Hong Kong’s Horse of the Year Ambitious Dragon (6 g Pins - Golden Gamble, by Oregon) swept to a scintillating victory in the HKG1 Stewards’ Cup on Sunday.

The Tony Millard-trained Ambitious Dragon headed into the 1600m contest, the 1st Leg of Hong Kong’s Triple Crown, with a point to prove after tasting defeat in his two previous outings, most recently when fourth to the Tony Cruz-trained California Memory in the 2000m G1 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup at the track on 11 December.

Ridden once again by champion jockey Douglas Whyte, Ambitious Dragon consigned those defeats to history as he posted a performance of the utmost class; sprinting clear when asked inside the final 300m and then cruising past the post a length and a quarter clear of the John Moore-trained Xtension, with old rival, the late-closing California Memory, a further three quarters of a length back in third.

“He’s back from that bad experience, that’s the main thing, he’s back!” said a delighted Millard. “I was a bit more confident today. Going into the Hong Kong Cup, we didn’t have a good run-in; he had a bad prep and going into the International race was just too hard.”

Millard, who is confident in the five-year-old’s ability at a range of distances, will now point his charge at the 2nd Leg of the Triple Crown, the HKG1 Citibank Hong Kong Gold Cup over 2000m.

“I’m not somebody who puts the cart in front of the horse,” continued Millard, “but we will definitely go for the 2000m and then we will decide what we are going to do, but we are definitely going race by race.

“I don’t think the mile and a half of the HKG1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup – 3rd Leg) will be a problem the way this horse can turn it on. Even today, I thought that Douglas could have gone a little bit later; he has a phenomenal turn of speed, the way that he can make it up.”

“I think Ambitious Dragon is a true champion – he hasn’t got a (best) distance.”

Flemington trainer Danny O’Brien continued his strong association with the progeny of Waikato Stud sires after preparing a double with Pins’s (Snippets - No Finer, by Kaoru Star) offspring at Wednesday’s Geelong meeting.

O’Brien has enjoyed terrific success with the produce from Waikato Stud sires. The trainer has won stakes races with the likes of Gallopin (Pins - Carla Rossi, by Spectacular Love), Breezy (Pins - Zephyr Magic, by Zephyr Bay), Glam Slam (Pins - Gio, by Centaine) and Keano (Pins - O’Really, by O’Reilly).

O’Brien claimed the Geelong News Maiden Plate (1500m) with the $145,000 purchase Higuain (Pins - Heads Or Tales, by Tale Of The Cat) posted an impressive win.

Higuain hails from the same family as Group 1 winners Good Faith (Straight Strike - Head Of The River, by Shirley Heights) and Daffodil (No Excuse Needed - Spring, by O’Reilly).

Muchos Respectos (Pins - Lookatmelads, by College Chapel) completed O’Brien’s Geelong double with his success in the Baby And Child Handicap (1200m).

O’Brien paid $45,000 for the gelding at the 2009 NZB Premier yearling Sale.

Meanwhile, Caulfield trainer Andrew Noblet produced a smart winner by another Waikato Stud stallion, O’Reilly (Last Tycoon - Courtza, by Pompeii Court), when Notice Received (O’Reilly - Classique Royale, by Royal Academy) powered home to win the Geelong Advertiser Maiden Plate (1200m).

Noblet paid$135,000 for the filly at the 2010 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

Patinack Farm’s Pretty Pins continued her rapid rate of improvement with a dominant win in the $50,000 Sky Racing World QTIS Handicap (2020m) at Doomben on Saturday. Under top-weight of 57.5kg. Pretty Pins was allowed to settle well back in the field and was then forced to race three deep after halfway.

Turning for home some seven lengths off the leaders, Pretty Pins found an impressive turn of foot to charge after the leaders, reeling them in and then going clear to score by one and a quarter lengths.

“She’s a pretty exciting filly and you don’t see many horses do what she just did,” Bell explained. “I was never worried being wide and I only hit her twice with the whip. She’s got a very bright future and will make a nice Oaks filly next year.”

A $280,000 purchase at the NZB Premier Sale Pretty Pins is descended form Melbourne Cup winner Raindear and looks to have a bright future. “I’d say the Queensland Oaks is definitely her go after this win.” Patinack’s Queensland stable foreman Brett Killion said, confirming that Pretty Pins will now be spelled ahead of a Queenesland Winter Carnival preparation.

