Silk Road Series Charts New Path for Fillies and Mares
By Brad Reid

They say winter is for the brave. This year, it’s for the bold—specifically, the bold connections prepared to campaign their fillies and mares across New Zealand in a nationwide promotion aiming to transform the racing landscape for the female standardbred.

Enter the Silk Road Winter Racing Series, a new national initiative by Harness Racing New Zealand that sets out to solve a problem as old as the industry itself: how do we get more fillies and mares to stay in work, race longer, and contribute meaningfully to both our racing and breeding future?

The Bruce Negus trained trotting mare Paige will have some added incentive to stay in work through the winer after her resounding win last Friday

Across the North Island, Canterbury, and Southland, targeted series exclusively for fillies and mares will offer meaningful stakes, consistent conditions, and long-awaited recognition of the critical role the fairer sex plays in our industry—both on the track and in the breeding barn. More than just a series of winter features, the Silk Road is a pathway, a strategy, and, if executed as envisioned, a game-changer.

“This initiative reflects HRNZ’s strategic commitment to enhancing opportunities for fillies and mares, creating clearer pathways and progressing towards ensuring fillies and mares races represent at least 16% of all programmed events,” said Matthew Peden, HRNZ’s Head of Racing and Wagering.

A National Strategy With Teeth

This is not just another attempt to tick the “female racing” box with a token fillies’ feature race in July. The Silk Road is, by design, a comprehensive, regionally integrated programme that supports fillies and mares across all major regions—North Island, Canterbury, and Southland—with real stakes, fair structures, and smart programming.

It takes into account rating-based progression, field sizes, and the very real challenges of winter programming, offering multiple tiered series for both pacers and trotters. At its core, Silk Road answers the question: why would I keep my mare in work? And answers it resoundingly: Because she has somewhere to go.Because she won’t be thrown in against open company too soon. And because there’s money on the table—more than $500,000 worth across 30+ races.

This is a pathway. A racing roadmap. But more than that—it’s an investment in the long-term sustainability of our female racing stock and the future broodmare pool.

For decades, New Zealand breeders and buyers have faced a tough truth: colts and geldings dominate racing investment, while fillies often get pushed aside unless they’re Group-class early.

That makes no sense and they often aren’t afforded the time to develop. If they’re not elite at three, they’re gone—sold, retired, or parked. This erodes our racing population and depletes the very mares we need to breed the next generation.

Silk Road is the first system-wide acknowledgement at a ratings based level that: Mares are commercial racing horses.

They deserve structured opportunities—not just token races between dominantly male fields. And importantly, we can’t grow the racing or breeding industry without them.

The Mechanics: Series by Region

The conditions of the Silk Road Series vary thoughtfully by region, designed to reflect local racing populations and preferences.

In the North Island, the series leans toward higher-rating fillies and mares (R35–R65), with all pacing heats held at Auckland and trotting races split between Auckland and Cambridge. Distances range from 1700m to 2700m, with a mix of mobile starts and discretionary handicaps to create parity.

In Canterbury, the series focuses heavily on Addington, offering structured heats for both lower (R35–R50) and mid-tier (up to R70) horses, with mobile starts for pacers and discretionary or special handicaps for trotters. Race distances range from 1980m to 2600m, reflecting a staying race bias in the region.

Meanwhile, the Southern region features the most diverse and accessible programming, including a unique series for 1–2 win fillies and mares, as well as broader rating bands (up to R60). The Southern Trotters series also spans a wide range of conditions (R35–R65), with handicaps based on rating tiers to ensure balanced fields.

The Southland heats rotate between Winton, Wyndham, and Invercargill, offering a variety of distances from 1609m sprints to 2700m staying tests, again using handicap conditions for the trotters to ensure competitive fields. Notably, any horse winning two heats in a Southern series becomes ineligible to contest further heats in that same series—a safeguard to ensure broad opportunity.

Silk Road Conditions Summary (All Regions)
– Must be eligible for the first heat to contest any part of the series
– Heat winners automatically qualify for finals (if nominated)
– Preference given to horses contesting multiple heats
– Series restricted to race winners only, preserving competitiveness
– Penalty-free rating for winning both heat and final
– Minimum 6 acceptors required; extra heats may be added for high demand
– Rising above rating caps after entering does not disqualify final eligibility; horses may receive added handicaps in those
cases
– Southern-only rule: Horses winning two heats in a series cannot contest additional heats in that series
Conditions are subject to change following the new Ratings Handicapping System rollout on 30 June 2025

For full Silk Road Series terms and conditions, click here!Silk Road 2025 Conditions

“It is extremely pleasing to see HRNZ further recognising the importance of fillies and mares in the overall racing scene, and committing additional funding to enhance their prospects of becoming the mothers of the next generation of racehorses. This new initiative—alongside the previously announced premium races for fillies and mares, and the Mares Credit Scheme—provides meaningful incentives for owners to retain and race their female horses,” said NZSBA Chair, Colin Hair.

As an added incentive, any fillies contesting the Silk Road Winter Racing Series will also accumulate credits under the HRNZ Fillies and Mares Breeding Scheme, a strategic initiative designed to encourage the long-term retention and breeding of quality race mares. It’s a double-edged advantage: not only are owners racing for meaningful winter stakes, but they’re also earning credits that can offset future breeding costs—providing real commercial value beyond the racetrack.

The Bob Butt trained Dynasty dashes to glory in the Canterbury Standardbred Breeders Stakes

We’ve asked for better programming. We’ve asked for fillies and mares to be valued. We’ve asked for a pathway. Now we have one.

The Silk Road Winter Racing Series is a step in the right direction—a wide, welcoming, well-lit road for the mares who’ve long travelled in the shadows, a sentiment shared by HRNZ CEO, Brad Steele.

“The HRNZ Silk Road is a pioneering initiative that aims to enhance the value, visibility and sustainability of fillies and mares domestically.

Inspired by the ancient Silk Road trade route, this concept establishes a prestigious and connected race series and is designed to showcase and retain elite fillies and mares within the New Zealand racing ecosystem.

There was a need to create a defined pathway from the track to the breeding barn and that would elevate the value of fillies and mares as both racehorses and future broodmares. This then also assists create a clear marketing story for young fillies being sold at yearling sales, especially those from proven maternal lines.”

If properly embraced and executed, the Silk Road Series could do more to retain fillies and mares in New Zealand than any single programme in the last decade.

It creates structured racing opportunities and most importantly—it sends a message: That fillies and mares are not secondary players. They’re not afterthoughts. They’re essential to the future sustainability of our industry.