Win a Service to Ocean Park with the Waikato NZTBA
The Waikato NZTBA has attracted a major drawcard to its 2020 Fiber Fresh NZ Breeders’ Stakes raceday on April 4th with the confirmation today that we will be donating a service to this season’s breakout sire Ocean Park.
“Ocean Park has been the most influential NZ-based sire in Australasia over the last season. He currently leads New Zealand’s sire premierships for Australasian earnings and in Australia, he is the only NZ-based sire in the top ten on its general sires’ premiership,” said Waikato Stud boss Mark Chittick.
As a racehorse Ocean Park was a five-time Gr.1 winner who achieved his crowning glory in the time-honoured Cox Plate.
As a sire, Ocean Park has proven quite the revelation this season, with four stakes winners including the Chris Waller-trained Gr.1 Epsom Handicap and inaugural Golden Eagle winner, Kolding.
Importantly, three of these four stakes winners have come in Australia, with Oceanex and Tofane registering Gr.2 and Gr.3 success at Flemington and horses such as Rondinella, Another Dollar and Star of the Seas flying the flag with additional form across the Tasman.
“Just like O’Reilly before him, Ocean Park is a terrific endorsement for NZ. He was bred here, trained here and is now leaving his mark as a sire here. With this being the case, we felt it was fitting for Waikato Stud to offer a service to him at a raceday celebrating New Zealand’s leading Gr.1 fillies and mares,” said Chittick.
“Interestingly, parallels between the two sires don’t end there as not only does O’Reilly feature in Ocean Park’s pedigree, but at the same point in time, they both counted six stakes winners – albeit with the Cox Plate winner holding a slight edge due to being the first to strike Australian Gr.1 success.”
Oaks Day glory for Waikato Stud-bred Sulek
Waikato Stud enjoyed a special moment on Oaks Day at Flemington on Thursday, when the New Zealand-bred gelding Sulek – by Super Seth out the O’Reilly mare Tiff And Co, saluted on one of the biggest days of the racing calendar and in front of an international crowd. Bred by the farm in partnership with the Dowager Duchess of Bedford, Sulek took out the A$500,000 Cirka Melbourne Cup Carnival Country Final (1600m) for the third and most lucrative win of his career.
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The Corner with Garry Chittick
And so, another Melbourne Cup has been run. Regretfully, Mary and I were not there. I have no idea how many we attended up until COVID, and I miss the Cup week. Victoria prides itself as the sporting capital of Australia; it may be, they certainly know how to create an event.
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