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 PB 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 winnerHartnell(Authorized) and other Group 1-winning stars such asWhobegotyou(Street Cry),Shoot Out(High Chaparral) andApache 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 excitingGrunt(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.