Kelly does it for O’Reilly

22 November 2014

Kelly O’Reilly provided champion WS stallion O’Reilly with his latest black type credit when she rallied strongly to claim today’s Gr.2 NRM/Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes at Avondale. Out of a Pins mare, she is trained at Cambridge by Tony Pike for his parents Wayne and Vicki.

“She’ll obviously be going to stud at some stage so a win like this is very special,” Pike said. “I was hoping she would hold on for second and then she stuck her head down and came back.”

Kelly O’Reilly rallied bravely in the closing 100 metres under rider Leith Innes to score by a head. “I thought there would be plenty of speed in the race and Leith rode her perfectly,” Pike said. “She really deserves this – she’s a good, honest mare.”

She has now won seven races and is likely to progress toward the Christmas meeting at Auckland. “She can’t handle too many runs on firm tracks, but there will be a nice race for her over the Ellerslie carnival,” Pike said.

Cornflower Blue juvenile goes two-from-two

Déjà vu struck at Riccarton as Out Of The Blue, a $60,000 Karaka purchase for David Ellis CNZM, surged home under Opie Bosson to score for Te Akau in the tangerine, another triumph for Waikato Stud breeding.

24 October 2025

The Corner with Garry Chittick

The impact of an individual horse on our sport can have significant and lasting results. My Corner has, by and large, shied away from marketing Waikato Stud; however, O’Reilly is very special to us, and the performance of his grandson has prompted me to remind the two of you why I so often include him in my ramblings on the male effect on our industry.