2023 MMGC Magazine

BE MOVED BY THE MAGIC

At world-class events in Queensland

Castelvecchio

IT PAYS TO RACE QUEENSLAND

Home Run

A good horse carries more than the jockey along for the ride. While the owners and the trainer publicly celebrate each victory, behind the scenes, quietly although sometimes not, the horse’s deeds are toasted by an array of people that they have touched.

44

The Green breeder

As the civilised world steps into line with its environmental responsibilities, it’s a conversation that hasn’t yet permeated the breeding industry. But that hasn’t stopped Three Bridges Thoroughbreds from showing a clean set of heels to almost everyone else when it comes to sustainable, carbonsavvy practice.

51

The doggone boss of the equine lot

When it comes to thoroughbred farms, barns and spelling paddocks you will be hard pressed not to find a much loved dog somewhere in the immediate vicinity.

62

Coffey makes everything better

Down the bottom of southeast Australia, on the Mornington Peninsula in Moorooduc and Balnarring and a little further north in Pakenham, she is one of the busiest in racing’s aftercare industry.

70

Peerless innovation

The latest world-first innovations are set to make their mark at the 2023 edition of The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Raceday, driving the racemeeting’s participation and reach to its highest ever levels.

72

To Sir with love

It’s been nearly five years since Brendan and Jo Lindsay bought New Zealand’s Cambridge Stud and, in the time since, they have rebuilt the farm with a particular homage to Sir Patrick Hogan and the two horses that delivered an empire.

84

A Hong Kong hero

Owning the best horse in Hong Kong has plenty of upside. Stanley Chan is kicking back in a cafe in the hip neighborhood of Tai Ping Shan, admiring a mural of his horse Golden Sixty painted on the laneway wall opposite.

104

Art & Soul

Most of us know Nicole and Billy are both horsey. They’ve both ridden since childhood, met at Pony Club and have a few racehorses and rescue horses at home. Nicole has taken that love for everything equine to a new career.

Raceday fashion guide

Louise Chambers has a look at some of the style trends you will be seeing around the track this MM carnival.

114

The elite equine

There is something mesmerising about watching an elite equine athlete responding to the commands of its rider in competition. Whether it is on the racecourse, the polo field or the sport horse arena, such unity in motion is a joy to behold.

118

Winfried the navigator

Under the leadership of Winfried, the HKJC has clearly developed Hong Kong’s horse racing not only as a wagering centre or hobby, but also as a sport and a mind game for all.

124

Passing the baton

We speak to four families whose next generation is chomping at the bit to succeed in our industry. 128

Dining delights & bar retreats

Some of the best and newest venues on the Coast to eat and drink..

124

Cycle of success

Every year a new crop of sires take their first steps along the path of being a successful stallion. This year some of those started the journey right here at MMGC!

140

Beechmont beguiles the senses

A hidden treasure well worth discovering lies a 45-minute meandering inland drive from the Gold Coast. 600m above sea level, Beechmont Estate is situated on the plateau of the same name in the Binna Burra section of the Lamington National Park.

148

After the whistle

After the whistle, some of our sports stars enjoy a zealous connection with the thoroughbred industry and the Magic Millions. Jim Tucker traces three fascinating tales.

152

Godolphin stud awards

The seventh Godolphin Stud & Stable Staff Awards were presented to a variety of worthy recipients at the Gold Coast Turf Club on Wednesday 25 May; we had a chat with each of the winners to see just what this award means to them - and how they came to be on the stage on that night.

Yes – we are biasedly proud to boast about the most anticipated sales and racing event in 2023. Let us explain why. Picture a spectacular Queensland coastline. Sun, sand, surf. Picture fun, fashion, gourmet produce and high-energy entertainment. Picture elite equine athleticism across multiple disciplines. This is the captivating Gold Coast in January. This is The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Carnival – bigger than ever!

We invite you to experience the magic and share in the passion as we celebrate our collective love for the thoroughbred.

Join us from 4 January for the commencement of inspections for the 2023 edition of the Gold Coast Yearling Sale. The auction of the southern hemisphere’s biggest and best yearling catalogue will take place from 10 January across seven consecutive days of selling with 1273 outstanding lots to be offered in Books 1 and 2.

A showcase of equestrian excellence and internationally renowned horsemen and women will be on display at the Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo & Showjumping on Sunday 8 January. Watch celebrity and professional players take to the polo field such as Argentine superstars Nacho Figueras and Delfina Blaquier. Whilst the showjumping competition run at senior and junior level will feature a $1m prize pool for the first time, making it the most valuable stand-alone competition in the world - right here on the Gold Coast.

We are excited to welcome actress and showjumping enthusiast, Elsa Pataky, to the Magic Millions ambassador family, who will be in attendance as our Global Ambassador for Showjumping.

The Queensland Summer Racing Carnival continues to grow in status and value with $22.5m in total carnival prizemoney over 52 feature races and 11 racemeetings. Highlighted by our grand final event, The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Raceday on Saturday 14 January.

With $11.75m on offer across a ten race card, The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Raceday is the only racemeeting in Australia to stage eight million-dollar plus races on the one program. We are proud to continue to innovate in ways that are designed to benefit more participants and all sectors of the industry in driving growth, investment and returns. In 2023 we are delighted to introduce two new world-first feature races, the $1m Magic Millions The Syndicate, for horses owned by a minimum of 20 individual registered owners and/or syndicate members, and the $500,000 Magic Millions The Debut, for unraced 2YOs, in what will become the richest 2YO maiden in the world.

Our world-first Magic Millions Racing Women’s initiative enters its eleventh year, with $750,000 in Racing Women’s Bonuses on offer to all female-owned thoroughbreds across two time-honoured races, $2m The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic and the $2m Gold Coast Magic Millions 3YO Guineas.

Returning to the Gold Coast to make the presentation to this year’s winners will be our Magic Millions Racing Women Patron, Zara Tindall MBE. Since Zara presented the first Magic Millions Racing Women’s Bonus in 2013 to the connections of Real Surreal, an extraordinary 1,690 thoroughbreds have been registered in allfemale ownership, trained in every state of Australia and New Zealand.

The delivery of our incredible Carnival would not be possible without the support of our partners. We gratefully acknowledge our exceptional naming rights partner in The Star Gold Coast, our strategic partner Tourism and Events Queensland and our long-term valued principal partner Racing Queensland. We also acknowledge the significant support of TAB, Pacific Fair, Seven West Media and Sky Racing Active.

