Wellington Racing Club announce new stakes schedule

Press, 6 August 1987, Page 37

Wellington Racing Club announce new stakes schedule

PA Wellington The Wellington Racing Club has announced a new minimum stakes schedule for its Group and listed races for the new season.

This policy, which determines a minimum total stake for each type of race, was confirmed at the club’s monthly meeting of stewards. All Group One races will be for a minimum of $lOO,OOO, all Group Two races will be for a minimum of $60,000 and Group Three races for a minimum of $50,000. The minimum stake for listed races will be $25,000.

At the same time the WRC was able to confirm the stakes for a number of its feature races through the major October, January and March meetings. Wellington currently stages six Group One races and so far as the major events are concerned the main increase comes in the classic race, the New Zealand Oaks. Last year the race was worth $120,000; this time, $200,000.

The St Leger, currently without a sponsor, also gets a decent stakes rise. It goes from $lOO,OOO to $125,000.

The stake for the Foster’s Wellington Cup has been confirmed at $300,000, a figure announced some time ago. Last year the two-mile feature was worth $250,000 and according to the club secretary, Mr Brian Guthrie, the stake will not alter.

The other three Group One races at Trentham carry stakes that remain unchanged. The Wrightsons and the Jarden in January and the DB 1600 in March will each be worth $lOO,OOO. The first real sign of the changes will come in October when the spring meeting is held. Two Group Two races benefit and they are the three-year-old contests, the Desert Gold Stakes and the Wellington Guineas. Worth $40,000 last year, the Desert Gold goes up $20,000 to $60,000. That, as well, will be the stake for the Wellington Guineas (last year $45,000).

Three stakes races, the Wellesley Stakes for two-year-olds, the Pearce Handicap and the Wellington Handicap will also benefit in October.

The Wellesley, for two-year-olds is up from $lO,OOO to $25,000, while the Pearce (1600 m and the Wellington Handicap (2200 m both rise $5OOO to $25,000. Other significant stakes movements have been confirmed for the January meeting. The Group Two Evergreen Lodge Stake goes up by $lO,OOO to the $60,000 base figure. Two Group Three races also get substantial increases. The weight-for-age Trentham Stakes (Group Three) is up $15,000 to $75,000 and the Group Three Wellington Stakes goes from $30,000 to $50,000.

Of the Stakes races, The Terrace Regency remains at $25,000, but the Anniversary Mile is up $lO,OOO to $25,000 and the Summer Handicap on Anniversary Day goes up $5OOO to the $25,000 base figure. 1 In March, the Group l Three Sovereign Lodge

Wakefield Stakes is up $5OOO to $70,000 while the Thompson Handicap (Group Three) rises from $37,500 to $50,000. The mile is the lead-up to the DB 1600. The listed staying races at the meeting, the UDC and the Chalmers, at this stage remain at $35,000. Two races at the May meeting will get increases — the Gloaming Stakes will go from $15,000 to $25,000 while the Cuddle Stakes (Group Three) goes up $lO,OOO to $50,000.

At this stage the stakes for the winter meetings remain the same. The Parliamentary ($30,000) and the Whyte ($40,000) are listed races which remain unchanged. So do the feature jumping races, the Wellington Steeplechase ($75,000) and the Wellington Hurdles ($25,000), but those last two events have not yet come under serious review.

The new grading policy is expected to be an ongoing affair, Mr Guthrie said. Some of the events could be subject to further stakes reviews, he added.