Solid opening day at Sydney

10 April 2013

WS made a strong impression on the opening day of the Sydney Easter Sale with a Pins colt secured by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for $A360,000. The youngster is out of the winning O’Reilly mare Lucida and is a half-brother to the multiple winner and Gr.1 VRC Oaks placegetter Placement (Savabeel) with their grand-dam the former leading three-year-old filly, Starcent.

The Matamata farm’s other lot on day one was the O’Reilly filly out of a half-sister to the Gr 1 Ellerslie Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Good Faith, who made $A120,000. From the family of No Excuse Needed’s champion three-year-old Daffodil (Gr 1 NZ 1000 Guineas, Gr 1 Australian Oaks, Gr 1 Windsor Park Plate), she was purchased by respected Queensland bloodstock agent John Foote.

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.