current position, maintaining a two-week gap with the New Zealand Derby. The programme of the day remains unchanged