Rudyard in top form for Group 3 test
Ever reliable four-year-old Rudyard produced a flawless dress rehearsal for an upcoming
stakes challenge with victory at Pukekohe Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Tony Pike-trained son of Charm Spirit was successful in the open sprint over 1300
metres, initially dead-heating for first before he was awarded the race on his own after a subsequent inquiry.
Rudyard settled midfield off the fence for apprentice Lily Sutherland and finished strongly in the run home, despite being inconvenienced by a wayward runner on his outside.
“He’s gone to a new level this preparation and we were looking at going down to Trentham, but stayed closer to home and he’ll run in the Easter Handicap (G3, 1600m) in a fortnight,” Pike said.
He has now amassed four wins and five minor place finishes from his nine runs this time in.
Part-owned by Waikato Stud, Rudyard is a son of Savabeel’s dual Group 2-winning daughter Lady Kipling and was purchased by Pike for $280,000 out of Windsor Park Stud’s draft at Karaka.
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.
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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.
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