Maggie Leaves No Excuses

22 May 2011

Under The Sun Shines

The tried and true combination of trainer Roger James and jockey Vinnie Colgan joined forces to post a stylish juvenile win at Te Rapa on Saturday with a son of WS stallion No Excuse Needed. Under The Sun was making his second raceday appearance and showed pleasing improvement following his debut run for fourth.

“I won on him at the trials and was quite impressed by him,” said Colgan, who has enjoyed multiples Gr 1 successes with the stable over the years. “He went a nice race first-up after doing a bit of work and we expected a bold run today.”

Under The Sun drew wide on Saturday but Colgan was able to get across early and settle one off the rail. He took an inside run from the 700 metre mark to improve and the gelding produced a sustained finishing run to win by half a-length.

A $15,000 yearling now races by James with Gerard Peterson, he is out a half-brother to the Singapore winner Urban Dancer (O’Reilly). Their dam is the winning Maroof mare Sleaking who is from the family of the multiple Gr 1 winner Bounty Hawk (Mackinnon Stakes, Underwood Stakes, Western Mail Classic, Australian Derby, VRC Derby).

The Corner with Garry Chittick

We live in a vastly different world to the world I was born into 80 years ago. Of course, I would not feel the effects of the political values of the time with any likelihood of understanding, perhaps for 30 years, and yet the environment in which my cousins and I were raised in has had an entrenched effect on our lives.

27 August 2025

Ocean Park sires Wednesday winner for Sargent

Ocean Park’s son Hooligan Tommy made it three wins on the bounce with an impressive first-up Randwick victory, further boosting the credentials of his sire, already responsible for four Group 1 winners.