On behalf the Magic Millions family we sincerely welcome you to the Gold Coast this summer for a fortnight of magic celebrations. We invite you to join us in sharing in our passion for the thoroughbred and equine sport.

BARRY BOWDITCH

KATIE PAGE-HARVEY, GERRY HARVEY

Tom Tate Mayor Gold Coast

When it comes to top tier events on the Gold Coast, nothing can top the Magic Millions. It has everything from great food, exciting racing, the annual yearling sales, polo and now showjumping.

The success of the Millions rests with the people behind the action – Katie, Gerry and their entire team. On behalf of the Gold Coast, I thank you for your commitment to our city over many years.

The other ‘magic’ about the Millions is how organisers keep ‘reinventing the carnival’.

Like any successful event, there are always areas to improve or change as the program evolves and we see that with the 2023 calendar, welcoming showjumping – and a $1 million prize pool – for the first time.

Congratulations to Pacific Fair for backing this new addition in 2023.

As Mayor, I know our city’s trajectory as a place to relax, have fun and enjoy amazing events is on the rise.

We have a lot more in store over the years ahead so jump on and enjoy the ride as we continue to promote the Gold Coast as Australia’s favourite playground. See you trackside.

The Hon. Stirling Hinchliffe MP

MINISTER FOR TOURISM, SPORT AND INNOVATION AND MINISTER ASSISTING THE PREMIER ON OLYMPICS AND PARALYMPICS SPORT AND ENGAGEMENT

Welcome to The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Carnival, a highlight on the It’s Live in Queensland events calendar and a wonderful opportunity to showcase the Gold Coast as a tourism destination.

The Gold Coast community is grateful to welcome visitors who fill their cafes and restaurants, stay in their accommodation, use local transport and explore our unique tourism experiences.

That’s why we support events through Tourism and Events Queensland’s Major Events Program because they bring a welcomed boost to the local community and support local jobs.

Events like The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Carnival allows friends and family to reconnect and creates community pride. We hope you enjoy your stay and return again in the near future.

Be sure to immerse yourself in the local culture and take the opportunity to explore some of our world-class tourism experiences in this beautiful region.

Congratulations to the event organisers – we wish you all the best for a successful event.

Tallebudgera is famous for its sparkling creek, framed by the Burleigh Heads National Park on one side and Palm Beach on the other. A visit to Tallebudgera is all about swimming, picnicking, watersports and a spot of fishing. For a true taste of this part of the coast, head to the Tallebudgera Surf Lifesaving Club for a meal or hit Custard Canteen for a coffee and tasty pastry treats. A short stroll across the bridge will take you to the beautiful Burleigh Heads National Park, where you can explore scenic walking tracks through lush rainforests and visit the Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre to learn about the local indigenous history and culture of the Gold Coast.

Friday 6th

BMD Northcliffe SLSC Sportsman’s Luncheon

About: The 38th Annual BMD Northcliffe Sportsman’s Luncheon is proudly brought to you by BMD Northcliffe Surf Club and Shaw and Partners Financial Services.

MC: Vince Sorrenti | Panel Host: Pat Welsh | Comedians: Des Dowling, Mick Colliss | Special Guest Panel: TBC

Sponsors: Shaw and Partners Financial Services, Carlton & United Breweries, Treasury Wine Estates, Simon George & Sons, Con-sol

The event will be staffed by BMD Northcliffe Supporters Club staff and Surf Club volunteers

Where: BMD Northcliffe SLSC, Surfers Paradise Time: From 11am

Tickets: $220.00 per person includes full seafood buffet, 5 hour beer, wine & soft drink package (This event is currently sold out with a waiting list) - email Lee Vrolyks at info@northcliffesurfclub.com.au for enquiries

Saturday 7th

The Aquis Wave Raceday

About: The Aquis $1.6 million Raceday marks two big weekends of summer racing at Aquis Park. Into its fourth year in 2023, the day showcases the $250,000 feature race for 3YO & 4YO The Wave, $150,000 Aquis Gold Nugget and $150,000 Aquis Gold Pearl plus three exclusive Magic Millions Races worth $750,000 in prizemoney.

Don’t miss these two big days of racing!

Where: Gold Coast Turf Club, Aquis Park, Bundall

Time: From 10am

Tickets: Available GCTC website: https://www.gctc.com.au/event/aquis-1-675m-raceday-featuring-the-tab-wave/

Early Bird: $15 | General Admission: $20

Members Day Pass Online Only: $50

Sunday 8th

Pacific Fair Magic Millions Showjumping & Polo

About: The highly anticipated Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo & Showjumping is bigger and better than ever. A truly international event in 2023. Witness some of the country’s best Junior and Senior Showjumpers as they vie for a slice of the $1 million prize pool and watch some action-packed, fast-paced Polo matches with star players. The popular Australian Outback Spectacular is back for another exciting performance. The day is full to the brim with events and live entertainment, perfect for the whole family, you won’t want to miss out!

Where: Doug Jennings Park, The Spit

Time: From 9am

More information: www.magicmillionspolo.com.au

Tickets: Available at Ticketek

General Admission

Adults $35pp

Children: $15pp 18 & under (15 and under free)

Concession: $15pp

Family Package: $50 (2 adults & 2 children 15 yrs & under)

Pacific Fair Pavilion: $350pp

Monday 9th

Women In Racing Inc Australia Luncheon

About: Women In Racing Inc Australia’s annual event is being held once again at the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort. The 2023 ‘Magic is in the Air’ Luncheon includes a three-course luncheon and beverage package, VIP guest speakers, raffles, milliners and accessory displays.

Where: Horizons Room, Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort, Main Beach

Time: From 12 noon

Tickets: Members $170 | Non-members $190 Phone Baslyn Beel 0411 698 484; or Jennifer Bartels 0438 741 242

Monday 9th

Carbine Club Luncheon

About: The Carbine Club of Queensland will again host Queensland’s biggest Racing Lunch celebrating the 2023 The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Carnival. This year the Club will host a three course lunch with a four hour beverage package. MC and Racing Media Celebrity Alan Thomas will entertain attendees with guest speakers Matt Tripp, BetR Chief Executive and Melbourne Storm Chairman; and Tom Magnier, Principal Coolmore Australia also joining in the discussions.

