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| Pins (horse) | |
|---|---|
| Horsename | Pins |
| Sire | Snippets |
| Grandsire | Lunchtime |
| Dam | No Finer |
| Damsire | Kaoru Star |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1996 |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Peter Vela |
| Owner | P Vela & A Cummings |
| Trainer | Roger James |
| Record | 34:8-6-3 |
| Earnings | NZ$1,612,841 |
Pins (horse) was a New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred stallion notable for success on the racetrack and as a sire in Australasia. Foaled in 1996, he combined speed and stamina inherited from prominent bloodlines and produced multiple stakes winners that impacted Australasian breeding. Pins stood at stud in New Zealand and later influences extended to Australia and international markets.
Pins was bred by Peter Vela at Mills Reef in New Zealand, out of the mare No Finer by Kaoru Star and sired by Snippets, a son of Lunchtime. The mating linked influential families from Australasian pedigrees associated with sprint and middle-distance success, drawing on bloodlines that include descendants of Star Kingdom and lines connected to Northern Dancer-influenced branches. Ownership was retained by figures involved in the New Zealand racing industry such as Peter Vela and Antonius Cummings, and training responsibilities were handled by Roger James at a time when New Zealand racing was interacting closely with Australian Turf Club-affiliated events and major weight-for-age contests across Flemington Racecourse and Ellerslie Racecourse circuits.
Pins raced during the late 1990s and early 2000s, compiling a record that included victories in key New Zealand Group races and performances against Australian contenders. His campaign featured starts in events associated with the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Association calendar and appearances at carnivals with connections to the Melbourne Cup carnival season and provincial Group meetings. Trained by Roger James, Pins competed in weight-for-age and set-weight contests, facing horses campaigned by prominent trainers such as Bart Cummings and owners linked to stables like Mills Reef Stud. His racing style showcased a potent turn of foot useful over distances from sprint trips to middle distances, earning prize money that positioned him among leading New Zealand performers of his cohort.
Retired to stud, Pins stood at Rich Hill Stud in Auckland and later shuttled to Australian and international breeding operations, reflecting patterns used by studs such as Coolmore and Widden Stud to market stallions across hemispheres. As a sire, Pins produced numerous stakes performers and classic winners who succeeded in events affiliated with the Australian Turf Club, Racing Victoria, and the New Zealand stakes program administered by organizations like the New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing. His progeny included Group 1 winners and high-level stakes horses that performed at venues such as Flemington Racecourse, Randwick Racecourse, and Moonee Valley Racecourse. Breeders and bloodstock agents, including figures from houses like Jason Walsh Bloodstock and auctions at the New Zealand Bloodstock sales, frequently offered Pins-sired yearlings and broodmare prospects, capitalizing on his record of producing precocious sprinters and durable middle-distance performers.
Pins was assessed by industry participants for both racetrack ability and stud value, earning recognition in sales rings and among breeding rankings compiled by bodies like the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities and New Zealand pedigrees tracked by the New Zealand Stud Book. His impact was reflected in statistics reported by organizations such as Arion Pedigrees and commentary in publications associated with the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Association and Australian racing media covering Group race outcomes and stallion tables. Pins' progeny success secured him a place among notable Australasian sires of his era and led to honors within breeder circles, including nominations to stallion performance lists that inform yearling sale catalogues and breeding decisions.
Pins' pedigree combined the sprint influence of sire Snippets with the maternal line through No Finer and sire-line elements tracing to Lunchtime. The cross brought together strains linked to influential stallions including Star Kingdom derivatives and other major contributors to Southern Hemisphere breed improvement. Breeding analysts compared Pins' genetic contributions to patterns seen in successful crosses involving stallions promoted by entities such as Coolmore Stud and Darley Stud, noting affinities with families that produced classic and Group-winning horses competing in Australia and New Zealand.
Following a stud career that spanned multiple seasons and shuttle arrangements, Pins was pensioned from active service and lived out retirement at stud properties associated with breeders like Peter Vela and operations similar to Rich Hill Stud. His later years were acknowledged by the Australasian racing community and by stakeholders at seasonal sales run by New Zealand Bloodstock and Magic Millions. Pins passed away after a period of retirement, leaving a legacy through his progeny and ongoing influence in pedigrees catalogued by the New Zealand Stud Book and recorded in stud registers used by breeders across Australasia.
Category:1996 racehorse births Category:New Zealand thoroughbred sires