“She’s got a near unblemished record with four wins and three placings from seven starts this campaign. She’ll go for a well earned spell now and I think you’ll see an even nicer filly in the winter.”

“It was an arrogant ride from Tim. John [Thompson] asked him to ride her like she was the best horse in the race, which she was. I wasn’t too concerned when she was caught wide. She can’t sit and sprint and you have to keep her rolling when she makes a long run.”

Pretty Pins (3 f Pins – Luna Tudor, by Military Plume) has won four of her seven starts and placed in the other three.

Waikato Stud sires have produced a quarter of the 12-strong field for Saturday’s Group 3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) at Awapuni.

Leading stallion Pins (Snippets - No Finer, by Luskin Star) will shoot for his fifth Australasian stakes win of the season. Kindred (Pins - Kind Return, by Zabeel) has won two of her four starts but will need to overcome Trendy (Pins - Trujillo, by Saint Bernardo), who has won twice in five attempts.

Pins’s influence extends to the race favourite, the Graeme and Debbie Rogerson-trained Dowager Queen (Savabeel - Dower, Pins)

Dowager Queen will resume from a 37-day break after her second placing to Mosheen in the Group 1 VRC Oaks (2500m) at Flemington last month.

Below is the full field for the Eulogy Stakes at Awapuni.

Premier Sydney trainer Chris Waller trialled more than $1 million worth of bloodstock at Tuesday’s set of heats held at Rosehill.

Waller’s charges took out seven of the dozen heats contested on Tuesday morning, including two of the three two-year-old trials with a pair of Ingham Racing-owned colts.

Fundido (Lonhro - Red Fever, by Red Ransom) posted an outstanding eight-length win in the third heat of the morning in the time of 53.98 seconds for the 900 metres.

Fundido was a $70,000 purchase at the 2011 Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale from the same family as the juvenile stakes winners Way West (Danehill - Prospect Fever, by Mr Prospector) and Jumlah (Catbird - Marlow Waters, by Marauding)

Fob Dubai (Charge Forward - Barsha, by Redoute’s Choice) cost Ingham Racing $150,000 at the 2011 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. Fob Dubai showed he would go a long way to recouping his owners’ investment with a 2.8-length success in the fifth heat of the morning.

The colt’s stablemate Rastro (Mossman - Raise A Dane, by Danehill), a $120,000 2011  Gold Coast Magic Millions sale purchase, worked home nicely to finish second in the heat.

Access Code (Pins - Lilakyn, by Danehill) cost Ingham Racing $260,000 at the Inglis Easter sale. The three-year-old got home narrowly to claim the 11^th heat of the day. The $600,000 yearling purchase Valhussle (Hussonet - Ribe, by Danehill) finished fifth in the sixth trial as he prepared for his return to the track.

Undisclosed (4 g Pins - Dare To Win, by Centaine) won his second stakes race at the weekend when proving too strong for Double Barrel (Bertolini) a short-head in the Listed $45,000 Counties Bowl (1100m) at Pukekohe.

Beginning smartly from barrier one, Undisclosed was in behind the leading group to the turn where he was able to come out into the clear to make his challenge three wide. Reaching the lead 200m out, Undisclosed stayed on gamely to score.

The win was the four-year-old’s second at stakes level after claiming the Listed Canterbury Stakes (1600m) in October last season.

Bred by Trevor Luke & Ms L Williams and raced by Trevor in partnership with Peter and Kim McKay, Undisclosed was purchased by Montego Lodge Partnership from Shelby Park at New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2009 Karaka Premier Sale for $100,000.

He is bred on the same Pins / Centaine cross as Caulfield Guineas winner Econsul, who stands at Woodsice Park Stud in Victoria.

Pins

Waikato Stud’s main man Pins (Snippets - No Finer, by Kaoru Star) continues to churn out the winners with another double at Thursday’s Te Aroha meeting in New Zealand.

Midnight Senorita (Pins - Midnight Babe, by Danehill) broke through to claim the Shackell Electrical Maiden Plate (1200m) before Starpin (Pins - Starnui, by Rancher) easily won the Capistrano Lodge Handicap (1200m).

