The Group One Levin Classic - formerly the Bayer Classic - is one of the premier races for three-year-old thoroughbreds in New Zealand.
History
The race, first run under the name Levin Turf Classic, was originally run at Levin Racecourse until that facility was closed as a racing venue in 1990 and the race was transferred to nearby Ōtaki.
For more than a decade the race was sponsored by Bayer, and known as the Bayer Classic.
For much of its history, the race was run at Levin and then Ōtaki on the last Friday in November.
Concern began to grow in the 2000s about the race's close proximity to the
New Zealand 2000 Guineas
The 2000 Guineas is a Group One set-weight Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run over a distance of 1600 metres at Riccarton Park in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Christchurch New Zealand cup week
The New Zealand 2000 Guineas is he ...
and
New Zealand 1000 Guineas
The 1000 Guineas is a Group One set-weights Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies run over a distance of 1600 metres (1 mile) at Riccarton Park in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Christchurch New Zealand Cup week
It is on the final Satu ...
, both run in the second week in November. The three Group 1 3-year-old races over a mile in the New Zealand racing season were all run within the space of three weeks, leading to an inevitable dilution of quality of fields. From 2014 the Levin Classic was moved to
Trentham Racecourse
Trentham Racecourse is the main thoroughbred horse racecourse for the Wellington city area in New Zealand. It is located in the suburb of Trentham in Upper Hutt, next to Trentham Military Camp.
The races are conducted by the Wellington Racing Cl ...
in Wellington and initially run as part of the
Wellington Cup Carnival in January conducted by the
Wellington Racing Club
The Wellington Racing Club (WRC) is a racing horse racing club based at Trentham Racecourse in Trentham, New Zealand, Trentham, Wellington, New Zealand.
Founded as the Wellington Jockey Club in 1854, the first race meetings held by the club were a ...
.
Since 2022 it has been run in March, on the same day as the:
*
New Zealand Oaks
The New Zealand Oaks is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies run at set weights over a distance of 2400 metres ( miles) on the third Saturday of March every year at Trentham Racecourse in Wellington, New Zealand.
It was r ...
.
* Cuddle Stakes (1600m for fillies and mares).
*
New Zealand St. Leger
The New Zealand St. Leger is a major thoroughbred horse race run at Trentham Racecourse in New Zealand on New Zealand Oaks day in March each year.
Race conditions and scheduling
It was run over 2500m up until 2018 and 2600m from 2019 onward, i ...
(2600m).
* Lightning Handicap (1200m)
Notable winners
Among the most famous winners are
Bonecrusher Bonecrusher may refer to:
* Bone crusher, a machine used to crush animal bones
* Bonecrusher (horse), a New Zealand racehorse
* Bonecrusher (Transformers), a fictional robot supervillain character in the Transformers robot superhero franchise.
* ...
,
Veandercross
Veandercross (14 October 1988 – 18 October 2014) was a New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred gelding who won 14 stakes races, (including eight Group one), and was chosen Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year for the 1992–93 season.
Veandercros ...
,
O'Reilly
O'Reilly ( ga, Ó Raghallaigh) is a group of families, ultimately all of Irish Gaelic origin, who were historically the kings of East Bréifne in what is today County Cavan. The clan were part of the Connachta's Uí Briúin Bréifne kindred a ...
,
Our Flight, Russian Pearl, Tit For Taat and
Wahid Wahid or Waheed is an Arabic masculine given name, meaning "One", "Absolute One". Al-Wahid is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Given name
* Waheed Akhtar (1934–1996),
* Waheed Alli, Baron Alli (born 1964), British multimillionaire media entrepre ...
.
Race results
See also
*
Recent winners of major NZ races for 3 year olds
*
Otaki-Maori Weight for Age
*
Trentham Stakes
The Trentham Stakes is a Group 3 weight-for-age race held for thoroughbred racehorses at Trentham Racecourse near Wellington, New Zealand conducted by the Wellington Racing Club.
Held over 2100 metres in January, it is seen as the main lead-up ...
*
Thorndon Mile
*
Karaka Million
*
Hawke's Bay Guineas
The Hawke's Bay Guineas is a major Thoroughbred horse race in New Zealand for three-year-old horses. In 2003 the stake was boosted to $100,000 and the race was moved to the first Saturday in October, meaning that it is run on the same day as the S ...
*
New Zealand Derby
*
New Zealand Oaks
The New Zealand Oaks is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies run at set weights over a distance of 2400 metres ( miles) on the third Saturday of March every year at Trentham Racecourse in Wellington, New Zealand.
It was r ...
*
New Zealand 1000 Guineas
The 1000 Guineas is a Group One set-weights Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies run over a distance of 1600 metres (1 mile) at Riccarton Park in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Christchurch New Zealand Cup week
It is on the final Satu ...
*
New Zealand 2000 Guineas
The 2000 Guineas is a Group One set-weight Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run over a distance of 1600 metres at Riccarton Park in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Christchurch New Zealand cup week
The New Zealand 2000 Guineas is he ...
References
{{reflist
N.Z. Thoroughbred Racing Inc.* http://www.racenet.com.au
* http://www.nzracing.co.nz
* http://www.tab.co.nz
* http://www.racebase.co.nz
* ''The Great Decade of New Zealand racing 1970-1980''. Glengarry, Jack. William Collins Publishers Ltd, Wellington, New Zealand.
* ''New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual 2018 (47th edition)''. Dennis Ryan, Editor, Racing Media NZ Limited, Auckland, New Zealand.
* ''New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual 2017 (46th edition)''. Dennis Ryan, Editor, Racing Media NZ Limited, Auckland, New Zealand.
* ''New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual 2008 (37th edition)''. Bradford, David, Editor. Bradford Publishing Limited, Paeroa, New Zealand.
* ''New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual 2005 (34th edition)''. Bradford, David, Editor. Bradford Publishing Limited, Paeroa, New Zealand.
* ''New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual 2004 (33rd edition)''. Bradford, David, Editor. Bradford Publishing Limited, Paeroa, New Zealand.
* ''New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual 2000 (29th edition)''. Bradford, David, Editor. Bradford Publishing Limited, Auckland, New Zealand.
* ''New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual 1997 (26th edition)''. Dillon, Mike, Editor. Mike Dillon's Racing Enterprises Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand.
* ''New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual 1995 (24th edition)''. Dillon, Mike, Editor. Mike Dillon's Racing Enterprises Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand.
* ''New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual 1994 (23rd edition)''. Dillon, Mike, Editor. Meadowset Publishing, Auckland, New Zealand.
* ''New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual 1991 (20th edition)''. Dillon, Mike, Editor. Moa Publications, Auckland, New Zealand.
* ''New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual 1987 (16th edition)''. Dillon, Mike, Editor. Moa Publications, Auckland, New Zealand.
* ''New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual 1985 (Fourteenth edition)''. Costello, John, Editor. Moa Publications, Auckland, New Zealand.
* ''New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual 1984 (Thirteenth edition)''. Costello, John, Editor. Moa Publications, Auckland, New Zealand.
* ''New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual 1982 (Eleventh edition)''. Costello, John, Editor. Moa Publications, Auckland, New Zealand.
* ''New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual 1981 (Tenth edition)''. Costello, John, Editor. Moa Publications, Auckland, New Zealand.
Horse races in New Zealand
Flat horse races for three-year-olds
Levin, New Zealand