KEY POINTS:
The Auckland Racing Club yesterday announced the group one 1600m Champions Mile at Ellerslie will next year revert to its traditional name, the Easter Handicap.
The Easter Handicap had been run for over 100 years, traditionally on Easter Saturday.
This year, changes to the Ellerslie racing schedule meant it was run in April, rather than being set down for Easter Saturday.
Changes meant it could be run anywhere up to three weeks after Easter Saturday, as is the plan for next year.
"With the introduction of the new dates schedule last year the club felt it might not be appropriate to continue the Easter Handicap name as the tradition of being raced on Easter Saturday had changed," club chief executive Chris Weaver said.
"However, the feedback the club has received overwhelmingly indicated that the race should retain its traditional name and our board of directors was happy to follow this advice by having the race revert back to the original name."
The Easter Handicap has been won by many champion gallopers, including Kindergarten, Kiwi Can, Tudor Light, Grey Way, Pakaraka Star and Sedecrem.
Sleepy Fox won the race four times in succession in the mid 1940s.
The 2008 Easter Handicap will be raced on April 12.
- NZPA
