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

I don’t know if the two of you have ever had the thrill of travelling at high speed across the water on a single ski, totally dependent on the driver of the boat. Fall off and you are left treading water, reminds you of racing. Here we are, with multiple hints of navigation hanging on to the rope hoping for salvation.

20 May 2026

Icebath’s half-sister goes back-to-back

Well-bred mare Superfabulistic (Super Seth ex Fabulist) continued her rise through the grades at Warwick Farm on Wednesday, making it back-to-back victories with a strong performance in the Precise Air Handicap (1600m).