Bunker opened his winning account as a sire with a double at Riverton in New Zealand on Wednesday.  Tap ‘N’ Gold won Race 1 and Gold Tap made it two-from-two in Race 3 at the South Island course.

Bunker, a son of Java Lodge sire Sandtrap, was a Group 1 winner of the Levin Bayer Classic at Otaki.  Sunline’s trainer Trevor McKee prepared Bunker and raced him in partnership with Southland horseman Syd Taplin and his son Ian.  The Taplin family also owned New Zealand Oaks winner Tapildo (Rhythm).

Ian Taplin races both Riverton winners with local trainer Kerry King.  Tap ‘N’ Gold (3g Bunker – Golden City by Twig Moss) is from a winning daughter of ACT Black Opal Stakes (LR) winner Stars Grace (Capricorno).

Gold Tap (3g Bunker – Ida Gold by Tristram’s Monarch) is out of a sister to Kiwi stayer Super Monarch who also won a G3 Newman Manion Cup at Rosehill.
Bunker (NZ) was bred by Gold Coast businessman Gunter Lau and was sold out of a paddock, as a weanling, to Leeza Newton for $8000.

Newton prepared the colt for the 2001 NZ Bloodstock Festival yearling sale and made a point of parading him for McKee at Karaka.  She knew the Takanini trainer had a lot of success with his dam’s half-brothers Petanque (G2 Great Northern Guineas) and Red Baron (G2 Wellington Guineas).

McKee was not long back home after supervising Sunline’s gutsy Group 1 triumph over Fairy King Prawn in the Hong Kong Mile.  He bought the colt for $30,000.

Besides his Group 1 at Otaki, Bunker also won the G3 Hawke’s Bay Guineas and Listed Ryder Stakes in a 23 start career.

Ian Taplin stands Bunker at stud for a $2,000 service fee.  The Riverton winners are from his first crop which numbered just 25 foals.