Legends Day is just over a week away and we can't wait to see who'll claim our two Group 1 features - gaining legendary status in their own right.
To make the day all the more special, our friends at LOVERACING.NZ have arranged for 9 legends of the track (now retired) to return to Te Rapa for pats, adoration and to celebrate the athletes that make our sport great.
We can't wait to welcome Mufhasa, Bostonian, Seachange, Catalyst, Werther, Ping Hai Star, Tallyho Twinketoe, Rangipo and On the Rocks to the course and, to give you a taste of just how legendary these racehorses are, we've rounded up some of the key successes they've achieved.
In 'Part 1' we're celebrating Mufhasa, Bostonian, Seachange and Catalyst (with Part 2 due out next week!).
Without further ado...
Mufhasa
A brown gelding by Pentire out of Sheila Cheval (NZ), Mufhasa was bred by Rich Hill Stud principal John Thompson and his father Colin. Offered by Rich Hill at the 2006 Select Sale at Karaka, Mufhasa was a $50,000 purchase by his owner, David Archer.
Trained for the majority of his career by Stephen McKee, Mufhasa had 62 starts for 20 wins, nine seconds, six thirds and $3.63 million in prizemoney.
He became an eight-time Group One winner in New Zealand, capturing two editions of Trentham’s Telegraph Handicap and Te Rapa’s Waikato Sprint along with the Captain Cook Stakes, Makfi Challenge Stakes, Windsor Park Plate and WFA Classic.
Mufhasa also shone at the highest level in Australia, collecting a further two Group One victories in the Futurity Stakes and Toorak Handicap along with three placings in the Group One George Ryder Stakes and another third in the Futurity Stakes.
Mufhasa was a two-time New Zealand Horse of the Year, achieving that accolade in the 2008-09 and 2011-12 seasons.
More recently Mufhasa is a regular visitor to tracks around the Auckland/Waikato areas and frequently has a starring role in advertising campaigns for New Zealand racing. He’s enjoying his retirement at David Archer’s property in Karaka under the care of long-time strapper, Amy Doran.
WATCH: Mufhasa's induction into the Hall of Fame
Bostonian
Bostonian too enjoys the spoils of retirement with paddock mate, Mufhasa, at David Archer’s home.
He won 10 races from 24 starts, including three at Group I level, and earned almost $2 million in stakes. Six of his wins, including his three Group I triumphs, came in Australia and five of his seven black-type wins came across the Tasman.
Bostonian’s Group 1 wins – all at weight-for-age - came in the Doomben 10,000 and the Kingsford-Smith Cup, in successive starts in Brisbane in 2019, and in the Canterbury Stakes at Randwick, in Sydney, in 2020. He was also a runner-up at Group I level in Melbourne.
Bostonian was nominated for Horse in the Year and twice for Champion Sprinter-Miler but had the misfortune of being up against the legendary Melody Belle in both categories. Bostonian is no stranger to Te Rapa having attended Legends Day last year and was runner-up in the Group I BCD Sprint, beaten by a head by Melody Belle, in his last appearance at the track.
The Jimmy Choux gelding was trained by Tony Pike and owned and bred by David Archer and his family, under the Archer Equine banner.
WATCH: (The) Bostonian in the Kingsford-Smith Cup
Seachange
Champion mare Seachange was a flagship performer for The Oaks Stud and her legacy continues to be felt on both sides of the Tasman.
Bred and raced by the Cambridge nursery, the two-time New Zealand Horse of the Year (in 2006/07 and 2007/08) landed seven Group One titles during her decorated career including the NZ 1000 Guineas, 2 x Mudgway Stakes, 2 x Stoneybridge Stakes, Telegraph Handicap and the Waikato Draught Sprint.
To this day, Seachange features prominently in the pedigrees of The Oaks Stud’s Gr.1 New Zealand Derby runner-up Antrim Coast and farm graduate Drakaina, successful in the Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes.
“Seachange is 21 now and she was at the (NZB Kiwi) slot auction and we took her to Legends’ Day at Te Rapa in 2024 and she loves a trip away,” The Oaks General Manager Rick Williams said.
“She hasn’t bred for a few years and she hangs around the farm. She’s got a great constitution and the hardest thing is trying to keep the weight off her.”
WATCH | Living Legend, Seachange
Catalyst
Catalyst is another retired legends residing at The Oaks Stud enjoying life after racing. A Group 1 winner in the 2000 Guineas, a race he won in emphatic style, his career was cut short due to injury, only racing 14 times for 6 wins with prizemoney of over half a million dollars.
In addition to his Group 1, he also won the Group 2 Hawkes Bay Guineas, the Group 3 Northland Breeders Stakes, the Group 3 Mr Tiz Trophy and the Listed El Roca Trophy. He’s also known for his close second to Alligator Blood in the Group 3 CS Hayes at Flemington.
He is enjoying sporthorse life, being ridden by Oaks Stud Yearling Team member Emma Simons under her ERS Equine banner and recently competed at the world-renouned Puhinui Horse Trials in Dec 2024.
WATCH | Catalyst's Career
We'd love to welcome you oncourse to Legends Day on Saturday, 8 February. Hospitality is all-but-sold-out but general admission is free to all. Each of our 'legends' will be available for pats and photos prior to parading with the fields of the day's races. Check back closer to the time for the race allocation.
Use the link below for more information.