Sha Tin double for stud

25 November 2013

WS was a major player in Hong Kong last night with a winning double on the Sha Tin card. Flame Hero started the ball rolling with his victory in the class four sprint and his successful lead was later followed by Approve in the class three metric mile.

Trained by Peter Ho and ridden by Zac Purton, Flame Hero had been a three-time placegetter from his previous five starts. A son of Savabeel, he is out of out of the Gr 3 Cuddle Stakes winner Rhysess and was a $28,000 Select yearling at Karaka in 2011.

The Pins four-year-old Approve is trained by John Moore and was a $A370,000 Sydney Easter Sale purchase. The gelding, who is out of a half-sister to the WS-bred multiple Group One winner Starcraft, has now won twice in Hong Kong.

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.