Happy days for filly

4 January 2019

Happily To Be (NZ) ridden by Damien Thornton wins the Kellys Country Homes Maiden Plate at Seymour Racecourse on December 30, 2018 in Seymour, Australia. (Brett Holburt/Racing Photos)

Well-related filly Happily To Be looks a three-year-old with a bright future in Australia for Waikato Stud.

The well-related filly has been lightly-tried by Flemington trainer Danny O’Brien and has made an encouraging start to her career.

The daughter of Pins placed in two of her first three starts before breaking her maiden at Seymour last time out.

Bred and part-owned by the Matamata nursery, she is a daughter of the O’Reilly mare Merrily.

She is a half-sister to the stakes winner Glad and the family of the champion mare Black Caviar.

Happily To Be is also a half-sister to the Stephen Marsh-trained Exuberant.

A $160,000 Karaka yearling, the son of Savabeel won the Listed Wellesley Stakes on debut.

David Hayes’ Absolute Awakened wins at Sha Tin

With Hong Kong’s new season just two weeks in, it wasn’t long before the progeny of Ardrossan stepped into the winners’ circle and at the second Sha Tin race meeting of the season, it was David Hayes’ Absolute Awakened who won by a length over 1400m.

13 September 2026

Four-winner weekend for Ocean Park

Every reliable, Ocean Park had another winning weekend, producing four winners in New Zealand and across the Tasman in Australia thanks to Rip Tide (ex Hurry), Moana Nui, Liberty Park and With Grace.