Maggie Leaves No Excuses

22 May 2011

Under The Sun Shines

The tried and true combination of trainer Roger James and jockey Vinnie Colgan joined forces to post a stylish juvenile win at Te Rapa on Saturday with a son of WS stallion No Excuse Needed. Under The Sun was making his second raceday appearance and showed pleasing improvement following his debut run for fourth.

“I won on him at the trials and was quite impressed by him,” said Colgan, who has enjoyed multiples Gr 1 successes with the stable over the years. “He went a nice race first-up after doing a bit of work and we expected a bold run today.”

Under The Sun drew wide on Saturday but Colgan was able to get across early and settle one off the rail. He took an inside run from the 700 metre mark to improve and the gelding produced a sustained finishing run to win by half a-length.

A $15,000 yearling now races by James with Gerard Peterson, he is out a half-brother to the Singapore winner Urban Dancer (O’Reilly). Their dam is the winning Maroof mare Sleaking who is from the family of the multiple Gr 1 winner Bounty Hawk (Mackinnon Stakes, Underwood Stakes, Western Mail Classic, Australian Derby, VRC Derby).

Tivaci’s Movie Night steals the show at Newcastle

A sister to the Gr.1 ATC Flight Stakes (1600m) winner Never Been Kissed, the Waikato Stud-bred and raced Movie Night (NZ) was rewarded for her consistency, breaking her maiden with an all-the-way win over 1400m at Newcastle for trainer Tom Charlton.

9 July 2026

Oilman’s stud stake could change course of NZ breeding

Eighteen months ago, Texas oilman Nelson Bunker Hunt walked through the lush Waikato pasture of Matamata’s Balcarres Stud and announced he wanted some just like it for his own.

Today he has-360 acres about a mile down the road which has been transformed from a dairy farm to one of New Zealand’s leading horse and cattle breeding establishments.