New Zealand Stakes

The Group 1 New Zealand Stakes is a 2000m event traditionally held at Ellerslie racecourse each year, at weight-for-age level, with it worth $320,000.

It is raced on the same day as two of New Zealand’s other most important races: the Ellerslie Sires’ Produce Stakes and the Auckland Cup.

The New Zealand Stakes is notable for the many winners which have a great history in the Cox Plate, some of those include Bonecrusher, Surfers Paradise, Solvit and Ocean Park.

The New Zealand Stakes is a “good horses” race with many a superstar Kiwi finding their way onto the honour roll.

Although registered as the New Zealand Stakes, the event is run as the Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes, in honour of one of the greatest horses of all time.

The New Zealand Stakes, to be held on March 11, will be run at Pukekohe racecourse in 2023 due to the redevelopment of Ellerslie.

2023 New Zealand Stakes odds

The 2023 New Zealand Stakes odds as of March 9 look like this:

• Prowess – $2.40
• La Crique – $3.10
• Campionessa – $5.00
• Defibrillate – $8.00
• Asterix – $17.00

Complete New Zealand Stakes odds available at Bet365.

Top New Zealand Stakes bookmakers

The New Zealand Stakes generates betting interest from the likes of Australian, Japanese and Hong Kong punters, so bookmakers know how important framing an early market can be.

Popular races like the New Zealand Stakes are attractive to futures punters who are hoping to lock in the big value on offer. Bookmakers will also offer fixed-odds win and place markets when the field is confirmed.

The online bookmakers listed below have markets available for the New Zealand Stakes. If there are no odds listed, bookmakers can be contacted and odds on your desired runner will be given.

Sport Table

Latest New Zealand Stakes News

2023 New Zealand Stakes Field

No.	Silks	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight
1		Defibrillate	Graham Richardson & Rogan Norvall	Warren Kennedy	6	59kg
2		True Enough	Andrew Forsman	Jonathan Riddell	3	59kg
3		Chase	Stephen Nickalls	Kate Hercock	2	59kg
4		The Mayor	Mike Moroney & Pam Gerard	Cameron Lammas	1	59kg
5		Asterix	Lance O’Sullivan & Andrew Scott	Joe Doyle	4	58.5kg
6		Campionessa	Mark Walker	Opie Bosson	8	57kg
7		La Crique	Simon & Katrina Alexander	Craig Grylls	5	56.5kg
8		Prowess	Roger James & Robert Wellwood	Michael McNab	7	52kg

2022 New Zealand Stakes result

Recent New Zealand Stakes winners

• 2022: Coventina Bay claims Herbie Dyke / New Zealand Stakes double
  Classy mare Coventina Bay was up to all of her cantankerous tricks in the pre-race buildup at Ellerslie, but when it came time for business she was at her professional best as she claimed her second Group 1 victory. The Robbie Patterson-trained six-year-old had threatened to win at the highest level for quite some time and achieved that goal when she downed race rivals Vernanme and The Chosen One in the Group 1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa last month. In a mirror image of that result the daughter of Shamexpress produced another powerful home straight sprint to burst past Vernanme in the final 100m to win going away by a length with The Chosen One closing off strongly from well back to take third.
• 2021: Melody Belle etches name in to history books
  Champion mare Melody Belle created a piece of New Zealand racing history at Ellerslie when she strode to victory in the 2021 Group 1 New Zealand Stakes, her fourteenth win at the elite level, to surpass the mighty Sunline for the most Group One wins in the modern era for a New Zealand-trained galloper. The six-year-old daughter of Commands had attracted her share of doubters as to whether she could produce another Group One victory after being beaten at Te Rapa over the same distance in the Group 1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) last month. Never a truer word has been spoken than the age-old adage that form is temporary and class is permanent as the dual New Zealand Horse of The Year gave her seven rivals, including runner-up and stablemate Avantage, a galloping lesson as she stormed home for rider Troy Harris to win going away by a length and spark some emotional scenes in the Ellerslie birdcage.
• 2020: Avantage smashes rivals
  In what is a familiar sight it was the tangerine and blue colours of Te Akau Racing at the head of affairs once again as the Matamata operation made it consecutive Group 1 victories at Ellerslie in the 2021 NZ Stakes. Quality mare Avantage gave punters another taste of her versatility and genuine all-round class as she took out the Group 1 New Zealand Stakes in her first start beyond 1600m, barely an hour after Cool Aza Beel had taken out the Group 1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) two races earlier for Matamata trainer Jamie Richards. The Fastnet Rock four-year-old had won one of New Zealand’s premier sprint contests just three starts ago when taking out the Group 1 Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham while last start she scored her third career Group 1 victory in the Group 1 WFA Classic (1600m). Some pundits felt a step up to 2000m could find her out but the distance challenge never looked a factor once regular pilot Opie Bosson found clear air in the home straight as Avantage dashed away from a quality line-up to record career Group 1 win number four to go with her Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) title as a two-year-old.
• 2019: Melody Belle continues Group 1 dominance
  Outstanding mare Melody Belle capped a wonderful season when she beat a quality field in the 2019 New Zealand Stakes. The victory was Group 1 triumph number five in a season that has seen the Commands four-year-old win six of her eights starts and more than $700,000 in prizemoney. The victory also allowed regular rider Opie Bosson to establish a new record of 63 Group 1 wins by a Kiwi rider, after he equalled former record-holder Lance O’Sullivan with success on Yourdeel in the Sistema Stakes (1200m) one race earlier. Arguably this win was the best of an action-packed season for the Jamie Richards-trained mare as she defeated a field that included seven other Group 1 winners. She had to do it the hard way as she looped the field with second favourite Danzdanzdance before they set down to a two-horse war for the length of the Ellerslie home straight. Finding something extra in the last 50m, Melody Belle stuck her neck in front to defeat a game Danzdanzdance, with Rondinella finishing a promising third at her first attempt in elite company.
• 2018: Saint Emilion leads throughout
  Saint Emilion coasted along in his customary role in front under jockey Leith Innes and he held a strong gallop to the post for the 13th win of his career in the Group 1 New Zealand Stakes. The grey gelding, who also won this weight-for-age feature in 2016, went straight to the front of the seven-horse field and led for most of the journey. He was briefly headed in the straight by Hello It’s Me , but responded to the urgings of jockey Jonathan Riddell and roared back to win by three-quarters of a length. The winner’s stablemate Lizzie L’Amour ran on late to take second by a nose from Hello It’s Me.

Past New Zealand Stakes winners

New Zealand Stakes Past Winners Pre 2000