Guineas looks O’Marilyn’s for the taking

13 November 2014

O’Marilyn

Stephen McKee has every reason to expect another Group One title for O’Marilyn on Saturday.

The Ardmore trainer has overseen the star filly’s perfect build-up toward the NZB 1000 Guineas at Riccarton and anything other than a continuation of her winning form would seem highly unlikely.

“I guess it looks like it’s hers to lose at the moment, but there are a couple of fillies in there that she hasn’t faced before,” McKee said.

“It is a Group One race and you can never get overly confident, but she’s obviously the one they all have to beat.”

Last season’s Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes winner, O’Marilyn has been dominant this term and overcame an interrupted run to win the Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes at Hastings in her three-year-old debut.

She was then superior to the colts Vinnie Eagle and last Saturday’s runaway Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas winner Turn Me Loose in the Gr.3 James & Annie Sarten Memorial at Te Rapa.

“Her work was really good again on Tuesday morning so I can’t fault her,” McKee said. “Condition-wise she is right there.

“Everything has gone well, although she hasn’t faced a rock-hard track if it happened to dry out that much for the third day of the carnival, but I can’t say she wouldn’t cope with it either.”

O’Marilyn has the gate speed to take full advantage of the ace draw and take any possible bad luck in the running – which would seem the only factor to potentially lower her colours – out of the equation.

Victory for the daughter of O’Reilly on Saturday would provide both McKee and regular rider Sam Spratt with their first success in the 1000 Guineas.

Source: NZ Racing Desk.

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.