O’Reilly still breaking records

20 November 2015

O’Reilly provided the star act on the closing day of the Ready to Run Sale at Karaka this afternoon. His son broke the auction record of $500,000 when he was knocked down for $525,000 to Hong Kong interests.

He was offered by Bruce and Maureen Harvey’s Ascot Farm, whose expectations were exceeded. “We thought he would make close to $400,000 the way he had breezed up – you don’t see them break 10 seconds as easily as he did,” Bruce Harvey said. “Everyone who has ridden him says he’s a machine so we were hopeful without being over confident.”

Pinhooked as a weanling at Karaka last year for $165,000, the half-brother by O’Reilly to the stakes winner Avisto was bought by Hong Kong trainer Dennis Yip and agent William Tai for owner Mr IP Chun Shing, who was on his first visit to New Zealand. “I followed the advice of my trainer,” he said. “It was a little higher that we expected, but we said we would get the one that we liked.”

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 …