Caulfield Guineas placegetter Evaporate will represent Entain New Zealand in its TAB slot for the NZB Kiwi.
A winner of four races from 10 starts and a runner in last year’s Cox Plate, Evaporate will add a trans-Tasman edge to the $NZ3.5 million feature at Ellerslie on March 8.
The slot race will be the feature attraction for the first edition of Champions Day and Evaporate is the fourth confirmed runner in the southern hemisphere’s richest race for three-year-olds.
He joins Damask Rose (Te Akau Racing), Domain Ace (Canterbury Jockey Club) and Sought After (Waikato Stud) to fill slots as NZB Kiwi runners.
Confirmation of Evaporate’s NZB Kiwi inclusion prompted Entain-owned Australian betting operator Ladbrokes to post the Stutt Stakes winner as an $8 equal favourite with Damask Rose and Savaglee.
A son of Little Avondale Stud sire Per Incanto, Evaporate cost $330,000 at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
He races in the silks of Frank and Christine Cook and emerged as a serious talent during the Melbourne spring carnival, bringing up four successive wins before finishing third to Private Life in the Caulfield Guineas.
Evaporate hasn’t raced since finishing down the course in Via Sistina’s Cox Plate but is expected to have a barrier trial in late January ahead of one Australian lead-up start.
"We’ve searched through the history books and to have a placegetter in the Caulfield Guineas – a race that is one of the best three-year-old races on the Australian calendar and famous for launching stallion careers – head across the Tasman is a fantastic coup for the inaugural running of The NZB Kiwi,” Entain managing director – New Zealand, Cameron Rodger said.
“Evaporate is a shining example of the New Zealand thoroughbred being bred and foaled at the famous Little Avondale Stud on the outskirts of Masterton.
“He’s already proven himself on the Australian stage, and we’re thrilled to have him back for such a massive day in New Zealand racing history.”
Evaporate will provide the Hayes brothers - Ben, Will and JD - with an opportunity to showcase their Lindsay Park operation in New Zealand.
"It’s an honour to be part of the first-ever running of The NZB Kiwi and we think we’ve got a very talented 3-year-old to give this race a shake,” JD Hayes said.
“He was tremendous during the spring and has all the credentials to be a major player over the 1500m, which is in the same distance range as the Caulfield Guineas.
“While he certainly is Kiwi-bred, we’re proud to be adding some trans-Tasman flavour to this brand-new race.”
To be eligible for the race, horses either have to be New Zealand-bred or have been sold through a New Zealand Bloodstock Sale.
The 2026 race will be worth $NZ4 million before increasing to $NZ4.5 million in 2027.
A field of 14 will line up in this year’s race, with nine slots auctioned last year fetching more than $NZ6 million.
