Levin Classic
Levin Classic NZ
Group One Betting Guide
| Date: | Saturday, January 11, 2025 |
| Location: | Trentham Racecourse |
| Prize Money: | $450,000 |
| Distance: | 1600m |
The Group 1 Levin Turf Classic is one of New Zealand’s premier thoroughbred races.
Having previously been held at Levin or Otaki on the last Friday in November, the 1600m set-weights feature for three-year-olds was transferred to Trentham in 2014 and is now run alongside the Telegraph Handicap in mid-January.
Amongst the list of winners of the Levin Turf Classic is the legendary Bonecrusher, who took out the race in 1985.
2025 Levin Classic betting odds
Markets for the 2025 Levin Classic are currently unavailable.
Best bookmakers for Levin Classic betting
All regulated online bookmakers in Australia and New Zealand will offer odds on the Group 1 Levin Classic, but only a few of them will run futures betting on the race.
The following bookmakers will have form and markets for the Levin Classic:
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Latest Levin Classic news
Te Akau Racing’s dominance of the Group 1 Levin Classic continued at Trentham on Saturday with Quintessa clinging on in ...
A bumper contingent of 29 entries this weekend for Te Akau Racing includes three-pronged attacks on a pair of races ...
Mary Shan is due to go one better and claim a black-type title and the gifted filly is heavily favoured ...
Roger James is hoping for a repeat performance from Zabmanzor in the Central Districts, when the colt contests Saturday’s Group ...
Impendabelle came so close to picking up a maiden Group One in November, and Tony Pike is hoping the filly ...
Exciting filly Orchestral was on song at Pukekohe on New Year’s Day when downing a quality, including last start vanquisher ...
2025 Levin Classic Final Field
HorseBetting will update this page when the 2025 Levin Classic final field is released.
Previous Levin Classic Fields
No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight 1 Trobriand Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson Matthew Cameron 1 57kg 2 Zabmanzor Roger James & Robert Wellwood Masa Hashizume 3 57kg 3 Just As Sharp Team Rogerson Ryan Elliot 12 57kg 4 GeriatrixLance O’Sullivan & Andrew ScottVinnie Colgan1357kg5 Sinhaman Stephen Marsh Sam Weatherley 9 57kg 6 Double Vision Stephen Marsh Joe Doyle 4 57kg 7 Leroy Brown Stephen Ralph Kelly Myers 14 57kg 8 Impendabelle Tony Pike Michael McNab 2 55kg 9 Mary Shan Andrew Forsman Craig Grylls 11 55kg 10 Quintessa Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson Opie Bosson 5 55kg 11 Chantilly Lace Chrissy Bambry Lily Sutherland 7 55kg 12 Lady Sass Kelvin Tyler Leah Hemi 8 55kg 13 Certainly Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson Warren Kennedy 10 55kg 14 Nikaia Stephen Marsh Kozzi Asano 6 55kg
2024 Levin Classic result
1st – Quintessa (+170)
2nd – Zabmanzor (+200)
3rd – Impendabelle (+100)
Recent Levin Classic winners
- Te Akau Racing’s dominance of the Group 1 Levin Classic (1600m) continued at Trentham on Saturday with Quintessa clinging on in an unforgettable finish. Those familiar tangerine colours have towered over the $500,000 three-year-old feature in recent times, collecting five wins since 2017 including all of the last three in a row. Quintessa started as a $2.70 favourite and brought impeccable form into the race. She won all of her first three starts including the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings in September, then returned from a spring freshen-up with strong-finishing seconds behind Pendragon in the Wentwood Grange 3YO (1200m) and the Group 2 Auckland Guineas (1400m). The Shamus Award filly stepped up to 1600m for the first time on Saturday and produced another exceptional performance to prevail in one of the Levin Classic’s tightest finishes. Quintessa took up a perfect position in sixth spot, with rider Opie Bosson keeping a close eye on the second favourite Mary Shan (third) and third favourite Impendabelle (fifth). Michael McNab pushed the button on Impendabelle and pounced at the top of the straight, with Bosson and Quintessa following them every step of the way. Quintessa quickened smartly and thrust her head in front with more than 200m remaining, but her job was far from over. Mary Shan, Impendabelle and Leroy Brown kept fighting for all they were worth on her inside, while Zabmanzor, Sinhaman and Certainly charged home wider out on the track. In a blanket finish with only three-quarters of a length separating the first six, it was Quintessa who dug deepest of all and snatched a thrilling win.
