Spring Classic
The Livamol Spring Classic Formerly the Kelt Capital Stakes is a Weight-for-age Thoroughbred horse race run at Hastings Racecourse in Hawke's Bay and was at one stage New Zealand's richest horse race. It is run at a distance of 2040m and carries prize money of NZ$250,000. The race is run on the first Saturday in October, along with two other Group features, the Hawke's Bay Guineas for three-year-olds and a 1400 m handicap formerly known as the G.R. Kelt Memorial. The weather in the Hawke's Bay's means the  track conditions are usually excellent. The race is now regarded as New Zealand's premier weight-for-age race and has attracted interest from overseas, most notably with subsequent world champion miler Starcraft who ran second in 2004. The race is the part of the Triple Crown raced at Hastings Racecourse, along with: - (1) the 1400m Tarzino Trophy which was previously known as the Makfi Challenge Stakes or Mudgway Stakes and is currently called the Tarzino Trophy - raced on the first Saturday in September, and - (2) the 1600m Windsor Park Plate which was previously known as the Stony  Bridge Stakes and before that the Horlicks Plate. Many of New Zealand's best thoroughbred horses have raced in the various Triple Crown events. A number of horses managed to win two of the three races and some were beaten into second in the third leg. On 5 October 2019 Melody Belle was the first horse to win all three of the Hawkes Bay Triple Crown races. History. The race was originally known as the Ormond Memorial and took place on the second day of the autumn carnival until the 1985/86 season when it was moved to the Spring. From  1991 to 2009 the race was sponsored by Kelt Capital Limited, and in particular the owner thereof Sam Kelt, a strong supporter of New Zealand and particularly Hawke's Bay racing. 1996 would see it gain Group 1 status and the distance changed from 2000m to 2040m. The growth in prize money was substantial in the decade up to 2008. In 2000 it was worth $250,000; in 2002 it was the equal richest race in New Zealand at $500,000 and in 2004 it was New Zealand's first million-dollar race. The race was worth $ 2,000,000 in 2007 and 2008, but the stake had to be reduced to $1,200,000 in 2009 as that level was deemed unsustainable. In 2010, after the cessation of the Kelt sponsorship, the Ormond Memorial name was modified in recognition of Lady Katherine (Kit) Acklin née Ormond who had recently died. Since 2010 The stakes have remained at $250,000, below several major races in New Zealand but still slightly ahead in terms of weight-for-age races. See also. A list of the winners of all 3 Hawkes Bay Triple Crown events is at Thoroughbred racing in New Zealand