NZB Caulfield Spring WFA Championship Kicks Off
15 August 2018
The Caulfield Spring Weight-For-Age Championship series, sponsored for the eighth time by New Zealand Bloodstock, gets underway this Saturday with the A$200,000 Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m).
The series spans four spring features at Caulfield with combined prizemoney of A$2.95 million. The Lawrence Stakes will be followed by the A$1 million Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) on September 1, the A$750,000 Underwood Stakes (1800m) on September 30 and the A$1 million Caulfield Stakes (2000m) on October 13.
The P.B. Lawrence Stakes has been won by a number of top-class racehorses in recent years, including last year’s NZB Spring Weight-For-Age Championship winner Hartnell (Authorized) and other Group 1-winning stars such as Whobegotyou (Street Cry), Shoot Out (High Chaparral) and Apache Cat (Lion Cavern).
Hartnell is back to defend his title this year, and he will be opposed by Group 1 winners such as Black Heart Bart (Blackfriars), Humidor (NZ) (Teofilo), Boom Time (Flying Spur), Harlem (Champs Elysees) and Karaka graduates Mighty Boss (Not a Single Doubt) and the exciting Grunt (NZ) (O’Reilly).
The P.B. Lawrence Stakes is Race 7 on Saturday with a start time of 4pm (6pm New Zealand time).
The winner of the NZB Caulfield Spring Weight-For-Age Championship will receive trophies to the value of A$15,000.
| # | Horse | Draw | Comments | Trainer | Jockey |
| 1 | Hartnell | 13 | Victory in this race 12 months ago was a stepping stone to the NZB Caulfield Spring WFA Championship title for Hartnell (Authorized), who is back for a repeat result this year. He has won 12 races and more than A$4.8 million. | James Cummings | Craig Williams |
| 2 | Black Heart Bart | 2 | Multiple Group 1 winner Black Heart Bart (Blackfriars) placed in this race last year and finished second on the NZB Caulfield Spring WFA Championship table. He resumed with a fourth in the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) on July 28. | Darren Weir | |
| 3 | Humidor | 1 | Expat New Zealand star Humidor (NZ) (Teofilo) has won twice at Group 1 level in Australia and was a close second to the legendary Winx (Street Cry) in last year's Cox Plate (2040m). He has earned A$2.8 million. | Darren Weir | |
| 4 | Boom Time | 10 | An upset winner of last year's Caulfield Cup, Boom Time (Flying Spur) scored an easy win under 62 kilograms at Flemington in his last start on May 19. He has won eight races and more than A$2.5 million. | David & Ben Hayes & Tom Dabernig | Cory Parish |
| 5 | Danon Liberty | 12 | Japanese import Danon Liberty (King Kamehameha) is making his Australian debut. He has won three races, including two at Listed level over 1600 and 1800 metres. He won a recent trial. | Darren Weir | |
| 6 | Big Duke | 3 | Big Duke is a well-performed stayer who has won seven races and more than A$1.4 million. He was fourth in last year's Melbourne Cup (3200m). This is his first start since the Group 2 Zipping Classic (2400m) on November 18. | Darren Weir | |
| 7 | Harlem | 4 | Harlem (Champs Elysees) won the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) in March, boosting his career earnings past A$1.37 million. | David & Ben Hayes & Tom Dabernig | Regan Bayliss |
| 8 | Jungle Edge | 15 | Outstanding wet-track performer Jungle Edge (Dubawi) has won 14 races on slow and heavy tracks. He was a last-start third in the Bletchingly Stakes. | Mick Bell | Kevin Forrester |
| 9 | Widgee Turf | 9 | The winner of nine of his 20 starts, consistent galloper Widgee Turf (Turffontein) faces his toughest test to date here. | Patrick Payne | Billy Egan |
| 10 | Red Cardinal | 11 | A multiple Group winner and Group 1-placed in Europe and the United States, Red Cardinal (Montjeu) finished 11th in the Melbourne Cup in his only Australian start to date. | Darren Weir | |
| 11 | Kings Will Dream | 14 | Irish-bred Kings Will Dream (Casamento) has had eight starts for six wins and two placings. He was a five-length winner of the Listed Mornington Cup (2400m) last time out and is considered a leading Cups contender. | Darren Weir | |
| 12 | Mighty Boss | 7 | Karaka graduate Mighty Boss (Not a Single Doubt) won the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) last spring and was an unlucky seventh in the Group 1 C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m). He was placed in a recent trial. | Mick Price | Michael Walker |
| 13 | Grunt | 6 | Exciting Karaka graduate Grunt (NZ) (O'Reilly) has had five starts for four wins, most recently the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m). He is closely related to the multiple Group 1-winning New Zealand racehorse and promising sire Ocean Park (NZ) (Thorn Park). | Mick Price | Damien Oliver |
| 14 | Showtime | 8 | Snitzel's son Showtime may have won only two of his 16 starts, but he has been close up in very strong company including a second in the Group 2 Arrowfield Sprint (1200m) and thirds in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) and All Aged Stakes (1400m). | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Dwayne Dunn |
| 15 | Holy Snow | 5 | Fastnet Rock four-year-old Holy Snow won the Group 2 Autumn Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield last season along with four black-type placings | Mick Price | Michael Dee |
| 16 | Miss Gunpowder | 16 | Miss Gunpowder (Pendragon) has won eight of her 28 starts, including an easy last-start win in the Leilani Series Final (1400m) at Flemington. | David & Ben Hayes & Tom Dabernig | Jordan Childs |