The Levin Classic

The Group Two Top Kat Roofing Levin Classic is one of NZ’s premier races, for three year old thoroughbreds over 1400m. 

The race was first run as the ‘Levin Turf Classic’ at the Levin Racecourse over a mile (1600m) in 1981, an innovative idea by the Levin Racing Club Committee at the time. The inaugural running was won by Altitude. The following year, in 1982, Our Flight became the first, and to date only, Levin trained horse to win the race, trained by Errol Skelton. The significant initial quality of the race resulted in the granting of ‘Group 2’ status from the very early days of the Classic.

In 1984, the Club secured the sponsorship of Bayer, a German pharmaceutical company based in Leverkusen, to sponsor the race. Their internationally recognisable brand, and the considerable amount of prize money pumped into the race made it one of the most prestigious and targeted races for three year old horses in Australasia. They would continue to sponsor the race until 2004, but the race today is often still regarded by many as the ‘Bayer Classic’.

Many great horses continued to win the Bayer Classic whilst it ran at Levin. For example, Philippa Rush, which won the race in 1989, ridden by Lance O’Sullivan, won 10 of her first 11 races, before being exported to the USA. However one of the most famous victories was that of Bonecrusher, in 1985, arguably the most iconic NZ-bred horse in the last 50 years. Jim Cassidy, who rode Bonecrusher to victory, became the first jockey to win the race twice.

In 1990, a decision was made to transfer all Levin Racing Club racing activity to Otaki Racecourse, which included the Bayer. The first running at Otaki in November 1990 was also the first run at Group 1 level, the highest level in international horse racing, and was won by Eagle Eye, which later went on to win at Group 1 level in Australia.

Veandercross won it the next year in 1991, a future multiple Group 1 winner in Australia, and runner-up in both the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup. Other top horses won the Classic at Otaki in the 1990s and early 2000s, including Al Akbar, O’Reilly and Tit for Taat.

2005 was the first post-Bayer running of the Levin Classic, taken out by Wahid, which was in fierce competition with Darci Brahma for the honour of top 3 year old that season, despite never racing against each other as 3yos. A notable running of the Classic, that included the Mark Walker trained Shikoba, which was beaten by a nose, and third placed Izzat, which went on to win the Hong Kong Derby in 2007, under the race name Vital King.

Following a few more runnings, and facing pressure of losing its Group 1 status, the Classic moved to Trentham, as part of the Wellington Cup Carnival, starting in Janaury 2014, which was won by Recite. The next year, Gaultier won the 2015 Levin Classic as a maiden (it hadn’t won a race before). Murray Baker, the most successful trainer in the history of the Classic, won it for the fourth time with Madison County in 2019.

Pressure on the Group 1 status returned, and in 2022, the decision was made to move the race to March, the same day as the New Zealand Oaks. The 2022 Levin Classic saw an impressive field, and memorable top 4 finish by trainer Jamie Richards, including the winner Imperatriz, and future Everest winner I Wish I Win in third. Te Akau owned horses would win the next two editions, Romancing the Moon in 2023, and Quintessa in 2024, the latter ridden by Opie Bosson, who won the race a record breaking fifth time, with a prize of $550,000 being the largest in the race’s history.

Sadly, the Levin Classic failed to meet the threshold required to retain Group 1 status, and was relegated to Group 2 later that year. It will run at that level for the first time since the 1980’s, for a stake of $400,000 in January 2025, as part of the new Summer of Racing series. It will run at a shorter distance of 1400m for the first time in its history.

