Knew It on trial for Oaks tilt

13 September 2016

The future direction of a well-related O’Reilly filly in the WS racing team will be decided this week. Knew It recently made a winning debut from the new Cranbourne operation of Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young with a possible Group One campaign ahead of the three-year-old.

“Knew It will either run at Cranbourne on Thursday or at Caulfield on Saturday and that will then dictate the rest of her spring – the Guineas might be a bit soon for her, but she could be an Oaks filly,” Busuttin said.

Bred and raced by Waikato Stud, the daughter of O’Reilly was a first-up winner at Benalla in the hands of the former champion New Zealand rider Michael Walker. Knew It is out of the Zabeel mare Know All who is a three-quarter sister to the dam of the Matamata farm’s Gr.1 Cox Plate-winning resident Ocean Park.

Busuttin also tipped Savabeel’s son Positive Carry as a colt to follow. The three-year-old was recently runner-up in his Victoria debut at Sale. “He’s going to be a good stayer – he’s got Derby written all over him,” Busuttin said. Positive Carry is out of the O’Reilly mare Forty Two Below, a sister to the Australian stakes winner The Big Chill.

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.