Glownight Racer A Bright Spark

29 January 2011

The consistent Glownight Racer added another victory to his career tally with a game performance to land the closing event on the Te Aroha card today. The four-year-old also brought up a winning double for WS homebreds and resident sire Pins following the earlier success of the debut runner Read My Lips.

A $100,000 purchase during the Premier Sale at Karaka in 2008, Glownight Racer is out of the O’Reilly mare The Big Storm who is a half-sister to Gr 2 Championship Stakes winner and dual Gr 1 placegetter Ellakapella. The Pompeii Court mare also won a stakes race in the United States and has winning progeny there.

Matamata trainer Peter McKay had thoughts of sending Glownight Racer south to the Wellington meeting but was put off by the likelihood of heavy rain.”He can handle a bit of cut in the ground but he doesn’t like it heavy,” he said. “He’s franked his good run of form here as he’s gone some good races in his last few starts.”

Glownight Racer, who had finished runner-up at his previous two appearances, has now won three of his 15 starts and was given an economical run today by rider Sam Spratt. They loped along near the pace and were too strong in the run home to go the post with a length advantage.

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.