Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes

The Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes is a Group One horse race held for Thoroughbred two-year-olds at Awapuni Racecourse in Palmerston North, New Zealand run over 1400 metres in late March or early April.

The race was first run in 1908 over 1200 metres with the current distance being adopted in 1926.^[1]

It and the Ellerslie Sires Produce Stakes currently known as the Sistema Stakes (1200m), are regarded as New Zealand's best two-year-old races.

It is currently raced on the same day as the:

• Group 2 Awapuni Gold Cup over 2000m for open class horses.
• Group 3 Manawatu Classic over 2000m for 3YO horses.
• Listed Flying Handicap over 1400m for Open Handicap runners.

Notable winners include:

• Avantage (2018), winner of 9 Group 1 races.
• Daryl's Joy (1969), winner of the 1969 Victoria Derby and Cox Plate as well as 6 races in the United States including the Del Mar Handicap.
• Desert Gold (1915), winner of 36 races.
• La Mer (1976), winner of 24 races.
• Melody Belle (2017), winner of 14 Group 1 races.

Desert Gold and La Mer both won the Awapuni Gold Cup.