Silent Achiever In Memorable Mile Win

27 October 2012

O’Reilly’s high-class daughter Silent Achiever showed Australians her quality with her Gr.2 Crystal Mile victory at Moonee Valley today.

The four-year-old gave a strong second-up performance to win over 1600 metres and press her claims for her main aim – the Gr.2 Matriarch Stakes at Flemington during the Cup carnival.

“She had a few things against her with the weight-for-age scale, at Moonee Valley for the first time and the mile is well short of her best,” Cambridge trainer Roger James said. “She’s always been a very classy mare and she ticked all the boxes today.”

Bred and owned by Kevin Hickman, Silente Achiever was awarded the Champion NZ 3YO last season, with her crowning glory coming in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby.

She was ridden today by James McDonald, who brought her from last for a stirring victory. “I’ve never been beaten on her and to beat Rangirangdoo at weight-for-age is great,” he said.

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 …