Bullrush plays games with them at wyong

17 December 2015

Bullrush showed he was a city winner in waiting with a dominant performance at Wyong this afternoon. The O’Reilly four-year-old was resuming from a four month break and was fitted for his 1200 metre return with two trial outings.

Trained by John Hawkes with his sons Michael and Wayne, the gelding was ridden by Sam Clipperton and they lumped 59.5kg to victory. He is now unbeaten having won on debut at Goulburn.

Bullrush is raced by Garry Chittick and is out of Pin Up, a Pins mare who won three races and was Group placed. Also the dam of the Gr 2 Cal Isuzu Stakes winner and Gr 1 NZ Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes runner-up Sports Illustrated, she is a half-sister to the international star and WS home-bred Starcraft.

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.