The creation of New Zealand's biggest race night at Ellerslie has caused a shuffling of the feature race deck.
Ellerslie confirmed their long-rumoured dream scenario of two $1 million races plus four group races in the support card for the new Karaka Million meeting, which will move to a Saturday night twilight spot on January 27.
The $1m two-year-old sprint will be complemented by a $1m three-year-old race over 1600m, both for graduates of the Karaka sales, with the annual sales starting the next day with a new night session.
The two $1m races will be supported by the $200,000 City Of Auckland Cup, moved from its traditional January 1 date, while the $100,000 Westbury Classic for fillies and mares also moves to Karaka Million night.
The six-race card will also include the $70,000 Mr Tiz Trophy for sprinting three-year-olds and the $70,000 Concorde for the older sprinters. The changes mean several other major races have been moved to ensure the best pathway to Ellerslie's richest events both on Karaka Million night and also for Cup week in March.