Winter Silk Road series confirmed for 2026

More than $600,000 in stakes will be on offer during this year's Silk Road Winter Racing Series.

From May through to July, the series, which is exclusively for fillies and mares, will see 26 ($12,500 - $15,000) heats and 11 finals at eight venues around the country.

They are Alexandra Park, Cambridge, Addington, Ashburton, Timaru, Gore, Winton and Invercargill.  

All finals for both trotters and pacers will be worth either $25,000 or $30,000.

The heats get underway at Winton on May 7 with the first of the Canterbury heats at Timaru on May 24 and North Island kicking off at Alexandra Park on June 5.

This year's series has been tweaked with the introduction of two non-win Fillies and Mares heats, at Addington on June 28 and Invercargill on July 5. The winners will qualify for the final of their respective series.

Altogether stakes for the series will be $615,000.

The Silk Road aims at finding pathways for everyday and emerging fillies and mares and is a key part of the Future Starts Now strategy launched in 2024.

To see the schedule of Heats and Finals in this year's Silk Road Winter Series click here