Three Wishes (No Excuse Needed - Polka, by Groom Dancer) completed a quinella for Waikato Stud sires in the event.

Pins’s pair of successes took his win tally for the season to 53. The former top three-year-old has produced the winners of 26 races in New Zealand while 37 of Pins’s wins have come in Australia.

Pins is currently working his way through another impressive book of mares at a service fee of $NZ40,000.

Pins proved popular with buyers at this week’s NZB Ready To Run Sale, producing the top=priced lot on the second of trading, a colt out of the Caulfield Cup runner-up Laebeel (Zabeel - So Like Lae, by Marceau) that sold for $NZ390,000.

Stakes-winning broodmares have combined to produce half of Waikato Stud’s winners on a successful spring Wednesday on both sides of the Tasman Sea.

Waikato Stud mainstay Pins (Snippets - No Finer, by Kaoru Star) sired three of the New Zealand operation’s four winners on Wednesday. The Group 2-winning mare Ugachaka (Danasinga - Bolshoi Star, by Three Legs) produced her second winner from three foals to race when High On Believing (Pins - Ugachaka, by Danasinga) won the Channel Seven Maiden Plate (1000m) at Eagle Farm.

Gwenda Markwell produced a son of Listed winner Gypsy’s Daughter (Mi Preferido - Jean Gordon, by Amalgam), to win the ATC Foundation Membership Handicap (1300m) at Warwick Farm. Rolling Pin (Pins - Gypsy’s Daughter, by Mi Preferido) fetched $60,000 at the 2009 NZB Premier Yearling Sale.

“I noticed when I bought the horse over in New Zealand that he had the same birthday so I couldn’t resist,” Rolling Pin’s owner Matthew Sandblom said.

“And it looks like we’ll have a bit of fun with this horse.

“He’s a slow-maturing horse and Gwenda (trainer Markwell) has been patient with him. Hopefully it will all pay off now.”

The Chris Waller-trained three-year-old Sacred Pins (Pins - Hideaway, by Centaine) completed a treble for the prolific sire with his win in the Royal Randwick on Youtube Handicap (1200m) at Warwick Farm. Pins’s triple success took his win tally for the season to 42.

Quintessential (Fast ‘N’ Famous - Florette, by Sword Dance) completed Waikato Stud’s winning quartet with her win in the Sutherland Contracting Maiden (1400m) at Te Teko.

Antonio Lombardo (3 c Pins - Petit Verdot, by Carnegie) made fitness tell in yesterday’s $70,000 Gr 3 James & Annie Sarten Memorial Stakes (1400m)  at Te Rapa.

Already the winner of the Listed Westbury Stakes (1200m) and Gr 2 Hawkes Bay Guineas (1400m) this season, Antonio Lombardo made nearly all the running to defeat last season’s Champion 2yo Anabandana (Anabaa) by a length with Holy Moly (Holy Roman Emperor)  third.

Peter McKay, who also part-owns Antonio Lombardo as well as training the colt, was a happy man. “We’ve taken on the good filly and it’s nice to know we can beat her. She had beaten us in two from two last season, but he’s improved and I wasn’t too sure how much she’d improved.”

“He’s likes to lead, so Sam just took him across quietly, he’s kicked on the corner and he takes some beating. He’s a good horse.”

Antonio Lombardo was purchased as a yearling by McKay for $120,000 from the draft of Trelawney at the 2010 NZB Premier Yearling Sale, and has won six races and bankrolled $415,315 from 12 starts.

Antonio Lombardo

Waikato Stud mainstay Pins (Snippets - No Finer, by Kaoru Star) completed his sixth double of the season on Thursday with successes at the Wyong and Cranbourne meetings.

Pins started the day with a win at Wyong when Miss Brigette (Pins - Domielle, by Encosta De Lago) took out the Housewatch-Matchmaster Handicap (2100m). The Bob Thomsen-trained mare became the second of Pins’s progeny win over further than a mile this season with her long neck victory.

The Danny O’Brien stable continued its fine run when Muchos Respectos (Pins - Lookatmelads, by College Chapel) took out the Ivans Pies Handicap (1200m) at Cranbourne. The four-year-old’s win was O’Brien’s third this season with progeny of Waikato Stud sires.

Pins’s dual success took his win tally for the season to 30.

