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.

Placed in four of her prior six runs, including each run this time in, jockey Zac Lloyd jumped the three-year-old filly away well from the gates, going forward to take up the running in what proved a key move.

With the favoured Artgirl settling fourth in the six-horse field, Lloyd had the advantage of travelling a few lengths clear of the favourite and as the home turn was reached, it looked as if Movie Night would be hard to run down.

Still holding a promising lead into the straight, Lloyd and Move Night were strong to the line, holding a half-length margin over the favourite to break her maiden and giving her jockey the first three winners at the Newcastle meeting.

“Credit to Zac, he makes those hard decisions look easy,” stated stable rep Jordan O’Shea when discussing how the filly took up the running to lead.

Now that she has broken through for her maiden victory, O’Shea felt it would be the confidence boost she needs to go on.

“Build a bit of confidence. I’d say she’d go out now.

“She’s had a pretty big campaign and have her ready for the spring.”

The fourth and final foal out of the Savabeel mare Movie, herself a blood-sister to dual Group 1 winner Savvy Coup and the Group 2 winner Nereus as well as a three-quarter-sister to dual Group 2 winner Ocean Emperor, it’s also the family of Savabeel’s multiple Group 1 winner and NZ Horse of the Year Probabeel.

Becoming the fourth winner from four to the races out of the three-time winner Movie, the Tom Charlton-trained Movie Night is not only a sister to Never Been Kissed, a winner of the Gr.1 Flight Stakes (pictured above) and a runner-up in the Gr.1 Spring Champions Stakes (2000m), but a half-sister to the stakes-placed Sacred Falls gelding Hollywood Hero.

A winner of the Gr.1 All Aged Stakes during his race career, Tivaci is the sire of 20 individual stakes performers, including this season’s success stories American Wolf (Gr.2 Adelaide Cup), King Of Thunder – Numbers (HK) (Gr.3 Centenary Vase), Tuxedo (Gr.3 Aotearoa Classic) and Feminino (Gr.3 Kembla Grange Classic).

Movie Night is the final foal of Movie.