Championship Stakes


The Championship Stakes, run at Ellerslie Racecourse, is a Group 2 horse race run for three-year-olds at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand.
When the New Zealand Derby was moved from December to March in the 2005-06 season, the race was set up to be run on the second Saturday in February as the main-lead-up race, two weeks before the Derby. Before this the race had been restricted to fillies only. However, in 2011 the race was moved New Year's Day, with the Avondale Guineas moving to Ellerslie and taking the February date.
The race currently known as the Valachi Downs Championship Stakes, is now raced in April.
Both the first two winners of the race went on to win the Derby, and the 2009 and 2010 Derby winners contested the race. The 2011 running only provided two outsiders in the Derby, before both the 2012 and 2013 winners went on to win the Derby.

Winners of the Championship Stakes

Footnotes