Brave Centaur to race for new stable

2 October 2014

Matamata galloper Brave Centaur will have his first start from new quarters in Saturday’s Listed A$120,000 Headquarters Tavern Stakes (1400m) at Flemington.

Previously prepared by Matamata’s Lance Noble, the Group One-placed O’Reilly seven-year-old has been transferred to Whittlesea trainers Peter Morgan and Craig Widdison.

Brave Centaur hasn’t raced since his fourth placing behind subsequent Group One performers I Do and Pussy O’Reilly in the Gr.3 Foxbridge Plate at Te Rapa in mid-August.

He had to be scratched from his planned first start in Melbourne when he went down on the flight over and took skin off his hip, which led to his programme being out of kilter with the Noble-trained Viadana and his subsequent transfer of stables.

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.

9 July 2026

WS graduate Honour Roll out to add stakes success at Otaki

Waikato Stud will be cheering on one of its promising graduates on Friday when Honour Roll contests the Listed John Turkington Forestry Castletown Stakes (1200m) at Otaki. The WS-bred son of the late Champion sire …