Mudgway Stakes
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| Group I race | |
|---|---|
| Mudgway Stakes | |
 |
|
| Location | Hastings Racecourse Hawke's Bay, New Zealand |
| Inaugurated | 1991 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website | Hawke's Bay Racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1400m (7 furlongs) |
| Track | Grass, left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds and up |
| Weight | Weight for Age |
| Purse | NZ$250,000 |
The Mudgway Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run at Hastings Racecourse in Hawke's Bay and is New Zealand's first Group One race of the season. It is run over a distance of 1400m on the first Saturday in September.
The race's timing, weight-for-age conditions and the reliably dry weather of the region at that time of the year combine to ensure that the race sees one of the strongest fields assembled in any race all season as a number of horses heading towards a campaign in Australia choose it as a starting point.
As a result, the winners list for the last few years is extraordinarily strong for a New Zealand race. Included among the winners are champion mare Sunline, the brilliant Xcellent and Australian visitor and subsequent European Group 1 winner Starcraft. Seachange is the only dual winner of the race.
As hard as it is to believe by looking at the winners list, the race was only given Group 2 status until 2003, when Miss Potential took out the first Group 1 running of the race.
The race is often used by Kelt Capital Stakes contenders, with that race being run a month later over 2040m. Along with the 1600m Stoney Bridge Stakes, these races form the Hawkes Bay Triple Crown.
[edit] Winners of the Mudgway Stakes
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Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (October 2007) |
| Year |
Winner |
| 2007 | Seachange |
| 2006 | Seachange |
| 2005 | Xcellent |
| 2004 | Starcraft |
| 2003 | Miss Potential |
| 2002 | Sunline |
| 2001 | Fritz |
| 2000 | Cent Home |
| 1999 | Hero |
| 1998 | Batavian |
| 1997 | Pakaraka Star |
| 1996 | Vialli |
| 1995 | Marconee |
| 1994 | Snap |
| 1993 | Calm Habour |
| 1992 | Surfers Paradise |
| 1991 | Rough Habit |
