Promising New Zealand gallopers will have the chance to race for bigger money than ever after Dunstan Feeds renewed its sponsorship of their two popular series for next season.
Dunstan has sponsored the stayers series since 1998, the series initiated five years earlier in 1993, while the Dunstan 1500 seriesbegan last year under the banner of the Dunstan Feeds Rising Stars Championships.
The Rising Stars Championship culminated with a final run at Ellerslie on Boxing Day which was won by the Stephen Marsh-trained Ruud Not Too, who backed up at Ellerslie six days later with success in the group two Rich Hill Mile.
This season's Dunstan Feeds Stayers Championship Final was taken out by the Peter McKay-trained Clarify, adding his name to an impressive list of winners who have gone on to prominent performances in some of Australasia's biggest staying races.
Dunstan director David Smith said he was looking forward to "upping the ante" on both series, noting that the stayers final would have a stake of $100,000 next season, up from $80,000 this season.
"At Dunstan, we are really proud of the way the stayers championship has evolved over the years and the introduction of the Rising Stars Championship, which will be run as the Dunstan 1500 this year, couldn't have been received any better," Smith said.
NZTR has already thrown its support behind the Dunstan Feeds Stayers Championship, allocating an additional $5000 to each of the 17 heats as well as the $20,000 increase for the final as part of the stakes increases announced late last month.
Nominations for both series are set to close in November with points allocated based on finishing order in the heats making the qualifying order for the finals, with the Dunstan 1500 Final again set to run at Ellerslie on Boxing Day and the Dunstan Feeds Championship Final (2200m) run at Ellerslie on New Year's Day.