Where: The Star Gold Coast, Broadbeach Time: 12 noon

Tickets: $230 per person, $2,300 table of ten. carbineclubqld@gmail.com

Tuesday 10th

The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Barrier Draw

About: The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Barrier Draw takes centre stage on the Surfers Paradise Foreshore. Between 6.30 and 8.30am be mesmerised by the unique spectacle of Thoroughbreds galloping down the pristine sands of Queensland’s most iconic beach, Surfers Paradise and watch an informative stage show of all things Magic Millions.

The Barrier Draw will follow for the 2023 $2 million The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic and $2 million Gold Coast Magic Millions 3Y0 Guineas. Connections will draw the barrier from which their horse will start on Raceday, Saturday, 14 January.

Where: Surfers Paradise Foreshore, Surfers Paradise (opposite Trickett Street)

Time: From 6am

Tickets: Free Event

Tuesday 10th - Monday 16th

Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale

About: The flagship Gold Coast Yearling Sale attracts both national and international buyers for the fun and excitement of the Carnival and the serious business of selecting a champion racehorse. With more than 5,000 wins by our sale graduates around the globe each year, we are proud to be Australia’s most innovative sales company.

Where: Magic Millions Sales Complex, 28 Ascot Court, Bundall, Gold Coast

Time: Tuesday, 10 from 12pm Wednesday, 11 from 10am Thursday, 12 from 10am Friday, 13 from 10am Saturday, 14 from 6pm Sunday, 15 from 2pm Monday, 16 from 10am

Tickets: This is a free event, open to the public.

Thursday 12th

GCTC TAB 2YO Calcutta Dinner

About: Come and enjoy a 2-course meal and beverages while a team of racing identities provide insights into the feature runners of the 2YO Classic race, followed by the exhilarating horse ‘sales’ conducted by the Magic Millions auctioneers. It all starts with drinks and canapes on arrival from 6.00pm.

Where: Gold Coast Turf Club, Bundall

Time: 6pm

Tickets: Tables of 10: GCTC Members: $1,700 Non-members: $1,900 Individual tickets: GCTC Member: $170pp Non-member: $190pp Includes a two course meal and beverage package.

Saturday 14th

The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Raceday

About: Head trackside for the 2023 $11.75 million Magic Millions Raceday featuring the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic and $2 million Gold Coast Magic Millions 3YO Guineas exclusively for Magic Millions graduates. With ten thrilling races at the picturesque Gold Coast Turf Club, including $750,000 in Magic Millions Racing Women’s Bonuses, this Raceday has cemented its reputation on the international racing scene as a must attend event.

Where: Gold Coast Turf Club, Bundall Time: From 9am

Tickets: GA tickets available – Please visit: www.gctc.com.au

Tuesday 17th

Magic Millions Widden Stud Golf Day

About: One of the racing industry’s favourite pastimes is a relaxing game of golf and what better way to relax after a busy week of fast-paced auctions and racing. Widden Stud Golf Day provides Magic Millions vendors and buyers, trainers, jockeys and industry associates the perfect opportunity to unwind for the day at the RACV Royal Pines Golf Course. The day is open for anyone to join with any singles placed into teams of four to play Ambrose style. Where: RACV Royal Pines, Benowa Time: From 11am Tickets: 4 ball Ambrose $150 per person – includes green fees, electric cart, drink vouchers and a BBQ luncheon. Phone: Taylor Foley (02) 6549 9999

Seen at the

Gold Coast JANUARY 2022

Gai & Robbie Waterhouse

Bjorn Baker & Scott Darby

Jamie Walter & Steve O’Dea

Graeme Green & Raymond Chan

Kacy Fogden & Sally Williams

Steve Grant, Jim Clarke, Gary & Mitchell Cunningham

David Vandyke

Brian Smith

Arthur Mitchell

Narelle McBain

Phillip Stokes

Johnny McKeever & Stephen McLean

Shane Ciurleo & Jack Dicken

Olly Tait

Michael Wallace, Ian Smith & Richard Freedman

Rod Northam

Paul Knight

Trent Watson, Royce Ahrens, Ian Mathieson & Joel David

Louis Le Metayer

Conor Phelan

Michael Kirwan

Lenny Russo

Kate Mailer & Louis Mihalyka

Bevan Smith

Peter Creighton

Jimmy Unwala

Suzanne Sterling & Scott Irwin

Barry Bowditch & Clint Donovan

Robbie Griffiths & Mathew de Kock

Andrew Williams

Rae Fletcher

Chris

Danny

Dan

Kevin Maloney

Ken

Seen at the Gold Coast 2022

Mick Malone & Royston Murphy

Roger Sousa & Dave Mee

Ted Mithen

Calvin McEvoy

Scott McAlpine & Eureka Stud Team

Harry Mitchell & Bruce Slade

Peter Orton

Julian Blaxland

Jon Freyer

Henry Dwyer, Will McTaggart & Wayne Kratzmann

Caitlin Smith

Luke Wilkinson

Matt Smith

Kieran Moore, Chris Watson, Ron Wanless & Joe Curran

The Next Generation

Antony Thompson, Ryan McEvoy, Hannah Wall, Julie & Scott Gibson

Mel Smith

David Bourne

Dave Azzopardi

James

Toby

David Mourad Stephen

Nathan

Seen at the Gold Coast 2022

Mick Kent Jnr & Mick Price

John Singleton & Peter Moody

Tim Brown & Tony Williams

Matt Cumani Gerry Harvey

Dean Hawthorne

Rex Lipp

Mark Newnham

Paul Maguire

John Warren

Peter Maher & John Muir

Anthony Mithen & Suman Hedge

Ken Lowe, Luke Simpson, Bruce Wilson, Steve Grant, Rob Petith

Annabel Neasham & Lizzie Jelfs

Ben Hayes, Shakeel Lattimer, Henn Leechburch & JD Hayes

John & Kris Messara

Rob Cummings, Anthony Panozzo, Matt Laurie, Kate Brideoake, Shane Crawford & Adam Brandwood

