| Location | Otaki Racecourse Otaki, New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1981 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website | Levin Racing Club |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1600m (1 mile) |
| Track | Turf, left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds |
| Weight | Set-Weights |
| Purse | NZ$240,000 |
The Group One Levin Classic - formerly the Bayer Classic - is one of the premier races for three year old thoroughreds in New Zealand.
The Classic is run each year on the last Friday in November and attracts a large crowd from all around the country.
The race, first run under the name Levin Turf Classic, was originally run at Levin Racecourse until that facility was closed as a racing venue in 1990 and the race was transferred to nearby Otaki.
For more than a decade the race was sponsored by Bayer, a name by which many people still know the race.
Among the most famous winners are Bonecrusher, Veandercross, O'Reilly, Russian Pearl and Wahid.
| Year |
Winner |
Jockey |
Trainer |
| 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 Cruisin | 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 | B & S Marsh |
| 2002 | Bunker | Opie Bosson | T & S McKee |
| 2001 | Final Destination | Gary Grylls | Vannessa Hillis |
| 2000 | Tit For Taat | Hayden Tinsley | Wayne Herbert |
| 1999 | Buzz Lightyear | Opie Bosson | Robert Priscott |
| 1998 | Tobruk | Leith Innes | Graham Richardson |
| 1997 | Love De Tor | Greg Childs | Mike Moroney |
| 1996 | O'Reilly | Lance O'Sullivan | D & P O'Sullivan |
| 1995 | Prussian Blue | Shane Udy | Davina Waddell |
| 1994 | Avedon | Darryl Bradley | Patrick Campbell |
| 1993 | Al Akbar | Gary Grylls | Chris Wood |
| 1992 | Nimue | Lance O'Sullivan | D & P O'Sullivan |
| 1991 | Veandercross | Jim Walker | Chris Turner |
| 1990 | Eagle Eye | Noel Harris | Murray Baker |
| 1989 | Phillipa Rush | Lance O'Sullivan | Jim Campin |
| 1988 | Krona | Peter Tims | Roger McGlade |
| 1987 | Young Indian | Peter Tims | N Morgan |
| 1986 | The Bishop | Maree Lyndon | Don Couchman |
| 1985 | Bonecrusher | Jim Cassidy | Frank Ritchie |
| 1984 | Princess Dram | Maree Lyndon | Neil Bradley |
| 1983 | Burletta | Jim Cassidy | Patrick Campbell |
| 1982 | Our Flight | M Campbell | Errol Skelton |
| 1981 | Altitude | Stephen Autridge | Bill Ford |