Filly completes top run for stud

24 April 2011

Kranji Cracker For Pins

Pins capped off a profitable evening in Singapore on Fridtay night when his evergreen son Waikato marked his 50th raceday appearance with victory in the Kranji Stakes. The seven-year-old has long been at the top of the sprinter-miler ranks and again confirmed his standing with a smart performance to claim the feature 1400 metre event.

Trained by expatriate Kiwi Laurie Laxon, Waikato has now won 17 races with his career highlight a Gr 1 Kranji Mile Trophy success and he has also been a three-time winner at Gr 3 level. A $50,000 yearling purchase at Karaka, the gelding is out of the American-bred mare Skywalker Wilkes who is a daughter of the former top-class Australian juvenile and Golden Slipper winner Vivarchi.

Earlier on the Kranji programme, Perfect Pins won the Rating 97 sprint in fine style. It was the sixth career triumph for the five-year-old who was a $170,000 purchase out of WS’s Premier Sale consignment to Karaka in 2007.

Bred on the prolific Pins-Centaine cross, he is out of the winning mare La Cent who is a sister to the outstanding producer Escada who is the dam of Gr 1 winners Glamour Puss (Salinger Stakes, Goodwood Handicap) and Vision And Power (Doncaster Handicap, George Ryder Stakes), the Gr 2 winner Rare Insight (Stan Fox Stakes) and the multiple Listed winner Escadaire (Miss Andretti Stakes, Belmont Newmarket).

WS will offer breeders a unique opportunity to buy into this crack family when they offer Pinderella (Lot 107) at the upcoming National Weanling and Broodmare Sale at Karaka on May 4. The three-year-old Pins filly is a sister to Perfect Pins and the Singapore Gr 1 performer Zinly and a half-sister to the Macau stakes performer Palace General (O’Reilly).

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.