Pins oh so close to feature race double

17 April 2016

Pins was denied a stakes double at Riccarton on Saturday afternoon by the barest of margins. The WS stallion’s daughter No Pushover was a dominant winner of the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes and in the following event Seize The Moment was pipped by a nose in the Listed Easter Cup.

No Pushover, who is destined to continue her career across the Tasman, significantly boosted her future value with her black-type success. “It’s a really nice story and she was brought under a year ago at an NZB Sale for just $3000,” trainer Shaune Ritchie said.

He was asked by syndication company principal Kirk Devers, who operates under the KRD Racing & Thoroughbreds Racing banner, to have a look at the filly and Ritchie gave her a tick of approval. “She had a parrot mouth, but apart from that she was very correct and now she’s a stakes winner,” he said.

Ritchie said he would be advising Devers to send No Pushover to the Sydney stable of his brother Craig next season. “There’s limited prize-money here for four-year-olds.”

In the meantime, she may back up in next Saturday’s Listed Warstep Stakes at Riccarton. “There isn’t a lot left so we may as well roll the dice as long as she comes through this race well,” Ritchie said.

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.