- The decision to move the Group 1 Levin Classic (1600m) to March has worked wonders for Te Akau Racing, who dominated the race for the second year in a row at Trentham – headed by an off-the-canvas victory by Romancing The Moon. Staged in November until 2012, the Levin Classic then spent a decade in a midsummer slot as part of Trentham’s Wellington Cup Carnival in January. But it was shifted to March last year to provide a late-season target for three-year-olds who might be unsuited to the 2400m of the Derby or Oaks. Last year’s inaugural running of the autumn Levin Classic was a tour de force by Te Akau Racing, with former trainer Jamie Richards saddling Imperatriz, On The Bubbles, I Wish I Win and Mohawk Brave for a clean sweep of the first four placings. Richards has since relocated to Hong Kong and relinquished his Te Akau role, which has been taken over by another multiple premiership winner in Mark Walker. But the more things change, the more they stay the same. Walker’s two starters in this year’s Levin Classic were Romancing The Moon and Skew Wiff, and they stood tall among a well-credentialled field to finish first and second. Romancing The Moon used up plenty of petrol in the early stages of the race, sliding forward to trail a strong pace set by the front-running Alfriston. Left all alone out in front when Alfriston tired at the top of the straight, Romancing The Moon was soon tackled and clearly headed by her stablemate Skew Wiff. Romancing The Moon looked beaten but somehow lifted again, clawing back level with Skew Wiff and then edging ahead through the final stages to score by a length and a half.
- Jamie Richards’ relentless dominance of New Zealand racing keeps rolling on into his final few weeks on these shores, saddling all of the first four placegetters in the 2022 Levin Classic (1600m) at Trentham – the second time he has achieved that remarkable feat in the 2021/22 season alone. Richards had five runners in Saturday’s three-year-old feature and dominated the finish with Imperatriz, On The Bubbles, I Wish I Win and Mohawk Brave. Imperatriz had also featured in Richards’ previous Group One first-four, chasing home stablemates The Perfect Pink, Shepherd’s Delight and Belle En Rouge in the New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November. But on Saturday she was the undisputed star of the show. Rated a $2.00 favourite after a breath-taking five-length romp against older mares in last month’s Lisa Chittick Plate (1400m) at Matamata, the I Am Invincible filly’s dark coat sparkled in the sun during Saturday’s pre-race parade, and she produced a performance to match on the track. Having settled in fourth spot and one off the rail behind a moderate tempo set by Miss Ella and Blissful Belle, Imperatriz ambled up alongside that pair under a firm hold from rider Michael McNab at the top of the straight. McNab released the brakes with 300 metres to run and Imperatriz exploded clear. Stablemates On The Bubbles and I Wish I Win chased hard on either side of her and made her work for the win, but the favourite kept finding all the way to the finish and scored by three-quarters of a length.
- Talented three-year-old Bonham showed she is a filly of the highest quality when winning the Group 1 Levin Classic and in the process knocked off the $1.80 favourite Brando. The filly was made to earn her victory the hard way having travelled wide without cover for the majority of the race having jumped from a wide barrier. Taken forward by rider Lisa Allpress to challenge for the lead rounding the home bend, Bonham kicked clear early in the straight before holding out the late charge of Brando to capture her fourth win from just five starts for owner Gary Harding.
- Ben Foote became a Group 1 winning trainer when his three-year-old filly Travelling Light knocked off her male rivals in the Levin Classic. The former jumps jockey now trainer worked closely with jockey Samantha Collett to conjure up a plan to help bring home Group 1 glory which seemingly worked to perfection. Collett had Travelling Light back on the fence on a muddling speed before tracking up behind race favourite Harlech approaching the home bend. Harlech took over with 300m to run and looked to be travelling comfortably but Collett was biding her time on Travelling Light who pounced and went on to win by a length.