Peter O’Brien, Tim Stakemire & James Bester

Seen at the Gold Coast 2022

Ashleigh Dowling & Sally Gordon

Alan Acton

Colm Santry

Robert Anderson

Livia Wang & Paul Carrazzo

Brad Widdup

Damon Gabbedy

John O’Shea & Jonathan Scully

John Kelly, Mark Walker & Charles Kelly

Jaime O’Bree

Ashley Glencross

Michael & Chris Ward

Brad Spicer

Dr Greg Nash

Henry Plumptre & Andrew Noblet

Duncan Grimley

Neil Jenkinson & Tony Carroll

Jeremy Rogers

George Altomonte

John Kennedy

Gavin Murphy

Peter Morgan, Andrew & Milly Augustine

Kosi Kawakimi, Shinya Mori & Yusuke Ichikawa

Will

Edward

Clarry

Seen at the Gold Coast 2022

Jeff Kruger

Jarred Magnabosco

Ben Lucas

Anthony Altomonte

Cameron & Kellie Bond

Leigh Saville

Sam Fairgray

Bryan Carlson

David Raphael

Liam Howley & Sam Matthews

Gerald Ryan

Lee Curtis

Leon Corstens

Chad & Claire Lever

Kathryne Syer & Jason Warren

Jenny McAlpine & Lorenzo Giorno

Susie Montague & Monique Annetts

Stuart Kendrick & Clinton Taylor

Wylie Dalziel & Jeff O’Connor

Clem Murphy, Tom Magnier, Henry Field, MV Magnier & Mick Flanagan

Craig Purcell, Graeme Theobald & Robert Rowan

Lauren Dunning

Luke Murrell

Justin Bahen & Kris Lees

Anthony Cummings Celie Nolan

Bill & James Mitchell

Dean & Adam Watt

Di & Basil Nolan

Jonathan Davies

Michael Freedman

Cameron Bennett

Shane Nichols, Mat Ellerton, John McArdle

Natalie Young, Denys Chan, Jock Harris & Trent Busuttin

Brian Siemsen, John Foote, Tony Gollan, Harry McAlpine & Sam Swaine

Patrick & Bosley Yeung

Simon Adams

Griff Kruger

Harry King & Adam White

Grahame Begg & John Sargent

Sheamus Mills & Dr Sahu

SHOP GOLD COAST

When Luke Currie struck for home on Away Game in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic, she just looked like another above-average filly to follow. But to those around her and the legion of fans she would attract, she would become so much more over the next few COVID riddled seasons.

Words / Glen Latham

Agood horse carries more than the jockey along for the ride. While the owners and the trainer publicly celebrate each victory, behind the scenes, quietly although sometimes not, the horse’s deeds are toasted by an array for people that they have touched. This is particularly the case on those rare occasions when along comes a horse whose sheer doggedness to deliver every time the gates crashed back earned the respect and devotion of fans around Australia, and sometimes the globe. Away Game was one such filly who, through her journey from foaling to the Gold Coast January Sale ring and back to the same venue as a National Sale broodmare three years later, touched a host of people and never once disappointed any of them. Foaled in late August 2017 at Mill Park Stud, not far from the Coorong on the southeast coast of South Australia, she was sold out of the Gold Coast ring for $425,000, returned to the adjacent track twelve months later to claim the Magic Millions 2YO Classic, then spent the next two and a half seasons garnering a legion of fans, some of whom were being exposed to our sport for the first time thanks to lockdowns, but all in awe of her sheer stubborn refusal to throw in the towel.

From the time she was loaded up at Mill Park Stud until she finished her two-year-old campaign just up the road at Morphettville, Away Game would face the starter eight times, significantly more than most top grade two-year-olds. But unlike other juveniles Away Game did that in four different states which, in very rough terms, equated to 10,450 kilometres in the back of a float, and that doesn’t include incidental travel like the breakers, trips to the beach etc. Although truncated, her three-year-old career wasn’t a great deal different.

GAME AS A YEARLING

Despite the exertions of travel she unhesitatingly went to battle every time and left nothing in the tank. After a debut fourth in the Merson Cooper at Caulfield, wins in the Listed Calaway Gal at Doomben and then the Classic followed before the travel really kicked in. Just a few weeks after her Gold Coast triumph she took the Gr.3 Widden Stakes at Randwick, then looked a candidate for running last turning for home in the leader biased Blue Diamond Stakes only to show us what she was really made of when finishing a close up fourth. Sent back to Sydney she beat all but Farnan in the Golden Slipper, easily won the Gr.2 Percy Sykes Stakes then finished off with a fifth at weight-for-age in the Gr.1 Robert Sangster Stakes back over at Morphettville. At three she was third in the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas and won the Gr.3 Healy Stakes at Eagle Farm. Then as a four-year-old, how good would her CV have looked had her stablemates, Marabi who was low-flying at the time and Snapdancer, not been around. They denied her a deserved Gr.1 in the Oakleigh Plate and the Sangster, respectively.

Many a television in hotels and homes across the country reverberated from the shouts directed at them as her loyal supporters willed Away Game to get there one more time. Such shouts were superfluous, she was giving her all, as always. But while fans and punters alike were never left with a reason to grumble, a small group, the inner circle of ‘Club Away Game’, had just that little more of a reason to marvel at her. We’ll start with her place of birth.

THE BREEDER HOME RUN

Commercial breeding operations live or die by the ability of the stock they sell. It is difficult to think of a more fickle industry than Thoroughbreds where the saying “nothing sells like success” could be applied. When the Watson family of Mill Park Stud sold a Snitzel filly out of Elusive Wonder for $425,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale they would have been delighted, but more so with her every subsequent start as Away Game continually advertised the quality of horse they could rear on the farm, situated close enough to the Coorong that the salt air drifts over the paddocks. Chris Watson explained how Away Game never disappointed, even from birth. “We were really fortunate that Elusive Wonder was a mare that threw beautiful types all the time. We put her to Snitzel and loved the foal from the first day she arrived. She wasn’t overly big, just had great length and quality to her with plenty of precociousness and she pretty much stayed that way from a foal right through to the sale.”

And then when the truck pulled up on the Gold Coast, again everything went to plan. Chris told us “Obviously most people at the sale had the same understanding of her as we did. She was a lovely, relaxed filly that was very easy to do anything with. The whole family has always had a great nature and we know that temperament and the ability to relax plays a major part in success on the track. As a quality filly we went up there expecting that she would sell well, but obviously she sold better than we anticipated with a late flurry of bids pushing her price up.”

