Proisir Plate

Proisir Plate (Challenge Stakes)
ClassGroup I
LocationEllerslie Racecourse, Auckland. Formerly Hastings Racecourse
Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
Inaugurated1976
Race typeThoroughbred - Flat racing
Websitewww.hawkesbayracing.co.nz
Race information
Distance1400m (7 furlongs)
SurfaceTurf
TrackRight-handed (Ellerslie). Left-handed (Hastings)
QualificationThree-year-olds and up
WeightWeight for Age
PurseNZ$400,000 (2025)

The Proisir Plate also known as the Challenge Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race historically run at Hastings Racecourse in Hawke's Bay and is New Zealand's first Group One race of the season. It is run over a distance of 1400m in September. Previously named the Tarzino Trophy, the race has been transferred to Ellerslie for at least the next two years due to the Hastings racecourse out of action for the foreseeable future.

The race is the first of the Hawkes Bay Triple Crown events and is followed by:

The race's timing, weight-for-age conditions and the reliably dry weather of the region at that time of the year combine to ensure that the race sees one of the strongest fields assembled in any race all season as a number of horses heading towards a campaign in Australia choose it as a starting point.