- Having taken out the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas, the Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman-trained Madison County became a dual Group 1 winner when taking out the Levin Classic. Carrying the familiar colours of the China Horse Club, Madison County was sent out the short-priced favourite and punters were on good terms with themselves as rider Matt Cameron settled his him midfield on the rail. Although saving ground on the fence, Madison County became trapped behind horses coming into the straight until Cameron found clear running at the 250m and Madison County sprinted away from Hypnos and Vernanme, who dead-heated for second.
- Having jumped as the New Zealand Derby favourite, the Jamie Richards & Stephen Autridge-trained Age Of Fire stormed home late to claim victory in the Levin Classic. He need a 10/10 steer from jockey Opie Bosson when finding trouble and needing to settle four pairs back on the fence, but the legendary jockey had him in a winning position when it mattered most. The strapping three-year-old son of Fastnet Rock let down impressively in the straight to account for the fillies Belle Du Nord and Savvy Coup with the longshot Rock On Wood fourth.
- Having returned to New Zealand from Hong Kong in the November, Ope Bosson teamed up with Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards when taking out the 2017 Levin Classic with Hall Of Fame. Hall Of Fame jumped out smartly from barrier one to be handy on the rail, but with around 1000m to run, Bosson took him off the fence to follow Savile Row. Bosson felt Hall Of Fame and Savile Row had over-raced badly in the middle stages due to a lack of pace in the race.
Levin Classic past winners list
| Levin Classic Past Winners | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2024 | Quintessa | Opie Bosson | Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson |
| 2023 | Romancing The Moon | Kozzi Asano | Mark Walker |
| 2022 | Imperatriz | Michael McNab | Jamie Richards |
| 2021 | Bonham | Lisa Allpress | Johno Benner & Hollie Wynyard |
| 2020 | Travelling Light | Samantha Collett | Ben Foote |
| 2019 | Madison County | Matthew Cameron | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman |
| 2018 | Age Of Fire | Opie Bosson | Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards |
| 2017 | Hall Of Fame | Opie Bosson | Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards |
| 2016 | Dukedom | Lisa Allpress | Steven Cole |
| 2015 | Gaultier | Michael Coleman | Danica Guy |
| 2014 | Recite | Mark Du Plessis | John Bary |
| 2013 | Race Not Held | ||
| 2012 | Southern Lord | Kelly Myers | Alan Tait |
| 2011 | Distill | Robert Hannam | Roydon Bergerson |
| 2010 | We Can Say It Now | Leith Innes | Murray & Bjorn Baker |
| 2009 | Eileen Dubh | Jonathan Riddell | Francis Finnegan |
| 2008 | Altered Image | Michael Coleman | Mike & Paul Moroney |
| 2007 | Keepa Crusin | Leith Innes | Stephen McKee |
| 2006 | Porotene Gem | David Walker | Kevin Gray |
| 2005 | Wahid | Hayden Tinsley | Allan Sharrock |
| 2004 | Ambitious Owner | Leith Innes | Murray Baker |
| 2003 | Russian Pearl | Hayden Tinsley | Bruce & Stephen Marsh |
| 2002 | Bunker | Opie Bosson | Trevor & Stephen McKee |
| 2001 | Final Destination | Gary Grylls | Vannessa Hillis |
| 2000 | Tit For Taat | Hayden Tinsley | Wayne Herbert |
Levin Classic winners pre-2000
| Levin Classic Past Winners Pre-2000 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Horse | ||
| 1999 | Buzz Lightyear | ||
| 1998 | Tobruk | ||
| 1997 | Love De Tor | ||
| 1996 | O’Reilly | ||
| 1995 | Prussian Blue | ||
| 1994 | Avedon | ||
| 1993 | Al Akbar | ||
| 1992 | Nimue | ||
| 1991 | Veandercross | ||
| 1990 | Eagle Eye | ||
| 1989 | Phillipa Rush | ||
| 1988 | Krona | ||
| 1987 | Young Indian | ||
| 1986 | The Bishop | ||
| 1985 | Bonecrusher | ||
| 1984 | Princess Dram | ||
| 1983 | Burletta | ||
| 1982 | Our Flight | ||
| 1981 | Altitude | ||
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