Guineas next on Natural Achiever’s programme

28 April 2011

WS Mare Away To A Flier

WS broodmare Etoile Du Nord got her stud career away to a perfect start yesterday when her first foal struck early in his racing career in Melbourne. The Mick Kent-trained Epingle had placed in both her two previous starts and opened her winning account in fine style over 1500 metres at Cranbourne.

A daughter of Zabeel, Etoile Du Nord won five races including the Listed Marton Cup and was also Gr 2 placed in both the Championship Stakes and the Hawke’s Bay Gold Cup. Her first visit to Pins resulted in Epingle who was sold by WS for $180,000 at the Sydney Easter Sale in 2009.

Meanwhile in Sydney, the filly My Sabeel maintained Savabeel’s impressive strike rate when she was successful over 1100 metres at the Canterbury meeting. Trained by Graeme Rogerson, she is out of the winning Entrepreneur mare Wailing Countess and is a brother to King Sabeel who has been a multiple winner for the stable in Australia.

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.