As the Magic Millions raceday was run in 2020 nobody could have imagined that our industry was about to be battered by the pandemic. Someone like Chris wasn’t to know this would be a rare opportunity to watch the filly race. “I was there the day she won the 2YO Classic and even if you no longer own the horse that competes at the highest level, just the connection of having bred that horse is a big thrill. To see her win so emphatically was such a special moment, it really was. And when you look at how many States she competed in, she certainly travelled more than any normal filly. After a campaign like that it is rare to see them go on as a three-year-old and beyond and compete at the highest level, so for her to turn up for the next three seasons was amazing to see. Sadly, she was a Gr.1 filly that just couldn’t quite nab one. She was a credit to the training team but also to herself - such a hardy filly; it was great to see.”

The whole family has always had a great nature and we know that temperament and the ability to relax plays a major part in success on the track

AWAY

CHRIS WATSON

THE AGENT HOME RUN

KERRI RADCLIFFE

Respected agent Kerri Radcliffe went to the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale with an order for an American client looking to start racing in Australia. Selective, Radcliffe had a very short list and Lot 547, a sister to the Listed winner Modern Wonder from an old Robert Sangster family that had had success firstly in Australasia then later in Europe, was a prime target.

Kerri explained how she took to the Snitzel filly immediately. “It was only my second time on the Gold Coast and just the second horse I bought in Australia. She was number one on the list and from the minute I saw her I absolutely loved her. I was told that the farm were fantastic breeders which is important to me, and while we bought another filly at the sale by More Than Ready, the Snitzel was the one we wanted.”

It transpired that the filly wouldn’t race for Kerri’s client after all. “As she went through I was on the phone to George Bolton who I’d bought (the unbeaten Grade 1 Arkansas Derby winner) Nadal for, and was bidding under his instructions. Hannah Mathieson’s father Mark was a partowner in Nadal. A few weeks later George had a change of mind about having horses in Australia which was good luck for Hannah who did a fantastic job putting together the ladies syndicate so quickly. While it was unfortunate for George, it worked out brilliantly for Hannah and the syndicate who were able to scoop the ladies bonus.”

Did Kerri see something that gave even the subtlest of indications that Away Game might be tougher than your average horse? “I thought she was an early two-year-old, that’s what we were looking for, but Ciaron Maher and David Eustace did such a fantastic job in training her for eight starts in four States at two.”

Like almost everyone else, watching Away Game live meant accessing vision rather than being up close and personal on race day for Kerri. “It’s been an amazing ride but because of COVID I never got to see her race in the flesh. I was at Magic’s the year she won the Classic, but I had to leave early to get to California to see Nadal who was racing at the same time. So I left, then watched Nadal, then went to the Keeneland January Sale from where I watched her win from a hotel room at about 4.30 in the morning. I think I woke up the whole hotel! To be honest I was just surprised because I didn’t think she could win. I had her running in Australia and two top colts in America in Nadal and Volatile and because of COVID I got to see Nadal once and the other two not at all! 2020 was a write off but we got to watch them all on TV and there were lots of celebrations and parties!

She was number one on the list and from the minute I saw her I absolutely loved her.

THE SYNDICATOR/PART-OWNER HOME RUN

HANNAH JENNINGS

The week Away Game went through the ring Hannah Mathieson, now Jennings, was working for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, a connection she retains today from her home as the stable’s representative in the United States.

As with so many who inspected the filly, Away Game made an instant impression on Hannah when led out of her box. “Away Game was a gorgeous yearling, she was extremely strong and was very forward in her action. I looked at her 3 times, and every time she was professional and focused which I liked. I was trying to buy a filly with some residual as a broodmare, so it helped that she was by Snitzel and had a good pedigree as well.”

There is a well-used promotional photo of a delighted Hannah and members of the ownership group leading Away Game back to the enclosure after the Classic, a win that came as a bit of a surprise. “That was the first time I saw her race as I had worked for Ciaron and Dave that year, but came back to the states in September before she had debuted. We really didn’t have high expectations going into the 2YO Classic since she was such a long shot, so we were just happy to be able to watch her race in person and have some friends and family join us. Ciaron had told us she was training very well, but he had another good 2YO in the race and there was plenty of outside competition, so it was such a thrill, and so unexpected when she won. Magic’s gave us a $3,000 voucher for the bar at the casino after, so you could imagine we had a bit of fun at the after party!”

One of the great success stories of that year was how Hannah put together the syndicate of lady owners

then they scooped the bonus when Away Game won. “I loved the idea of a ladies syndicate when I first heard about it, it is so forward thinking and a great way to get people more involved in the industry. I think what makes the bonus so attractive is that you don’t even have to win the race, you just have to beat the other ladies horses so you feel like you have a real shot of taking the bonus home. A lot of the women involved in Away Game are still racing horses with me in the US and Australia, and are far more interested in following racing and getting involved at a deeper level now.”

Most two-year-olds don’t have the constitution to carry on past three or four runs but Away Game was in work pretty much from September through to the following May. “To do what Away Game was able to do was so impressive, I’ve never had another horse with her constitution and toughness,” Hannah told us. “They gave her the nickname “the iron filly” and I think that suited her perfectly. She genuinely loved to train and compete. They would try to turn her out for a week after she raced, and usually had to bring her back into work early because she was running around the paddocks too much, so that shows she was a horse that loved her job.”

Watching your horse race during the pandemic had its restrictions for local owners, but it became a logistical nightmare for those based overseas. “Unfortunately, I didn’t clock up as many air miles as I wanted. I had plans to come down for the Slipper and a couple of her other races, but COVID got in the way of that. I’m very grateful we were able to be there for the 2YO Classic and Blue Diamond though, those were some great memories.” So what was the trade off to watch her run? “Lots of late nights! She usually ran between midnight and 3 am which wasn’t ideal, but Group 1 runners are few and far between, so I was happy to get up at any time to watch her.”

Cashing in on a horse that has given its all for you can wrench the emotions, but the commercial realities were Away Game was a syndicated horse and the market was prowling around her. Before she went through the ring at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale of June 2022 all manner of numbers were bandied around which could only have made the experience all the more nerve-racking. “It was very bittersweet to watch her sell, she was such an incredible filly to be a part of so it was sad to see that journey come to an end, but I was so happy she ended up at a great home where she’ll have a huge chance of making it as a successful broodmare. $4 million was beyond what we could’ve imagined her making, so I was so thrilled and grateful for that. I can’t wait to see her babies run in the future and hopefully carry on her legacy.”

