The Group One Levin Classic - formerly the Bayer Classic - is one of the premier races for three-year-old thoroughbreds in New Zealand.

History

The race, first run under the name Levin Turf Classic, was originally run at Levin Racecourse until that facility was closed as a racing venue in 1990 and the race was transferred to nearby Ōtaki. For more than a decade the race was sponsored by Bayer, and known as the Bayer Classic. For much of its history, the race was run at Levin and then Ōtaki on the last Friday in November. Concern began to grow in the 2000s about the race's close proximity to the New Zealand 2000 Guineas and New Zealand 1000 Guineas, both run in the second week in November. The three Group 1 3-year-old races over a mile in the New Zealand racing season were all run within the space of three weeks, leading to an inevitable dilution of quality of fields. From 2014 the Levin Classic was moved to Trentham Racecourse in Wellington and initially run as part of the Wellington Cup Carnival in January conducted by the Wellington Racing Club. In 2022 and 2023 the race was held in March but it was returned to January in 2024.

Notable winners

Among the most famous winners are:

Race results