No Excuse Needed for a Dozen

10 October 2011

Waikato Stud sire No Excuse Needed notched a dozen Stakes Winners on Saturday.

The battle for the 12th spot was valiantly fought out in the Listed Matamata Cup by No Excuse Maggie and Justanexcuse, with honours ultimately lying with the former by a short neck at the post.

Raced by the Full Of Excuses Syndicate, No Excuse Maggie has returned four wins and four placings from her 13 career outings for trainer John Bary, ensuring her connections a healthy return of NZ$77,525.

A top class racehorse himself, No Excuse Needed followed 2YO success with wins at 3 & 4 in the now Gr.1 Royal Ascot Queen Anne Stakes and in the Gr.2 Goodwood Celebration Mile.

Renowned for his ability to tidy up a mare’s conformational faults, No Excuse Needed has celebrated his time at stud with offspring such as the triple Gr.1 winner Daffodil, and with the inaugural Karaka Million hero Vincent Mangano.

Other black-type stars have included: No Excuse Maggie, Take The Rap, Grand Dancer, Snow Excuse, Champagne Needed, Masquerade, Lesley Brook, Mercury Mistress, Takeanotherchance and Miss Millbrook.

Interestingly, of these 12 stakes winners, there is a perfect 6 apiece split for his colts and fillies.

Standing for $8000 plus GST, No Excuse Needed is a son of Mr Prospector’s champion son Machiavellian – the noted grandsire of champion gallopers Zenyatta, Street Sense, Shocking and Whobegotyou.

The Corner with Garry Chittick

No Corner last week; this week the Annual Thoroughbred Racing Awards night certainly deserves acknowledgment. It is the second of two nights of measurement of Thoroughbred achievements for the year, with the first focussing on our Breeders’ awards.

9 September 2026

Savabeel’s Group 1 daughter Belle Cheval retired

Belle Cheval, by champion sire Savabeel, enjoyed a stellar career: placing in the NZ 1000 Guineas, winning the Almanzor Trophy and Uncle Remus Stakes, finishing second in The Kiwi, then claiming Group 1 glory in Australia’s Vinery Stud Stakes before retiring to broodmare duties.