They’re done cooling their fetlocks for the so‑called summer! The Autumn Classic Racing Calendar is set and the next generation of kiwi standardbred superstars are ready for action March through May!
They’re done cooling their fetlocks for the so‑called summer!
The Autumn Classic Racing Calendar is set and the next generation of kiwi standardbred superstars are ready for action March through May as part of a new look harness racing carnival!
The incoming Northern Lights Carnival from March until May 2026 is a fresh focus and rejig to a schedule of feature racing aiming to increase awareness and heart rates for elite harness racing in New Zealand this Autumn.
There are 29 group or listed races and $4.6 million in feature stakes locked in for the three-month stretch as the sport endeavors to secure its future and cement foundations as the world’s strongest jurisdiction for harness racing.
With a successful 2025 cup carnival and another encouraging summertime circuit in the bin, the lucrative Autumn schedule has been revamped and replenished with positive gains and outcomes wanted and needed to reflect the efforts and resources injected to amplify and illuminate this first section of the new racing year.
The New Zealand Sires Stakes board is hoping for continued momentum from some successful signs this time last year and anticipating the same from the newly minted Northern Lights Carnival to settle some uncertainty going forward.
Sires’ Stakes Executive Martin Pierson thinks fans could be forgiven for struggling to keep up with the tweaks and fine tuning since the birthday date change from August 1 to January 1 three seasons back.
“On the face of it you’d think changing a racehorses birthday date wouldn’t be that complicated but even after the adoption and adaptation here we are as an industry still working through solutions with this perennial project” muses Pierson.
“The schedule is improving the landscape all the time and the groups designing and putting these ideas and strategies in play are getting results for their efforts but there are challenges that remain and the Northern scene is identified as one of them.”
The Northern Lights refresh is about building momentum. Its focus is creating stronger racecards, fuller fields and better betting numbers combining to deliver tangible, measurable improvements that ultimately benefit the sport as a whole.
The line up and steady flow of feature races and stake monies associated should add up to success in theory, but Pierson says we’ll have a real idea about June.
“You can’t deny the quality of horses and stables heading to Auckland and Waikato targeting these races and meetings. Scroll through the results from last year and you see and remember those contests very quickly.”
For him, the Sires’ Stakes Fillies Semi Final was a highlight on the Night of Champions at Cambridge.
“They went fast and raced hard in wet conditions and the result was unexpected which gave us an insight into that age group for the rest of the year when you look back. Then of course Leap To Fame's win on the night was a ‘best race ever’ for many” recalls Pierson, hoping those memories will hold and help enhance the months ahead.
For its part the New Zealand Sires’ Stakes has 17 races it adjudicates through this three-month feature race season for $1.515 million in stakes!
Here’s the Sires’ Stakes Schedule in anticipation of an exciting and prosperous Autumn of Harness Racing ahead.
• Fri, 13 Mar • 2200m • $70,000 Last year Beside Me cruised to victory with an ominous authority. Her sister All Of Me, the Dunstan Sires’ Stakes Two-Year-Old Filly Series Champion from the Spring, is giving the same vibes this year.
• Fri, 20 Mar • 2200m • $200,000 We didn’t know it then but last year there was a glimpse of the game changing rivalry we are witnessing and wanting more of this year. Marketplace first, Got The Chocolates second! This March, Jumal will look to fend off his own worthy challengers (Freezeframe, Allamericanplayer) and confirm his potential greatness.
• Fri, 20 Mar • 2200m • $150,000 Last year a nose separated Stonewalls Stella Rouge and Cullen Racings Arafura. It was a heads up for the three-year-old fillies clashes ahead! The new wave of sales ring standouts from stables across the country are heading to the big smoke for the big money!
• Fri, 20 Mar • 2200m • $50,000
And Then...
Semi‑Finals Season – Waikato & Christchurch
Magness Benrow Sires Stakes 3YO Fillies Pacing Semi Final 1 • Waikato BOP • Fri, 10 Apr • 1700m • $50,000
Garrard’s Sires Stakes 3YO C & G Pacing Semi Final 1 • Waikato BOP • Fri, 10 Apr • 1700m • $50,000
IRT Sires Stakes 3YO Trotters Semi Final • Waikato BOP • Fri, 10 Apr • 2200m • $50,000
Future Wealth Aged Trotters Classic (Listed) • NZ Metro • Fri, 17 Apr • 2600m • $50,000
Magness Benrow Sires Stakes 3YO Fillies Pacing Semi Final 2 • NZ Metro • Fri, 17 Apr • 1980m • $50,000
NZB Standardbred Harness Million 6 – 3YO Trotters (Listed) • Auckland • Fri, 24 Apr • 2200m • $75,000
Championship Month – Finals Across the Grades
IRT Sires Stakes 3YO Trotters Championship (G1) • Auckland • Fri, 1 May • 2200m • $120,000
Magness Benrow Sires Stakes 3YO Fillies Pacing Final (G1) • Auckland • Fri, 8 May • 2200m • $200,000
Garrard’s Sires Stakes 3YO Pacing Colts and Geldings Semi Final 2 • NZ Metro • Fri, 15 May • 1980m • $50,000
Uncut Gems Trotters Classic (Listed) • NZ Metro • Fri, 15 May • 2600m • $50,000
Beta Vet Uncut Gems Entire and Geldings Pacing Classic (Listed) • NZ Metro • Fri, 15 May • 1980m • $50,000
Uncut Gems Pacing Mares Classic (Listed) • NZ Metro • Fri, 15 May • 1980m • $50,000
Garrard’s Sires Stakes 3YO Colts and Geldings Pacing Final (G1) • NZ Metro • Fri, 22 May • 1980m • $200,000
