Waikato Stud finished its trans-Tasman season in fine style with its stallions providing eight winners over the final weekend of the season.

Winning doubles to Savabeel (Zabeel - Savannah Success, by Success Express) and No Excuse Needed (Machiavellian - Nawaiet, by Zilzal) propelled the New Zealand operation to a quintet of successes on Saturday.

Snow Excuse (No Excuse Needed - Kirkberg, by Mighty Avalanche) provided the highlight of the weekend when the two-year-old provided No Excuse Needed with his 11^th individual stakes winner when the filly claimed the Brancott Estate - Ryder Stakes (1200m) at Saturday’s Otaki meeting.

The Danny O’Brien-trained Lopov (Savabeel - Prickle, by Pins) stamped himself as a future stakes winner with his emphatic success in the Yalumba Masters (2400m) at Caulfield.

No Excuse Needed was among the winners again on Sunday. His three-year-old son Anotherexcuse (No Excuse Needed - Kristabeba, by Kris) claimed the Laurel Function Room Maiden Plate (1736m) at Sale.

Spooked (Scaredee Cat - Beat The Fade, by Maroof) produced another victory for Waikato Stud sires when the three-year-old filly claimed the Turnbull Plumbing Maiden Plate (1008m). Noonan paid $130,000 for the daughter the Group 2 winner Beat The Fade (Maroof - Dawn Run, by Sir Tristram).

Pins (Snippets - No Finer, by Kaoru Star) gelding My Quilter (Pins - Sound Lover, by Sound Reason) completed Waikato’s eight-win weekend with his effort to take out the Quad Services Maiden Plate (1200m) on the Sunshine Coast. My Quilter is a half-brother to stakes-winning stayers Philosophe and Men At Work (both Zabeel - Sound Lover, by Sound Reason).

A winning double at Hawera has paved the way for a trio of success spanning two continents for Cambridge Stud stallion Keeper (Danehill - Nuwirah, by Pleasant Colony).

Keeper’s son Sechura (Keeper - Seven Veils, by Take Your Partner) took out the 1600-metre Maiden Highweight before Ballroom (Keeper - Dancing Aurora, by Danzatore) completed the sire’s New Zealand success in the Mack Transport Handicap (1200m).

Baitiwu (Keeper - Healy Ridge, by Alwasmi) finished off the sire’s profitable Friday with his easy win in the Kowloon East Handicap (1650m) at Sha Tin. Baitiwu is a half-brother to the eight-time Hong Kong winner Flying Bishop (Deputy Governor - Healy Ridge, by Alwasmi).

Baitiwu cost his connections $NZ55,000 at the 2008 NZ Select Yearling Sale.

Meanwhile, Waikato Stud stallions Pins (Snippets - No Finer, by Kaoru Star) and No Excuse Needed combined for a winning double in the final two races of the Sha Tin meeting.

Smart Giant (Pins - Spring, by O’Reilly) took out the High Autonomy Handicap (1400m) for the John Moore stable. Smart Giant is a half-brother to the triple Group 1 winner Daffodil (No Excuse Needed - Spring, by O’Reilly), who was also crowned the New Zealand’s Champion 3YO in 2009.

Just Fantastic (No Excuse Needed - Soneri, by Stark South) finished Waikato Stud’s Friday in style with his win in the Racing Goes On Handicap (1650m).

New Zealand operation Waikato Stud had plenty to celebrate on Thursday after its stallions produced a Trans-Tasman trio of successes.

Savabeel (Zabeel - Savannah Success, by Success Express) has enjoyed a terrific run in Queensland during the Brisbane winter carnival. The sire’s form extended to Rockhampton when Hampden (Savabeel - Operavega, by Stravinsky) took out the Fine Wine Partners Class 1 Handicap (1200m).