THE TRACK RIDER/STRAPPER

HOME RUN

CHRISTINE DUFFY

With the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace yard being a multi-State operation, Away Game had several ground staff taking care of her throughout her career. However, it was the stable’s Travelling Foreperson Christine Duffy, who was based in Sydney, who formed a bond with the filly when she took her to the Gold Coast for that fateful first trip.

Christine first sat upon the, at that stage, once raced Away Game her first morning in Sydney when she walked the filly from the stables to the polo fields training area on the northern side of the track. “My first impressions were she was a really nice filly with plenty of sass and attitude about her, but a really nice type.”

There followed a ten week trip to the Gold Coast with blacktype and the Listed Calaway Gal Stakes the first target. “She had been a little bit on and off shin-sore going into the Calaway Gal, but after her win she came out of the race even bigger and stronger and I said to Ciaron ‘there’s no need to stop with her.’ She flourished, had that bit of confidence in her and from there she was just away.”

By the time the pair got to the Gold Coast Christine was enamoured with Away Game, however, professionalism took over and she didn’t get to strap her on the big day. “Rathlin, the colt that we had in the race, was being naughty so I strapped him while Holly Penfold, who lived locally, strapped Away Game. However, after the race Holly kindly said I’d worked so hard to get her there she offered me her bib so I could walk her back in.” And once the horses were rugged for the night the obligatory celebrations started. “The party went on until about 3am and then the girls and I had about two hours sleep before we had to be back up again.

It was a very “dusty” morning when we took the horses down to the beach.”

The challenge for a trainer is to get their charge to peak again for the Golden Slipper after the exertions of winning the Classic, but as Christine explains, it seems Away Game was telling the stable she was up for the test. “Ciaron is big on giving his two-year-olds a couple of days in the paddock after a race but after a few days he said the run hadn’t hurt her and she was flying around the paddock. So she came back into work in

Sydney and won the Widden Stakes before she headed to Melbourne for the Blue Diamond where I strapped her as well. Normally we would leave the Melbourne team to look after her but I think Ciaron recognised we had a special connection so I was able to fly down and strap her. Then in the Golden Slipper she put in another huge run when second to Farnan before running in the Percy Sykes where she saw a Heavy track for the first time and put them away without any real concerns.”

To go so close in the Slipper must have been disappointing for those concerned, but not Christine. “She was never a horse that disappointed you because she always tried so hard. There’s an old quote that a loyal mare will always have your back and fight to the end of the earth for you, and that was her to a tee. It wouldn’t matter where you took her or what you did she just put everything in. We were in Queensland just with her and Rathlin for ten weeks, and the ten or so times they galloped together she would never, ever let him get his head in front! Even if we planned it to let him win a gallop – no, no, it wasn’t happening on her watch!” But there was a softer side to her, “She was super-affectionate, really sweet but as she got a bit older she got sassier. She was always a quiet mare that anyone could do anything with. She was just so on the ball about doing the job of being a racehorse.”

Anna, Away Game’s stable name, had to be passed back to the Melbourne stable when the pandemic took hold. “There was a period at the height of COVID where Away Game was racing in Melbourne and I couldn’t travel to be with her, but we are pretty lucky at Ciaron’s with such a good team the girls would constantly be sending photos and videos of her or we could see her live via WhatsApp.”

And having been there from almost the very start it was Christine who led Away Game around at the National Broodmare Sale. “I took her through the ring and while we were up there I just kept thinking that if her offspring have half as much heart as you, then they will be alright.” And of the $4 million, Christine says “She’s worth every cent!”

THE BROODMARE OWNER HOME RUN

In a stellar National Broodmare catalogue Away Game always promised to shine brightest, bidding finally stopping at $4 million. The official record shows the buyer as the Written Tycoon Syndicate, but this was just a message to the market that Mr Yuesheng Zhang of Yulong had bought her, and who would be her mate for the 2022 season. Yulong’s Chief Operating Officer Sam Fairgray told us “Of course, being an exceptional racemare Mr Zhang always followed her career closely and had admiration for her, just how tough and tenacious she was. So when she came up for auction Mr Zhang had a passion for her that way, but importantly we had identified her as perfectly matched for Written Tycoon both physically and on pedigree.”

So was it just a given that she would be a Yulong mare? “When you are spending that amount of money you have to do your homework and make sure every box is ticked. She’s not big, but that is the Snitzel about her, she’s a lovely shape, a very attractive looking horse and one that a lot of people would have loved to have in their broodmare band. We were lucky to be the successful bidder on her. Since we’ve gotten her back to the farm she’s shown she has such a beautiful temperament which was the same when we were inspecting her, so very laid back. She was still in full work at the time but every day she would come across to the sale complex and every time she came out of her box she wouldn’t turn a hair, such was her good temperament and great attitude. Temperament on those big race days is such a major thing and it was easy to see that she had what was required to handle those occasions, she is such a sweet mare.”

So the first chapter of the Away Game story is over. Chapter Two has started with a cover by Written Tycoon and if she puts half as much into being a mum as she did when a racehorse, her progeny will carry a most uncommon advantage over their rivals when they line up. It would be nice to think this story will need an addenda in a few years, regaling the deeds of the progeny of Away Game, the Champion Broodmare.

CIARON MAHER, SAM FAIRGRAY & HARRIS LI

AWAY GAME AT THE NATIONAL SALE

YULONG

Want to purchase with confidence in Australia?

Call an FBAA Bloodstock Agent.

Members of the Federation of Bloodstock Agents Australia are held to account by a world’s best practice Code of Ethics, ensuring transparency and accountability in all transactions.

FBAA Members will be in attendance at all Australasian sales in 2023

For advice you can trust, visit our website for a list of accredited members.

www.bloodstockagents.com.au

Don’t risk being caught in a rip; swim between the flags this season.

TheBREEDER GREEN

As the civilised world steps into line with its environmental responsibilities, it’s a conversation that hasn’t yet permeated the breeding industry. But that hasn’t stopped Three Bridges Thoroughbreds from showing a clean set of heels to almost everyone else when it comes to sustainable, carbon-savvy practice.

