SkyCity Hamilton Waikato Cup Day is one of the premier racedays on the New Zealand racing calendar and it boasts not one, not two, but three Group races to keep our hearts racing all day long.
Fields have just been released for the day’s features and the G2 Cal Isuzu Stakes is shaping up to be quite the battle between Campionessa, trained by Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, and Snazzytavi, trained by Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall.
Campionessa is the reigning champion of the Group 2 feature, taking out 2023’s edition of the race. When she did so, she also became only the fourth horse to win the G2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) and the Cal Isuzu in the same season, joining Just Apollo (1995), Calveen (2004) and Ruud Van Slaats (2008).
Since then, Campionessa has not only claimed Group 1 success in the 2023 G1 Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic at Pukekohe Park, she’s also added a stamp to her passport, jumping over the ditch to contest, and triumph in, the G2 Peter Young Stakes at Caulfield for some valuable Australian black type.
Her next target was the 2024 G1 Livamol Classic where she went into the race as deserved favourite off the back of her Group performances the season prior. The race wasn’t to go her way however as the lightly-raced Snazzytavi put in a remarkable performance in the Group 1 feature, exploding clear over the last 100m to claim the $550,000 Livamol Classic in convincing fashion.
Snazzytavi has now marked herself as somewhat of a Te Rapa specialist with the Livamol Classic becoming her fourth win from four starts at the headquarters of Waikato Thoroughbred Racing.
Described by co-trainer Graham Richardson as a “really good mare with a lot of potential” and a mare that “people should take notice of” back in the early Spring, Snazzytavi has well lived up to his confidence in her with her impressive performance back in October.
Will it be the seasoned campaigner and reigning champ, Campionessa, or the Te Rapa specialist described by Mick Guerin as “a serious player”, Snazzytavi? We’ll be trackside to watch the battle unfold.
Want to join us oncourse? There are very limited The Grand Tour General Admission tickets still available here.