Beckham plays a blinder on debut

12 March 2014

Beckham was rated as “one of the best I’ve got” by co-trainer Peter McKay before he made his debut at Matamata and the royally-bred colt didn’t disappoint this afternoon. The Pins three-year-old bounced out of the barrier to sit on the pace and asserted his superiority in the straight to win by a length and a-half.

Bred and raced by WS, the handsome colt is the fourth foal of the farm’s dual Group One winner Glamour Puss. The Tale of the Cat mare now has a perfect record at stud with Heritage, Hollywood and Vogue all previously successful. “He’s a real blueblood – he’s got it all there,” rider Vinnie Colgan said. “He stepped out of the gates well and was very tractable and he gave me a really nice feel in the last 200 metres.”

Beckham’s victory came off the back of a trial placing on the course earlier this month. “We’ve held him in high regard for a long time,” Jacob McKay said. “He’s done it very nicely and he’ll improve.”

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.