Veteran New Zealand jockey Noel Harris is aiming to end his career on a Group One high.

If the 60-year-old can claim the Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes on Ponderosa Miss at Te Aroha on Saturday, he will replace Lester Piggott as the oldest jockey to win a Group One event.

Piggott was 57 when he won the 1992 English 2000 Guineas on Rodrigo De Triano.

But Harris said that achievement was not the reason he kept going after his original plan to retire after the Auckland Cup in which Ponderosa Miss finished third.

He said he owed it to the mare's trainer Peter Hollinshead.

"If I get the Group One that would be great, but it means more to me not to let people down," Harris old nzracing.co.nz.

"I was all set to finish up after the Cup and I thought it would be a good way to go out, riding in a Group One two-mile race.

"But then Peter talked about Te Aroha.

"Peter and Darrell Hollinshead and Pondarosa Miss' owners have been loyal putting me on the horse and I just want to be fair to them."

Harris is one of only six jockeys to have ridden more than 2000 New Zealand winners.

He began his career with his father Jock and rode his first winner at Foxton in 1970.

His record of 42 Group One wins includes eight in Australia, most notably the 1988 Cox Plate aboard (Our) Poetic Prince who he rates the best horse he has ridden.

Harris will will take up a mentoring role with New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) after Saturday.

"Racing has been good to me and I am looking forward to helping out the younger riders going forward," he said.