Jericho Cup Spot Up for Grabs in Riccarton’s NZB Airfreight Road to Jericho
24 October 2025
Six weeks after the North Island’s qualifying race for the A$300,000 Jericho Cup (4600m) was run at New Plymouth, the South Islanders get their opportunity in Saturday’s $50,000 NZB Airfreight Road to Jericho (3000m) at Riccarton.
There are two races run in New Zealand every spring that offer the winner guaranteed entry into the Jericho Cup, which will be run at Warrnambool on November 30. Sponsors NZB Airfreight also provide a $5,000 equine airfreight credit for the winner of each qualifying race, should they decide to travel across the Tasman and contest the Jericho Cup.
The first New Zealand qualifying race was New Plymouth’s NZB Airfreight Road to Jericho (3210m), which was won impressively by Yolo (NZ) (Zed). That seven-race winner and $192,000 earner is also in the line-up for Saturday’s race at Riccarton, seeking a slice of history as the first horse to ever win both of New Zealand’s Jericho Cup qualifying races in the same season.
Yolo also ran third in last year’s edition of this race at Riccarton, with Noble Knight (NZ) (Ghibellines) finishing in front of her second. Both of that pair return for a rematch on Saturday, joined by 11 others in a talented and highly competitive field of Rating 82 stayers.
The Jericho Cup was inaugurated in 2018 and is open to Australian and New Zealand-bred horses only, commemorating the light horse involvement in World War I and run on the fourth Sunday after the Group One Melbourne Cup (3200m). The original Jericho Cup was run in 1918 over three miles through desert sands. Its 100th anniversary was marked with the introduction of the modern Jericho Cup seven years ago.
The New Zealand influence on the Jericho Cup has quickly taken hold, with six of the first seven winners bred on this side of the Tasman – High Mode (NZ) (Redwood), Ablaze (NZ) (Raise the Flag), Count Zero (NZ) (Zed), Bastida (NZ) (Pierro), Nassak Diamond (NZ) (Roc De Cambes) and last year’s winner Farag (NZ) (Sacred Falls).
The NZB Airfreight Road to Jericho will be run as Race 7 at Riccarton on Saturday, with a scheduled start time of 2.48pm.
| # | HORSE | DRAW | COMMENTS | SALE | PURCHASER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noble Knight | 7 | The $22,500 that Sandy Cunningham paid to buy Noble Knight (NZ) (Ghibellines) from the 2019 South Island Sale has been turned into $305,974 in a 53-start career. The gelding has won seven of those races, finished second on another 13 occasions and has also picked up seven third placings. He has won three times at this Riccarton course, and his one previous attempt at the 3000-metre distance was a second placing in this race last year. | 2019 South Island Sale | SJ Cunningham, $22,500 |
| 2 | I'm A Dirty Rascal | 1 | The most well-travelled horse in this race is undoubtedly I'm A Dirty Rascal (Galileo) who was born in Ireland and had his first eight starts either there or in the UK. He was a four-length maiden winner over 2500 metres at Limerick and later finished fourth in the Group One Irish St Leger (2800m). I'm A Dirty Rascal's next 14 starts were in Australia, where he finished fourth in the Listed Christmas Cup (2400m) and sixth in the Group Three Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m), Group Three Bendigo Cup (2400m) and Listed RM Ansett Stakes (2400m). Now owned by Te Akau Racing, I'm A Dirty Rascal caught the eye with an unlucky ninth in the Group Two Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie in March. He holds a nomination for next month's Group Three New Zealand Cup (3200m) at Riccarton. | ||
| 3 | Koyama | 12 | Koyama (NZ) (Almanzor) is trained at Timaru by nonagenarian Leonard Stewart in partnership with his granddaughter Lacy. From a 32-start career, Koyama has recorded six wins and two placings and has earned $97,695. | Karaka 2022, Book 2 | Wexford Stables, $110,000 |
| 4 | Moussaieff | 10 | Passed in during the 2020 South Island Sale with a reserve of only $15,000, Moussaieff (NZ) (Redwood) has earned $96,990 from a 15-start career that has produced four wins and five placings. The seven-year-old heads into Saturday's race on the back of solid third placings in open handicaps in his two most recent starts. | 2020 South Island Sale | Psd, Res $15,000 |
| 5 | Star Ballot | 3 | Co-trainer Michael Pitman paid $45,000 to buy Star Ballot (NZ) (Tarzino) from the 2020 Ready to Run Sale. He has had 49 starts for seven wins, 10 placings and $209,310 in stakes. He has won up to 2600 metres. | 2020 Ready to Run Sale | MR Pitman, $45,000 |
| 6 | Yolo | 2 | Yolo (NZ) (Zed) has already earned a golden ticket into the Jericho Cup with her four-length romp in the NZB Airfreight Road to Jericho (3210m) at New Plymouth last month. She lined up in this race last year and finished third behind her stablemate Just Charlie (NZ) (Zed). | ||
| 7 | Malfy Rosa | 11 | Fourth in the Group One New Zealand Oaks (2400m) as a three-year-old, Malfy Rosa (NZ) (Burgundy) has gone on to earn a total of $160,680 from a 43-race career that has produced five wins and three placings. She has won two races over 2600 metres. | ||
| 8 | California Gold | 5 | California Gold (NZ) (Vespa) has had 22 starts for two wins, eight placings and $54,460 in prize-money. He has recorded a win and a placing from only two starts at Riccarton. | ||
| 9 | So Call Me | 13 | Trainer Kevin Myers paid $18,000 to buy So Call Me (NZ) (Sweynesse) from Karaka 2019. The gelding has banked $120,642 in a 42-race career that has featured six wins and eight placings. | Karaka 2019, Book 3 | KT Myers, $18,000 |
| 10 | Tempest Moon | 8 | Tempest Moon (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) is trained by Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray for owner-breeders The Oaks Stud. That same combination teamed up with Nassak Diamond (NZ) (Roc De Cambes) to win the New Plymouth Road to Jericho and Jericho Cup in 2023. Tempest Moon has had 12 starts for a win, three placings and $29,215. | ||
| 11 | Dioressence | 6 | Bought for just $5,000 from the 2021 National Weanling Sale, Dioressence (NZ) (Tivaci) has had 14 starts for a win and two placings and has banked $28,390. | 2021 National Weanling Sale | Dior Farm, $5,000 |
| 12 | Full Of Gusto | 4 | Full Of Gusto (NZ) (Verdi) is a seven-start maiden but was a second placegetter at this venue two starts ago. | ||
| 13 | Wal | 9 | Wal (NZ) (Staphanos) has so far earned $30,905 from a 23-start career that has featured a win and four placings. |