No Excuses Needed Plays Starring Role

8 October 2012

No Excuse Needed made his present felt on premier day at Hastings when his strapping son Aldebaran Star ran the lower grade sprinters into the ground. The WS graduate was too slick for his Rating 85 opposition to post the fifth win of his career.

Trained by her part-owner Trina Riddell at Awapuni, the chestnut was ridden by her husband Jonathan. “He’s a horse that gets up on speed and keeps rolling,” he said. “He was humming at the 600 so I was happy to put the pressure on and they couldn’t catch me.”

A half-brother to the stakes winner Tootsie (Pins), Aldebaran Star was too slick for the former Hong Kong galloper Super Boy and No Excuse Needed also produced the third placegetter Taurus. He is from the family of the Gr 1 winners Guiseppina (Telegraph Handicap) and The Pooka (NZ 2000 Guineas).

Ocean Park Trans-Tasman Double

With Andrew Forsman’s 3yo Ocean Park filly Pine Leaf breaking her maiden by a widening four and a quarter-lengths in the last at Cambridge on Wednesday, celebrations continued as just ten minutes later it was the Chirs Waller trained Velaris who saluted at Canterbury with fellow Ocean Park runner I Park finishing a gallant third.

14 July 2026

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.