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19 February 2011

WS Sires In Classic Form

WS stallions continued their domination of a Gr 3 feature sponsored by the Chittick family when Antonio Lombardo dug deep to win Saturday’s Two-Year-Old Classic at the Pukekura Raceway. He is a son of resident stallion pins who also sired last year’s winner and Matamata homebred Icepin while O’Reilly provided the 2009 winner in Seven Schillings.

Trained by Peter McKay, Antonio Lombardo had overcome a tough run at his previous start to finish runner-up in the Karaka Million and earlier in the season had landed the Listed Wellesley Stakes at Trentham. “He’s bred to be a better three-year-old so everything he’s doing at the moment is a bit of a bonus and I’m sure he’s going to go on with it,” McKay said.

The colt was taken to the front on Saturday by Opie Bosson and was travelling comfortably on the turn. However, the Australian visitor Chateauneufe Dupape challenged strongly 150 metres from home and got his head in front but Antonio Lombado wasn’t done with and fought back valiantly to earn a nose decision for the third win of his seven start career.

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.