Words / By Jessica Owers

Toby Liston is the studmaster of Three Bridges Thoroughbreds, a farmer of sorts and a greenie of sorts. He breeds racehorses and raises children, has stared down three floods in a decade and some days, when life has more toe than a Roman sandal, he wonders if it’s all worth it. Still, Liston wants to become the first carbon-neutral horse farm in Australia.

“It’s not really a case of why I want to do it anymore, but more that I’m just doing it,” he says. “To get anything good in life, you have to give up something, and that might be a social life if you’re a footballer or a doctor, or any profession really. In farming, it’s no different. To get something good from it, you have to give up something good.”

Three Bridges Thoroughbreds is on 1500 acres of Victorian country farmland. Five kilometres of it hugs the Loddon river, which has brought its own headaches the last few months but, ordinarily, is a gift from mother nature.

The property is vast and forgiving. It’s the type of land that produces a lot when asked, which is why this rich region is planted with canola, wheat and irrigated lucerne, and why Three Bridges is one of a number of thoroughbred farms now dotting the district.

The Listons have owned theirs since 2005, migrating from saline land in South Australia to the fertile fields of Eddington, Victoria. Most days, farm life is about fixing fences, managing stock and getting by, but other days, there’s room to think bigger and on those days, Liston is farming outside the square.

“We have very fertile land here and we’ve planted 20 percent of it for conservation,” he says. “It’s probably closer to 25 percent that we’ve revegetated now, so we’ve essentially given up a quarter of incredible land, but it helps the horses, it helps the land and it helps the aesthetics of the farm. It all goes back to that thing of giving up something to get something, doesn’t it?”

Making Three Bridges greener started 15 years ago. Since then, the Listons have planted 60,000 trees across the property, and their plantings are deliberate. Every paddock is double-fenced with a tree lane running between, and the tree-lined borders are 30 metres thick in most instances.

“The horses are more settled, they’re calmer and happier,” Liston says. “There are a lot of wind benefits, too. In winter, if you have one line of trees, the wind can hit those trees and take about 15 metres to get back to its full force. If you’ve got 30 metres of trees, as we do, the wind will hit those trees and take about 150 metres to get back to its full force. That 150 metres of space is warmer for the horses, and so they don’t spend as much of their energy keeping warm. They can spend that energy growing, instead.” There’s a lot of grazing lost at Three Bridges to this greening, but it’s worth it, according to Liston.

“When we first started this, we probably didn’t have a horse good enough to take to Magic Millions in January,” he says. “And that means it probably wasn’t a horse good enough for breeding either. But since the introduction of our environmental play, which was the best part of 17 years ago, we’ve got better, stronger horses to sell. We look back now and think, thank god we did this.”

Over the course of 17 years, the effort required to plant Three Bridges has been phenomenal. During the droughts, Liston and his wife Sarah were watering saplings six times a day. People told them they’d have weak trees, but that was preferable to dead trees.

“When we first moved in, we were known as the weirdos with horses and trees,” Liston says. “We were giving up 30 metres around the whole boundary, and people couldn’t believe that.”

In 2005, when the Listons relocated to Victoria, they were looking for good ground. In South Australia, they’d had incredible infrastructure but the land wasn’t forgiving, and they wanted that in reverse when they moved.

Three Bridges has given Toby Liston an opportunity to grow greener, breed greener and be greener, to the point where he’s now a bit of a botanist, amateur horticulturist and arborist. He reads up on the birds that come through and the natural damming of the Loddon, and he’s more hands-on with catchment management.

“We’ve given up 25 metres both sides of the river, which is called the riparian zone,” Liston says. “We’ve connected wildlife corridors to the river and hence the existing landscape, so that’s been a real positive. The trees we have in many places are what we call roadside remnant vegetation, and they look like boring trees but they’ve actually got a lot of life in them.”

Slowly, the Listons pulled out every exotic tree from Three Bridges. The willows went, replaced by native gums and black wattle. Black wattles are fast-growing and short-lived, but when they die, the gums have shot up around them and nature carries on.

The Listons also played their part in slowing down the Loddon with five strategic logs placed by catchment management down the channel. According to Liston, the best river is the slow river that it takes its sweet old time.

When we first started this, we probably didn’t have a horse good enough to take to Magic Millions in January,” he says. “And that means it probably wasn’t a horse good enough for breeding either.”

BREEDER GREEN

Greening Three Bridges Thoroughbreds is as much about its future sustainability as making it the best, most natural horse environment as possible. Liston is trying to replicate natural habitats, which means plenty of tree cover, plenty of space for young horses and a knowledge of endemic species There have been times when he has GPS-tracked the yearlings to discover they travel upwards of 20 kilometres a day in their 100-acre paddock, and data like this helps the Three Bridges bottom dollar.

“Trainers these days want sound, tough horses, and we want to breed horses that will remain sounder and tougher for longer,” Liston says. “If they can’t stand up to our paddocks, we don’t feel confident selling them, and we will only sell the horses we raise and believe in.”

Three Bridges is in business to make money, and if it’s not making money, all the environmental good intentions will amount to little. But to Toby Liston, the calibre of yearlings is better than it’s ever been and he has no doubt the farm’s environmental savvy has a lot of do with that.

BREEDER GREEN

“There’s no financial incentive for us to do it,” Liston says. “It will probably cost us in the long run, but I think it would be lovely to say that the Three Bridges footprint is negative, that we’re selling naturally raised horses carbon-neutral. What could be better than that?”

The future of the carbon market is looking strong in Australia, with regulated environmental credits on things like water quality and biodiversity, and it’s an industry that’s only getting bigger. It’s part of a greening culture worldwide, and one that farming isn’t immune to, but why is it spoken of so little when it comes to horse breeding?

“I couldn’t really answer that on behalf of the industry,” Liston says. “I can only speak on behalf of Three Bridges, but I know that everyone is looking into climate change right now. Half the world is in drought and the other half is in flood, and are humans contributing? Probably yes, but is it just a normal cycle? Whatever side of the fence you’re on, I don’t think you can say we’re not affecting the way of things to some degree.”

Like anything that comes to the environment movement, it takes effort to effect change. To Liston, it’s been an effort and an expense, but it hasn’t really been that hard over 15 years.

Greening

Three Bridges

Thoroughbreds is as much about its future sustainability as making it the best, most natural horse environment as possible. Liston is trying to replicate natural habitats, which means plenty of tree cover, plenty of space for young horses and a knowledge of endemic species.

