QE Stakes for Kiwi mare

The $A4 million Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) will be Lucia Valentina’s prime target in the autumn.

Trainer Kris Lees has yet to confirm the path the New Zealand-owned and bred mare will take toward the Randwick feature.

The Gr.1 Turnbull Stakes winner and Gr.1 Caulfield Cup placegetter is back in pre-training for her autumn campaign and is now also a stablemate of this year’s Gr.1 Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist.

Recent News
14 February 2026

First Stakes Winner For Banquo

Waikato Stud stallion Banquo was a stakes winner on the track and now he has sired his first stakes winner as Kris Shalier’s Justin Case delivered a dominant performance to pull clear in the G3 …

Read More
13 February 2026

Waikato invest in next generation with Return To Conquer to join its roster

Joining a long legacy of breed-shaping stallions to stand at Waikato Stud, three generations of the Chittick family have placed their confidence in Return To Conquer, with the A$1.3 million yearling and unbeaten Group 1-winning son of the four-time Champion Sire and Champion Two-Year-Old sire, Snitzel, to take his position on the Waikato roster in 2026.

Read More