Cropp Back In Winners’ Circle With WS

31 March 2012

Widely-travelled jockey Lisa Cropp renewed a successful association with WS and trainer Kevin Gray at Awapuni today when she guided the well-bred filly Lego to victory. The O’Reilly three-year-old was blessed with a better barrier and took full advantage to post her second career success.

Lego is out of the former top-class mare Legs, who won the Gr 1 New Zealand Oaks and the following season added the Gr 1 Kelt Capital Classic under Cropp. “This filly has got a lovely nature and the signs of Mum are there,” she said. “She’s a very nice type and will get even better with age.”

Lego bounced out to trail and was angled off the fence across the top to challenge into the straight and proved too good in the closing stages for Kindred, a three-time winning daughter of Pins.

“She might not be quite as good as her Mum, but she’s had a lot of bad luck with draws and it was nice to see Lisa on her,” Garry Chittick 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.