Kiwi Victory in G1 Caulfield Stakes  

Kiwi galloper Criterion (NZ) (Sebring) made a victorious return to Australian racing in the A$400,000 Group 1 Ladbrokes Caulfield Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

Criterion (NZ) victorious in the Group 1 Ladbrokes Caulfield Stakes.

Saturday’s event was the final of the four races in the New Zealand Bloodstock Spring WFA Championship, with the overall winner a foregone conclusion before the running of the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes with Mourinho (Oratorio) unsurpassable on 20 points, having won the Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes and the Group 1 Underwood Stakes.

Saturday’s Group 1 Caulfield Stakes winner, the David Hayes and Tom Dabernig trained Criterion, was runner-up in last year’s edition to race rival Fawkner (Reset). Shortly after his runner-up performance, the kiwi galloper finished third in the Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Cup.

The son of Sebring returned to Australia to win the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes in Sydney during the autumn before departing to the United Kingdom, competing with distinction in two Group 1 races.

Criterion is now the winner of four Group 1 races having previously won the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas and the Group 1 Australian Derby last year.

“I think he’s been racing in the Olympics and he’s back in the National Championships now,” commented Hayes. “People just don’t understand how good they are over there.”

Criterion is nominated for the Group 1 William Hill Cox Plate over 2040m which runs on 24 October at Moonee Valley.

“I think he can (win the Cox Plate). We’ve gone into the race fresh and I just said to my wife – 14 more sleeps,” adds Hayes.

Ridden by ex-pat kiwi jockey Michael Walker, Criterion settled in second last positon in the early stages, after jumping from barrier 7. Turning for home, Walker and Criterion made their move in the centre of the track, racing ahead with Happy Trails (Good Journey) on his inside as the pair drew clear in the final stages.

Criterion got the better of Happy Trails and raced to a half-a-length victory with NZB Ready to Run Sale graduate Mongolian Khan (Holy Roman Emperor) running on strongly for third as he heads towards this weekend’s Group 1 Caulfield Cup.

Raced by Sir Owen Glenn, the five-year-old entire’s exceptional racing career has earned him A$6,352,687 in prizemoney, winning seven of his 30 starts.

This was the fifth year New Zealand Bloodstock has partnered with Melbourne Racing Club for the Spring WFA Championship with Mourinho joining previous Championship winners Foreteller, Atlantic Jewel, Ocean Park (NZ) and Lights of Heaven (NZ).

Winning two of the four legs gave Mourinho an early lead in the Championship, heading the final leaderboard with 20 points. The Cleaner finished second in the Championship with 14 points, ahead of Boban, Criterion and Mongolian Khan, all finishing with 10 points each.

To view the final points table for New Zealand Bloodstock’s Caulfield Weight-for-Age Championship, click here.