Meanwhile, Swettenham Stud’s consistent performer Bianconi (Danzig - Fall Aspen, by Pretense) earned a double of his own with two winners at the Cranbourne fixture.

Bianconi produced the winner of the first race of the meeting when Cavallo Nero (Bianconi - Cica Cica, by Success Express) claimed the TAB Sportsbet Maiden Plate (1100m) for the Nick Harnett stable. The promising Set The Course (Bianconi - Ocean Tide, by Suave Dancer) earned his third win from six starts in the TAB Sportsbet Handicap (1600m).

Bianconi’s progeny have won 33 races this season with 16 of those successes coming in the stallion’s home state of Victoria.

He doesn’t enjoy sunlight but the brother to the 2007 Cox Plate winner El Segundo (Pins - Palos Verdes, by Crown Ridge), El Stupendo (Pins - Palos Verdes, by Crown Ridge) still managed to notch an impressive win at Cranbourne on Sunday.

El Stupendo produced a strong finishing sprint to claim the A Positive Move Handicap (1500m). The gelding’s trainer Colin Little revealed the battle his stable has faced just to get the promising prospect to the races.

Injury problems have limited El Stupendo’s racing but a rare ailment has also hindered the promising prospect’s development.

“He’s a five-year-old and it was just his fourth run in a race so it has taken us a while,” Little said.

“He won a race and then bowed a tendon, which cost us a year, then he started to carry on and we couldn’t work out what was wrong but he’s allergic to the sun.

“It’s the first one I have ever heard of.

 ”He’s all right, he’s in a dark yard and he wears a shade all day. I don’t know what will happen in summer.”

Centaine (Century - Rainbeam, by Vain) mare Ungaro (Centaine - Isla Bijou, by Noble Bijou) earned her eighth winner from eight foals to race when Heels (Pins - Ungaro, by Centaine) scored on debut at Nowra.

Warwick Farm trainer Gary Portelli made the trip to Nowra to educate the three-year-old filly, who did her part with a comfortable two-length win in the Courting Horse Of The Year Maiden (1200m).

Heels is a sister to the promising four-year-old Somepin Anypin (Pins - Ungaro, by Centaine). Ungaro has also produced the stakes winners Salsa (O’Reilly - Ungaro, by Centaine) and Rule Of Engagement (Danasinga - Ungaro, by Centaine).

Ungaro is a sister to the Group 1 winner Centisle (Centaine - Isla Bijou, by Noble Bijou) as well as the Group 2 performer Sylvaner (Danasinga - Isla Bijou, by Noble Bijou). Sylvaner is the dam of stakes winner Vesper (Zabeel - Isla Bijou, by Noble Bijou).

Meanwhile, Vinery’s consistent resident Testa Rossa (Perugino - Bo Dapper, by Sir Dapper) provided the lion’s share of a treble for the Hunter Valley operation on Tuesday.

Red Hustler (Tests Rossa - Rose Sapphire, by Keltrice) won the Eastcoast Paint Handicap (1741m) at Sale before Destiny Express (Testa Rossa - Shoot The Stars, by Entrepreneur) claimed the Pallarenda Raceday 11/10 Handicap (1200m) at Townsville.

Cool Maverick (Dubleo - Centome, by Belong To Me) completed Vinery’s triple success with his win in the Robert Price Winning Trainer Handicap (1100m) at Nowra.

Game Queenslander Buffering (Mossman - Action Annie, by Anabaa) continued to represent his sire with distinction after recording his third stakes win in Saturday’s Group 3 McEwen Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley.

Buffering jumped well before jockey Damian Browne took the gelding to the front. Buffering was under siege from the 400m but pulled out enough to hold out Group 1 winners Crystal Lily (Stratum - Crystal Snip, by Snippets) and Atomic Force (Danehill Dancer - Show Of Force, by Luskin Star) to score by a nose.

The four-year-old’s success was the 28^th stakes win for Vinery Stud resident Mossman (Success Express - Lichen Lady, by Twig Moss).

“It was probably my biggest thrill in Melbourne even though I had him her last year and he won some nice races,” Heathcote said. “This is our first win down here.

“We are excited. He is a little $20,000 horse and he is getting up towards the million in prizemoney so he has been a lot of fun to us.”