Across the Tasman, Waikato Stud sires No Excuse Needed (Machiavellian - Nawaiet, by Zilzal) and O’Reilly (Last Tycoon - Courtza, by Pompeii Court) combined for a winning double. Three-year-old filly Zumba (No Excuse Needed - Nautical, by Yachtie) took out the Connors Family Maiden Plate (1200m) before A Real Prince (O’Reilly - Ceecee Princess, by Cape Cross) proved too strong fro his older opposition in the Lennox Clan Handicap (1340m).

Meanwhile, Blue Gum Farm stallion Elvstroem (Danehill - Circles Of Gold, by Marscay) proved hard to beat in home state with a double at Thursday’s Ballarat meeting.

Leading trainer Mark Kavanagh produced Instalment (Elvstroem - Brightcut, by Octagonal) to claim the James & Son 2YO Maiden (1000m) on debut before Thou Shall Conquer ploughed through the heavy track to win the James & Son Custom Feeds Maiden (1400m).

Waikato Stud resident Pins (Snippets - No Finer, by Kaoru Star) produced a winning double on the same day his dam No Finer (Kaoru Star - Humour, by Pirate King) died at Widden Stud.

No Finer was 31 when the “infirmities of old age” caught up with the mare, causing her to be euthanized at the Hunter Valley property. Pins was one of four black type winners No Finer produced in her career.

“She was retired from stud five years ago and has been a nanny mare here ever since,” said Widden Stud manager Antony Thompson.

“She was very good with the weanlings and although she was a tough mare who didn’t like being fussed over, she was a great favourite with the staff who worked around her on a regular basis.”

Pinaz (Pins - Azabeel, by Zabeel) began Pins’s double success with his win in the C & R Logging Maiden Plate (1200m) at Te Teko. The Keith Dryden stable produced Pins’s second win of the day when Eye Of The Needle (Pins - Tolinda, by Woodman) won the Kamberra Wine Company Handicap (1206m) by four lengths.

Royal Excuse (No Excuse Needed - Royal Remedy, by Royal Academy) completed a Waikato Stud treble with his win in the McRobbie Contractors Maiden Plate (1200m) at Te Teko.

New Zealand operations Waikato Stud enjoyed a wonderful run of success on Saturday with three of its stallions producing seven winners between them, including a new stakes winner for O’Reilly (Last Tycoon - Courtza, by Pompeii Court).

O’Reilly earned his 49^th individual stakes winner when Hammer Down (O’Reilly - Our Prized Rose, by Prized) won the Group 3 Windsor Park Stud Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) at Te Rapa. O’Reilly also earned his third two-year-old victory for the season when Pussy O’Reilly (O’Reilly - Octapussy, Octagonal) took out the Cambridge Equine Hospital Maiden (1200m), also at Te Rapa.

Waikato Stud stallions quinellaed the race when Pins (Snippets - No Finer, by Kaoru Star) filly Orutan (Pins - Naturo, by Postponed) filled the second spot. Pins had his own success later in the day at Te Rapa when Aspinal (Pins - Clermont Rose, by Sound Reason) began a trans-Tasman double for the stallion in the Maneline Cambridge Handicap (1200m).

The John O’Shea-trained Glintz (Pins - Glitzy, by O’Reilly) led all the way to win the Blakes Marine Handicap (1400m) at Hawkesbury. Savabeel (Zabeel - Savannah Success, by Success Express) got into the act in the next race at Hawkesbury when the Gai Waterhouse-trained Tullamore (Savabeel - Trocair, by Flying Spur) took out the Richmond Club Provincial Stayers’ Final (2250m).

Scarlett Lady (Savabeel - On Call, by Ironclad) had earlier provided Savabeel with his 10^th stakes success when the Graeme and Debbie Rogerson-trained took her winning sequence to four with her comprehensive win in the Group 2 Travis Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa.

No Excuse Needed (Machiavellian - Nawaiet, by Zilzal) did his bit for Waikato Stud when his three-year-old son Aldebaran Star (No Excuse Needed - Hyaded, by O’Reilly) took out the Per Incanto at Little Avondale Handicap (1200m).

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