Telegraph Handicap

Telegraph Handicap
ClassGroup I
LocationTrentham Racecourse
Wellington, New Zealand
Inaugurated1891
Race typeThoroughbred - Flat racing
Websitewww.trentham.co.nz
Race information
Distance1200m (6 furlongs)
SurfaceTurf
TrackLeft-handed
QualificationThree-year-olds and up
WeightSet Weights & Penalties
PurseNZ$550,000 (2025)

The Telegraph Handicap is a Group One New Zealand horse race contested by the Wellington Racing Club at Trentham Racecourse in Upper Hutt. It was traditionally raced during the Wellington Cup carnival in mid-January, however from 2025 it has been shifted to earlier in January.

The Telegraph Handicap, raced over 1200 metres, and the Railway Stakes contested at Ellerslie Racecourse are New Zealand's premier sprint races.

In the late 1980s the race was called the Wrightson Handicap.

The nature of the Trentham track ensures fast times and some Telegraph Handicap winners have been able to lay claim to world record times over 1200m.