The Championship Stakes, run at Ellerslie Racecourse, is a Group 3 horse race run for three-year-olds at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand.
When the New Zealand Derby was moved from December to March in the 2005-06 season, the race was set up to be run on the second Saturday in February as the main-lead-up race, two weeks before the Derby.
In 2011 the race was moved New Year's Day, with the Avondale Guineas (previously run in December at Avondale and the main Derby lead-up before 2005) moving to Ellerslie and taking the February date.
The race has been won by a number of New Zealand Derby winners: The 2005 winner Tusker also won the 2006 Awapuni Gold Cup.
It was runner up in the South Australian Derby, Queensland Derby, Hong Kong Classic Mile, Hong Kong Classic Cup, the Longines Hong Kong Cup and the 2018 Hong Kong Gold Cup.