Update for O’Reilly colt

27 December 2013

An O’Reilly colt in WS’s travelling party to the upcoming yearling sales was given a major boost at Ellerslie yesterday. Lot 446 in the Premier Sale is a half-brother to the promising staying mare Etoile Filante, who won for the fourth time in her eight-start career on Boxing Day.

Trained by Peter and Dawn Williams, the four-year-old was brought with a timely finishing run to claim the Dunstan Feeds Championship Qualifier by Michael Walker. By Pins, Etoile Filante was bred by WS with David Williams, who races the mare.

She is out of the Listed Marton Cup winner Etoile du Nord, a mare by Zabeel who has also left the multiple Australian winner and Group performer Epingle (Pins). The family also features the Listed Warstep Stakes winner and South Island Filly fo the Year If I Can I Can.

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.