Experience accounts for youth

5 December 2013

Veteran Telecom Top Star upstaged his younger rivals at Happy Valley last night for the fourth win of his career. The WS graduate has now won three times in Hong Kong after breaking his maiden as a three-year-old in New Zealand where he raced as Tele Combo.

The son of O’Reilly was an $80,000 yearling at Karaka and is out of the Centaine mare Corsica. She is a half-sister to the stakes winner River Chant (Danasinga) and a three-quarter sister to the dam of the dual Australian black type winner Marquardt.

Corsica was unraced but she has been a good producer and Telecom Top Star’s younger sister Hera promises to continue to add to the family record. In a brief career for trainer Roger James she was won three races, including the Listed Great Northern Foal Stakes, and finished runner-up in the Listed Trevor Eagle Memorial.

Waikato Stud claim 11th Breeder of the Year title

“On the farm there are now three generations of Chitticks involved, but I accept this award on behalf of Waikato Stud because we have got an unbelievable group of people who are just absolutely passionate about horses and Waikato Stud and about the success of the place,” Mark Chittick said.

23 July 2025

Baker and Clarke uncover another Super Seth standout

Shirley’s Tribute, a $225,000 Super Seth filly, impressed on debut at Bathurst for Bjorn Baker and Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA), surging from the back to score easily and notch her sire’s 44th winner.