Meanwhile, exciting Pins (Snippets - No Finer, by Luskin Star) colt Antonio Lombardo (Pins - Petit Verdot, by Carnegie) made an outstanding return to racing in the Listed Westbury Stud Stakes (1200m) at Awapuni.

Antonio Lombardo showed his talents with a Group 3 win as well as a Listed success as a juvenile but blitzed his rivals at the first run of his three-year-old season, scoring by a comfortable 5-1/2 lengths.

Antonio Lombardo has won over 1200 metres twice but he has the pedigree to get out over further. His dam Petit Verdot (Carnegie - Rationaine, by Centaine) is a sister to the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) winner Amalfi (Carnegie - Rationaine, by Centaine) and the stakes-placed Bruges (Groom Dancer - Rationaine, by Centaine), who won over 2025 metres.

Westbury Stud stallion Captain Rio (Pivotal - Beloved Visitor, by Miswaki) provided the first Australasian two-year-old winner for the season when Reais (Captain Rio - Heather Mac) proved too speedy for her rivals at Wanganui.

Reais won the 92.8FM Handicap over 800 metres at Wanganui by two lengths over another filly, Hollywood Angel (Dehere - Whiffle, by Red Ransom) with Killa Question (Any Suggestion - Killa Loox, by City On A Hill) a nose away in third spot.

Meanwhile, the Graeme and Debbie Rogerson-trained three-year-old filly Dowager Queen (Savabeel - Dower, by Pins) earned her third stakes success with a narrow win in the Listed Fordell O’Leary’s Stakes (1200m) at Wanganui.

Dowager Queen’s win provided the highlight of a quartet of winners for Waikato Stud stallions. The Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra-trained Nomatamata (Savabeel - Pesce, by West Point) completed a double for Savabeel (Zabeel - Savannah Express, by Success Express) with his win in the Vicon Handicap (1980m) at Tatura.

A double to Pins (Snippets - No Finer, by Kaoru Star) rounded out Waikato Stud’s quadruple success. The Chris Waller-trained Thumbtacks (Pins - Anza Belle, by Centaine) produced a tough performance to win the Royal Randwick on Twitter Handicap (1600m) before Sharp Princess (Pins - She’s Snubbed, by O’Reilly) claimed the Wanganui Chronicle Handicap (1200m) at Wanganui.

Unpretentious (Stratum - Alisa Free, by Favorite Trick) became the latest promising prospect for Widden Stud sire Stratum (Redoute’s Choice - Bourgeois, by Luskin Star) with an effortless debut win at Thursday’s Sale meeting.

Unpretentious gave away experience to his opposition in the Iplex Pipelines 0-68 Handicap (1100m). A wide run on a slow track had no effect on the three-year-old, who coasted to a 2-1/2 length win over the city-performed Sharnee Rose (Nadeem - Farasha, by Jeune).

“We will take it a run at a time,” Burke said. “He is very babyish and he still has a bit of growing to do but he has got a good motor.

“We’ll take him to the city for his next start, for a Saturday maybe. He can graduate from then.”

The Mike Moroney-trained Stratocracy (Stratum - Gemstone, by Pentire) completed a double for Stratum with his win in the Australian Group Valve Handicap (1400m).

Meanwhile, Waikato Stud sires Pins (Snippets - No Finer, by Kaoru Star) and Savabeel (Zabeel - Savannah Success, by Success Express) combined for a double for the New Zealand operation at Sale.

Mornington trainer Jason Warren produced Won Ton Noodles (Pins - Delgatie Queen, by Spectacular Love) to win the Masterflash Maiden Plate (1200m) before Tantrum (Savabeel -Tantamount, by Last Tycoon) claimed the Plastec Handicap (1100m).

Four-year-old mare Uplifting (Pins - Saveke, by Centaine) completed a double for Pins and a treble for Waikato with her win in the Cranston Pies Maiden Plate (1600m).

The Danny O’Brien trainer mare Placement (Savabeel - Lucida, by O’Reilly) withdrew her claim as Australia’s best maiden after breaking through at Friday’s Geelong Synthetic meeting.

Placement finished third in the Group 1 VRC Oaks (2500m) at Flemington last year among three stakes placings but remarkably took 18 attempts to win her first race.