ROLL OF HONOUR

Horse - Owners - Sex - Jockey - Time - Trainer

1981 ALTITUDE Colt S R Autridge 1.36.00 B Ford

1982 OUR FLIGHT Filly M R Campbell 1.36.20 EB Skelton

1983 BURLETTA Filly J A Cassidy 1.36.00 FP Campbell

1984 PRINCESS DRAM Filly M C Lyndon 1.35.90 N Bradley

1985 BONECRUSHER Gelding J A Cassidy 1.36.90 F Ritchie

1986 THE BISHOP Gelding M C Lyndon 1.36.78 D Couchman

1987 YOUNG INDIAN Colt P G Tims 1.35.75 N Morgan

1988 KRONA Colt P G Tims 1.35.53 R McGlade

1989 PHILLIPA RUSH Filly L A O'Sullivan 1.36.20 J Campin

1990 EAGLE EYE Gelding N G Harris 1.39.64 MP Baker

• Race transferred from Levin to Otaki-Maori Racecourse

1991 VEANDERCROSS Gelding J Walker 1.34.35 C Turner

1992 NIMUE Filly L A O'Sullivan 1.33.66 D & P O'Sullivan

1993 AL AKBAR Colt G J Grylls 1.43.97 C Wood

1994 AVEDON Colt D G Bradley 1.34.81  FP Campbell

1995 PRUSSIAN BLUE Colt S R Udy 1.34.97 Mrs D Waddell

1996 O’REILLY Colt L A O'Sullivan 1.35.74 D & P O'Sullivan

1997 LOVE DE TOR Filly G Childs 1.33.69 M Moroney

1998 TOBRUK Colt L G Innes 1.37.67 G Richardson

1999 BUZZ LIGHTYEAR Colt O P Bosson 1.35.28 R Priscott

2000 TIT FOR TAAT Colt H S Tinsley 1.35.11 W Herbert

2001 FINAL DESTINATION Filly G J Grylls 1.35.88 Mrs V Hillis

2002 BUNKER Colt O P Bosson 1.37.14 T & SJ McKee

2003 RUSSIAN PEARL Colt H S Tinsley 1.34.96 B & S Marsh

2004 AMBITIOUS OWNER Gelding L G Innes 1.34.77 MP Baker

2005 WAHID Gelding H S Tinsley 1.36.18 AS Sharrock

2006 POROTENE GEM Filly D J Walker 1.40.10 K Gray

2007 KEEPA CRUISIN Filly L G Innes 1.34.85 SJ McKee

2008 ALTERED IMAGE Gelding M T Coleman 1.32.50 M Moroney 

2009 EILEEN DUBH Filly JKB Riddell 1.35.43 F Finnegan 

2010 WE CAN SAY IT NOW Filly LG Innes 1.34.27 MP Baker

2011 DISTILL Gelding RJ Hannam 1.35.97 RB Bergerson

2012 SOUTHERN LORD Gelding KA Myers 1.34.63 A Tait

• Race transferred to Wellington.

2014 RECITE The Oaks Stud Filly M Du Plessis 1.36.10 JGG Bary

2015 GAULTIER W Eagles Plumbing Supplies Pty Ltd Gelding MT Coleman 1.36.67 Miss DM Guy

2016 DUKEDOM DR & SD Cole Gelding LJ Allpress 1.36.96 SP Cole

2017 HALL OF FAME Te Akau 24/7 Syndicate (Mgr: D C Ellis) Colt OP Bosson 1.35.54 SR Autridge & JW Richards

2018 AGE OF FIRE Te Akau 2016 Sydney Breeding Syndicate No.2 (Mgr: D C Ellis) Colt OP Bosson 1.36.63 SR Autridge & JW Richards

2019 MADISON COUNTY China Horse Club Racing Pty Ltd Gelding Matthew Cameron 1.35.89 Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman

2020 TRAVELLING LIGHT C R & I MacRury Filly Samantha Collett 1.36.91 Ben Foote

2021 BONHAM(AUS) G E Harding Filly Lisa Allpress 01.37.67 Johno Benner & Hollie Wynyard

2022 IMPERATRIZ (AUS) Te Akau Invincible Empress Racing Partnership Filly Michael McNab 1.36.43 Jamie Richards

2023 ROMANCING THE MOON Te Akau Moonstruck Racing Partnership Filly Kozzi Asano 1.37.13 Mark Walker

2024 QUINTESSA Te Akau Awarded Racing Partnership (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis) Filly Opie Bosson 1.35.35 Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson

2022 - Imperatriz

The 2022 Levin Classic saw yet another truly champion galloper of the New Zealand turf crowned when Imperatriz beat home On The Bubbles and I Wish I Win.