Spartan post-race with connections and sponsors
- The second day of the Grand National Festival of Racing took place on the Polytrack with the feature being the Ripple Creek Equine Polytrack $100,000. The Yesberg family’s Ripple Creek Equine was the successful tenderer to sponsor the race with all sponsorship money going to the Horse Ambulance Trust.
- In what was a great result for local trainers the father daughter partnership of Russel McKay and Ashley Harrington good galloper SPARTAN managed to gain the lead from a wide draw and repel all challengers. Awapuni visitor and favourite KANA also drew wide but settled back and stormed home for second. Miss Nico Belle from the Stephen Marsh satellite stable ran third. Northern rider Tegan Newman rode the winner.
- The Maase Marshall Drainage Open over the 2200 metres distance drew a small field. Samantha Wynne rode a cunning race to lead through PEECEE PUSSYCAT who she trains herself. Favourite TOMYTURBO ran second with one start one win MOUSSAIEFF running a sound race for third.
- The Nautical Insurance Grand National Amateur Championship always attracts much interest. Two scratchings resulted in a ten-horse race with a most popular winner. Former top southern apprentice Ashley Frye was forced from the saddle following a fall in 2014 after a career that achieved 75 winning rides. Ten years later after riding sporadically as an Amateur the past two seasons she was back saluting the judge aboard FLOAT. Longtime supporters John and Karen Parsons were the owners and trainers of the eight-year-old.
- The Mark Walker and Roydon Bergerson stable prepared three winners form their Riccarton Park base and Lily Sutherland was the only rider to win more than one race with two.
- There was a sombre note to the day when top jockey Lisa Allpress was taken to hospital following a fall after the post in race two..