Good times continue to roll for ws

31 January 2016

The WS roll continued at their home meeting on Saturday with the beautifully-bred Mary Quant winning the opener at Matamata. Fresh from their success claiming top honours as leading Premier Sale vendor by aggregate for the third consecutive year at Karaka, the farm’s colours were carried to victory by the O’Reilly mare in the Rating 65 mile.

She jumped well from a wide gate to make the running and dashed clear to score with ease. “When she’s out in the open she can roll along and quicken when she wants to,” co-trainer Andrew Scott said. “She’s a good mare and I’m sure she’ll crack on ow. We’ll get her through the grades and we might look for a black type race toward the back end of her campaign.”

Successful rider Danielle Johnson has predicted a bright future for the daughter of the multiple Group One winner Legs. “She’s a really nice mare and she’ll pick up a good race,” she said.

Home-bred Sewreel’s victory in the three-year-old event didn’t escape TAB bookmakers The Savabeel filly second victory from five appearances saw her Gr 1 New Zealand Oaks odds cut from $311 to $21.

Sewreel was purchased by co-trainer Murray Baker out of WS’s 2014 Select Sale line-up for $42,000. She is out of a half-sister by Pins to the Gr 1 Queensland Derby winner Lachlan River.

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.