WS stallions in Gr 1 frame

8 April 2013

WS stallions were in the thick of the Group One action on both sides of the Tasman on Saturday. O’Reilly’s daughter Silent Achiever was narrowly denied victory in the BMW Stakes at Rosehill where she finished powerfully to just miss another top-flight title to go alongside her New Zealand Derby success.

Savabeel’s four-year-old son Sangster, already a three-time Group One winner, also put in a strong performance to finish third in the BMW. That concluded a highly profitable campaign which had previously netted him wins in the Auckland Cup and the Darci Brahma International Stakes.

Meanwhile on the domestic front, Diademe again showed her quality with a game effort for third at Te Aroha in the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes. The Garry Chittick-bred Savabeel mare has made impressive progress this preparation and last month won the Gr 3 Westbury Classic at just her eighth raceday appearance.

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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.

5 November 2026

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.