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HORSE RACING · NEW ZEALAND · 9 RACES

Ellerslie Racecourse prize money

9 races at Ellerslie put up £2.7m between them. The New Zealand Derby leads on £551,125, 20% of everything the course puts up.

Ellerslie is 24th of the 34 racecourses on this site, and the richest in New Zealand. The average race here is worth £301,772.

TOTAL PRIZE MONEY £2.7m
RICHEST RACE £551k
RACES 9
GROUP 1 RACES 5
RANK IN NEW ZEALAND 1st

Every race at Ellerslie

By prize money

Paid in NZD

Every race, ranked

9 races, biggest purse first

# Race Grade Prize money Share As published
1 New Zealand Derby 2,400 metres (12 furlongs) Group 1 £551,125 20.3% NZ$1,250,000
2 Aotearoa Classic 1,600 metres (8 furlongs) Group 3 £458,536 16.9% NZ$1,040,000
3 Karaka Million 1200m (2YO) 1600m (3YO) Restricted Listed £440,900 16.2% NZ$1,000,000
4 New Zealand Oaks 2400 m (12 furlongs) Group 1 £440,900 16.2% NZ$1,000,000
5 Railway Stakes 1200m (6 furlongs) Group 1 £308,630 11.4% NZ$700,000
6 Zabeel Classic 2000m/2050m Group 1 £220,450 8.1% NZ$500,000
7 Proisir Plate 1400m (7 furlongs) Group 1 £176,360 6.5% NZ$400,000
8 Easter Handicap 1600m (1 miles) Group 3 £66,135 2.4% NZ$150,000
9 Championship Stakes 2100m (10.5 furlongs) Group 3 £52,908 1.9% NZ$120,000

The oldest race here is the Easter Handicap, with winners recorded from 1965. The newest is the Aotearoa Classic, first won in 2024. Every one of them is a flat race.

How the money splits by grade

The 9 races at Ellerslie, by the grade each is run at

Grade Races Prize money Share Richest
Group 1 5 £1,697,465£1.7m 63% New Zealand Derby
Group 3 3 £577,579 21% Aotearoa Classic
Other races 1 £440,900 16% Karaka Million

Group 1 races are 56% of the races at Ellerslie and 63% of the money. The average Group 1 race here is worth £339,493, against £301,772 across the course.

Where Ellerslie stands in New Zealand

The richest racecourses in New Zealand, by what their races put up

# Racecourse Races Prize money
1 Ellerslie Racecourse 8 £2,257,408£2.3m
2 Trentham Racecourse 6 £1,256,565£1.3m
3 Addington Raceway 5 £925,890
4 Riccarton Park Racecourse 5 £903,845
5 Hastings Racecourse 3 £496,013
6 Awapuni Racecourse 2 £330,675
7 Alexandra Park 4 £290,994
8 Te Aroha 2 £154,315

Ellerslie holds 41% of the prize money in the 35 races we hold for New Zealand.

Racecourses worth about the same

The courses either side of Ellerslie in the money order, anywhere in the world

Who wins at Ellerslie

Winning rides across every year of the 9 races here

# Jockey Wins Races Span
1 Opie Bosson 25 9 2000 to 2026
2 Vincent Colgan 16 6 1992 to 2024
3 Lance O'Sullivan 13 5 1985 to 2003
4 Leith Innes 12 7 2005 to 2022
5 Grant Cooksley 9 4 1983 to 2017
6 James McDonald 9 5 2009 to 2024
7 Michael Coleman 9 5 1987 to 2018
8 Greg Childs 8 4 1982 to 2003
9 Craig Grylls 7 5 2008 to 2025
10 Warren Kennedy 7 5 2022 to 2025

The trainers

Winners saddled across the same races

# Trainer Wins Races Span
1 Dave & Paul O'Sullivan, Matamata 11 4 1985 to 1998
2 Roger James 7 3 1995 to 2016
3 Roger James & Robert Wellwood 7 5 2020 to 2026
4 Stephen Marsh 7 4 2013 to 2026
5 Lance O'Sullivan & Andrew Scott 6 4 2021 to 2026
6 Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman 6 4 2014 to 2021
7 Jamie Richards 6 1 2019 to 2022
8 Jamie Richards, Matamata 6 3 2018 to 2022
9 Ray Verner, Takanini 6 4 1974 to 1987
10 Tony Pike 5 3 2016 to 2023

The horses that won here more than once

Wins across the 9 races at Ellerslie

# Horse Wins Span Biggest win
1 Kawi 59 3 2015 to 2016 Zabeel Classic
2 Orchestral 2 2024 New Zealand Derby
3 Veyron 59 2 2012 Zabeel Classic

Frequently asked questions

What is the richest race at Ellerslie?

The New Zealand Derby, at £551,125. It is 20% of the prize money in the 9 races here and the 127th richest race in the world.

How much prize money is there at Ellerslie?

£2,715,944 across the 9 races on this site that are run there, an average of £301,772 a race.

Which is the richest racecourse in New Zealand?

Ellerslie. Its races put up £2,715,944, 41% of the prize money we hold for New Zealand.

How many Group 1 races are run at Ellerslie?

Five, worth £1,697,465 between them. That is 63% of the course's prize money from 56% of its races.

Which horse has won the most big races at Ellerslie?

Kawi 59, with 3 wins across two of these races between 2015 and 2016.

Which jockey has won the most big races at Ellerslie?

Opie Bosson, with 25 winning rides across nine of these races between 2000 and 2026.

Where to next

Every racecourse, and the rest of the racing money