O’Reilly Filly A Star In The Making

22 January 2012

Pussy Willow looks another potential headline act for WS stallion O’Reilly following her brilliant victory at Trentham on Saturday. The two-year-old displayed a stunning turn of foot to claim the Gr 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes and maintain her perfect record.

A winner on debut at Ruakaka earlier this month, she came from well off the pace with a cracking final 200 metres on Saturday to win with ease. “She’s still very raw and green,” trainer Stephen McKee said, “She got a bit lost, but she’s absolute top class.”

Out of the multiple winner and Gr 1 performer Octapussy, Pussy Willow is a sister to the promising Pussy O’Reilly who is also raced by her breeders Sir Patrick and Lady Justine Hogan and Peter Walker. Pussy O’Reilly has also been a winner for Cambridge trainer Don Sellwood and in the spring finished fourth in the Gr 3 Gold Trail Stakes.

O’Reilly completed a notable juvenile double when his son Shamexpress was successful at the first time of asking at Flemington. The Danny O’Brien-trained colt is out of the Volksraad mare Volkrose and was bred and sold, for $130,000 at Karaka, by Beltana Stud’s Richard Rutherford who has been a staunch supporter of O’Reilly.

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.

9 July 2026

WS graduate Honour Roll out to add stakes success at Otaki

Waikato Stud will be cheering on one of its promising graduates on Friday when Honour Roll contests the Listed John Turkington Forestry Castletown Stakes (1200m) at Otaki. The WS-bred son of the late Champion sire …