Scusa a bright spring prospect

3 June 2014

A lucrative spring has been tipped for the well-related juvenile Scusa after he opened his account at Ellerslie on Queen’s Birthday Monday. A brave fourth in the Listed Great Northern Foal Stakes at his previous appearance, he finished strongly for his first career success under leading apprentice Rory Hutchings.

“He took a little while to get into his rhythm and we were a couple of spots further back than I would have liked,” he said.

“His experience definitely helped him and I was able to work into the race and then peel of their backs.”

Co-trainer Graeme Rogerson purchased Scusa for $34,000 out of WS’s Select Sale draft at Karaka last year.

“He’s just got better and better and I think he’s a Guineas horse,” Rogerson said. “We’ll see whether he goes again or we turn him out.”

By No Excuse Needed, he is a brother to the Gr.3 CS Hayes Stakes winner Take The Rap from the family of the champion stallion O’Reilly

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.