Pins (horse)


Pins was a Group 1 winning Australian thoroughbred racehorse, who became a successful stud sire in New Zealand.

Breeding

Pins was bred by Maurice MacLeod and owned by him and his wife Dulcie MacLeod through their company, Amadi Park Ltd. His dam was the Australian mare No Finer and he was sired by the Australian stallion Snippets who won the AJC Sires Produce Stakes, Oakleigh Plate and The Galaxy.

Racing career

Pins won seven of his fourteen starts and was also placed three times.
He won his debut over 1100m at Warwick Farm on 4 March 1999, ridden by Brian York. Three races later he won again over 1250m at Canterbury with Shane Dye aboard. In September of that year he won the Group 2 Stan Fox Stakes over 1400m, again with Shane Dye.
After a 5th in the Caulfield Guineas he was spelled and in his first race back he and Dye combined to win the listed Zeditave Stakes. After running 2nd in the listed Debonair, he won three major races in a row in early 2000:
His last race was on 8 April 2000 when he was 6th in the George Ryder Stakes, less than 2 lengths from the winner Al Mansour.

Stud career

Pins was purchased by Ancroft Stud Ltd, Garry & Mark Chittick, Fairdale Stud Ltd & Little Avondale Trust and stood at Waikato Stud. He was the sire of 75 stakes winners and many individual Group One winners. Notable progeny included:
Pins initially stood at a fee of $9,000 but his service fee reached $50,000 and he won the Centaine Award for the leading New Zealand-based sire for global progeny earnings twice. He was also the champion sire in Hong Kong on two occasions.
Pins died in April 2018 due to complications from colic.

Dam sire

Pins will continue to be found in the pedigree of many top New Zealand or Australian horses. For example, he is the dam sire of the following: