O’Reilly Filly Derby Hero

10 April 2011

Shamrocker

O’Reilly’s outstanding daughter Shamrocker earned herself a piece of Australasian racing history at Royal Randwick on Saturday. She completed a unique double when she once again proved superior to her male counterparts with a stunning performance to race away with the Gr 1 AJC Australian Derby.

“She’s the first filly to ever win the Australian Guineas and the Australian Derby,” her Flemington trainer Danny O’Brien said. “We’ve always been waiting for a mile and a half and today you’ve seen the best of her at 2400 metres.”

Successful rider Glen Boss, who has now ridden the filly in all four of her career wins, said he never had a moment’s concern during the race. “She got into a good spot early and then she obeyed every command and relaxed. She was very, very strong at the trip.”

Shamrocker, who also won the Gr 2 Sires’ Produce Stakes as a two-year-old, will back up next in the AJC Oaks and then connections thoughts will turn toward the Melbourne Spring Carnival. “She just loves Flemington and I’ve got no reason to think she can’t run two miles,” O’Brien said in reference to the Melbourne Cup. “She’s just a very, very good filly.”

A $65,000 yearling buy at Karaka, Shamrocker is out of the Blues Traveller mare Bohemian Blues who is a half-sister to the Singapore Gr 3 winner Fairy Tale and the multiple Macau stakes winner Juryman-Rock N Roll Kid (HK). It is also the family of the New Zealand stakes winner Besty Coup.

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.

9 July 2026

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.