Shopaholic Makes Winning Australian Debut

21 September 2011

The WS bred and raced Pins filly Shopaholic made a winning debut in Australia on Wednesday.

The Danny O’Brien tutored 3YO went out as a $4.10 favourite, and rewarded such estimations with a gutsy aluminium hugging performance.

Biding time back in fifth, Shopaholic had to wait patiently for an opportunity to present itself, but upon a gap emerging, drove through under Dwayne Dunn to fight out the finish with pacemaker Miss Zoom.

The line would find a short head in her favour, ensuring a career showing of two from five.

Shopaholic is out of the black-type racemare Splashing Out, who O’Brien also trained.

Splashing Out won four of her nine starts in Australia with a highlight victory in the Gr 3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes at Caulfield. She was also runner-up to the top-class Gold Edition in the Gr 1 Ascot Vale Stakes after suffering an interrupted passage and gained a further placing in the Gr 2 Age Classic.

By O’Reilly, Splashing Out is from the Gr 3 Manawatu Classic winner Iguazu and is from the family of the Gr 3 Eclipse Stakes winner Grand Dancer (No Excuse Needed).

Splashing Out is currently in-foal to Pins.

Pins over O’Reilly Mare Nick = 31 runners, 23 winners (74.2%WTR), 4 stakes winners, 3.89 AEI.

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.