Placement looked to be in trouble with 100 metres of the unsuitably short race to run but the mare lifted late to beat the plucky Birkin (Sequalo - So Chic, by Fasliyev) by a long head.

O’Brien paid $65,000 for Placement at the 2009 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. The mare’s win took her prizemoney to more than $200,000.

Placement’s effort provided an Australian leg to a trans-Tasman treble for Waikato Stud with the operation’s consistent sire Pins (Snippets - No Finer, by Kaoru Star) providing the other two wins.

The Jason Bridgman-trained Manny Pacuiao (Pins - Georgiana, by Nassipour) comfortably won the IRT Maiden Handicap (1300m) at Taupo before Frockstar (Pins - Nicole’s Niner, by Forty Niner), from the John Bary stable, won the Cambridge Stud Tavistock Maiden (1200m) at the same venue.

Frockstar is a half-brother to the former Singapore Horse of the Year, Currency (Spinning World - Nicole’s Niner, by Forty Niner) as well as the Melbourne city winner Sparkling Satine (O’Reilly - Nicole’s Niner, by Forty Niner).

Waikato Stud stallion Pins has won the Centaine Trophy for 2010/11. The Centaine Trophy is for the sire whose NZ-conceived progeny for the season under review has accumulated the highest stakes earnings worldwide

To this end, with over NZ$11 million in progeny earnings, Pins established a comfortable buffer over his rivals, with boom stallion High Chaparral figuring next best in second, $571,706 away.

The result also stacked up competitively against his Australian counterparts. During 2010/11, the Australian-based sire Encosta de Lago rated number one for global earnings with A$11,701,005, followed next by Redoute’s Choice ($10,730,956), Lonhro ($10,045,392), More Than Ready ($9,004,504) and Fastnet Rock ($8,519,100).

“The Centaine Award is now New Zealand’s most significant sire award, as it truly records the endeavours of the NZ-based stallion on the world stage,” said Waikato Stud’s Garry Chittick.  “New Zealand could not survive without its horses’ success in Australasia, Asia and the US.”

“For Pins to have achieved over $11million in global earnings is a very clear sign of the important contribution that these markets play and to his own ability to produce world class racehorses.”

Adding extra lustre to his crown as Hong Kong’s Champion Sire and as the Centaine Award winner, Pins achieved further distinction last term as being New Zealand’s number one sire of individual stakes winners, with a total of 10.“This in itself is very significant. Ordinarily if a stallion does three or four in a season, they are doing very well,” said Chittick.

Pins’ 10 stakes winners for 2010/2011 comprised of the Hong Kong star Ambitious Dragon; the US G2 winner Our Nautique; the Australian winners Legsman, Lucha Libra and Almodovar; and the home-based Icepin, Katie Lee, Undisclosed, Bespoke and Antonio Lombardo – New Zealand’s leading 2YO colt.

Pins – who stands for $40,000 in 2011, counts 41 stakes winners to his credit with a winners-to-runners ratio of 67.2%.

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).

Waikato Stud stallion Pins (Snippets) was crowned Hong Kong’s Champion Sire for the 2010/2011 season at the conclusion of racing last night. Shadowing the 2007/08 & 2008/09 accomplishments of associate sire O’Reilly, Pins picked up the honour with a Hong Kong achievement of 9 winners, who accumulated progeny earnings of over HK$31 million.

Ambitious Dragon – a triple Group 1 winning son of Pins, was honoured as Hong Kong’s Horse of the Year with feature wins coming in the G1 QEII Cup, the HK-1 Hong Kong Derby and the HK-1 Classic Cup.

Ambitious Dragon was not the only son of Pins who shone on the night. Smart Giant – a Pins half-brother to the multiple G1 winner Daffodil, played his part too by bringing up win number 73 for John Moore, effectively sealing the title of Hong Kong’s Champion Trainer of 2010/11 for the master conditioner.

By no means limited to Hong Kong, Pins’ black-type class this season has been confirmed with the Australasian-based wins of Katie Lee, Antonio Lombardo, Icepin, Legsman, Lucha Libra, Almodovar, Bespoke and Undisclosed and with the USA Group win by Our Nautique.

Pins stands at Waikato Stud in 2011 for a stud fee of $40,000 plus GST, LFG.

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).