It’s an impossible thing to prove, but nothing is going to change his mind and, as such, he is driven to go that little bit further into carbon neutrality. It’s one of those concepts we hear about in the media, and among manufacturing and airline industries, but how does a horse farm with a handful of Land Cruisers, trailers and diesel machinery get it done, and what exactly is it?

“Getting to be carbon neutral is almost like having a calculator come to your farm,” Liston says. “They measure all your outputs, and then they measure all the positives on the farm, like the 60,000 trees we have planted, plus the plant diversity and any wetlands on the property. It’s basically all about biodiversity and changing the way old systems have been done. A good example of this is we slash all our own paddocks and mulch it all back in, and we’ve got a seeder that doesn’t disturb the soil. So all of this will be counted, if you like, as us offsetting any carbon emissions until we get to the point where all the positives out-measure the outputs. Then we’d be carbon neutral.”

The carbon credits system in Australia is complicated, and these days it’s a marketplace, but offsetting carbon basically means an activity that reduces emissions to compensate for emissions made elsewhere. In the case of Three Bridges, the 30-metre, treelined paddock perimeters might offset the emissions of the turbo diesel Land Cruisers that tow the horse floats, or the generators that power the floodlights during foaling season.

The Australian government’s FullCAM model inputs figures into the ‘calculator’, such as how many trees and in what configurations and where, which then uses a formula to calculate how much carbon will be removed from the atmosphere over a 25-year period. By most admissions, it’s an estimate, but it seems to be the future of things.

“We are now trying to affect our environment in a positive way at Three Bridges, and we’re trying to inspire others to do the same because, when you look down at it, it’s not actually that hard to do,” he says.

Carbon offsetting isn’t a loud conversation in the thoroughbred breeding industry, and perhaps it should be. Are the European trees, pretty as they are, counter-intuitive on the bigger, showpiece farms? Should the manicured lawns and post and rail be reconsidered for looser, more fruitful bee habitats and hedging?

“It’s horses for courses,” Liston says. “There aren’t many farms that have to make a living out of it, and ours is a working farm, like Yarraman and Mill Park. Those are three big family operations that come to mind. I’d love to have a full-time gardener, but the reality for us is that our gardener comes once a week. My dream is to have a showpiece farm, but to deliver it is expensive and very hard.”

Liston says the showpiece horse farms inspire him to be better. “They don’t make your horses run any faster, but they look beautiful,” he says.

Always, Toby Liston is the straight-talking, hard-thinking, fastmoving father, farmer and breeder. He doesn’t wait for anyone else to do something he could do himself, and he isn’t distracted by sentiment, as a lot of country folk aren’t. He might be a greenie with all this carbon talk, but there’s no doubt that what he stands for is what he stands on at Three Bridges Thoroughbreds.

“I just think there’s something amazing in leaving something that’s going to live for hundreds of years, don’t you?”

Your new formula for success

Only Hygain Prime EQ® provides formulations specifically tailored for the five key breeding stages. Developed by leading equine nutritionists and veterinarians and endorsed by leading stud farms, Prime EQ® has been scientifically developed to deliver targeted nutrient levels and the perfect lysine to energy ratios for optimal growth and development. Prime EQ® has the added benefit of BONAFIDE® to support improved bone density and strength.

Words & Photos / Katrina Partridge

There exists an old quote: Dogs are not our whole lives but they make our lives whole. They stand beside us, rest their nose in our hand when we are stressed, partake in long car journeys with no complaint (unless their designated window isn’t down), take a place at our feet/or next to us on the couch after a long day, elect not to answer back when we are in a mood, and can make us endlessly laugh with their endearing characteristics and playful nature. When it comes to thoroughbred farms, barns and spelling paddocks you will be hard pressed not to find a much loved dog somewhere in the immediate vicinity. Like the equine royalty they share Google Map coordinates with there are many canines who boast vintage bloodlines and faultless conformation. Others point to more blue-collar pedigrees or quirky personalities but despite these differences they have much in common: they all vie with the children on the farm for general favouritism (note - most own more toys and snack boxes than the former), they want for nothing, and the farrier is a universal favourite.

Magic Millions met with 6 huge canine personalities who were each tasked with unveiling the (already much known) truth: dog’s rule the roost.

Owned by: the Thompson family, Widden Stud

What’s Banjo’s story: He’s a rescue dog that came from Peat’s Ridge. He has no back hip joint. He got run over by a four-wheel bike and the guy that had him was a truck driver and didn’t want to do surgery. A girl that was working for us at the time - her parents took Banjo on to do some rehab with him as the vets thought he was too cute not to do the surgery. We had had a dog pass away a few months before and she said I think I have found you the perfect family dog! And she did. So, we got him when he was 18 months and he goes everywhere with us. How is he with the children: He loves the kids to death. He spots them at a sports match at school and cries until he can be with them.

Floor or bed: Banjo is a comfort dog - he only ever sleeps on the bed or on the couch. He comes to work with us every day and sits on an office chair.

Is he a part of the Widden family: Definitely. Everyone on the farm loves him and he is like everyone’s dog and everyone keeps an eye out for him. He is great around the horses - is very quiet. Occasionally he chases the cows but they have to be on the other side of the fence!

Why do dogs and horses have such a great synergy: Horse people are dog people as much as anything. People who like horses generally seem to also have an affinity with dogs.

Is Banjo scared of anything: He doesn’t do much but he will bark at strangers which helps if one of the horse transport drivers gets lost late at night!

BANJO (8.5yo male mixed breed, rescue dog)

ZIGGY

(2yo male Australian Shepherd)

Owned by: Kurt Goldman, Goulburn

Where was Ziggy born: I was at the Magic Millions Sale when the breeder rang me. A pup they had had been sold to Victoria but with Covid they couldn’t get him across the border so the original owners gave him up to wait for the next litter and the breeder then contacted me. I had been chasing one of these dogs for ages so what luck!

What made you choose this breed: I had never owned an Australian Shepherd before. They used to run a big 3-Day event down here at Lynton each year and Australian rider Shane Rose is a mate of mine. He owns one of these dogs and I fell in love with it. Every time I went to Shane’s place where he had around 100 horses in work this little Aussie Shepherd was always lying in the shade and was never in the way and I just loved the type of dog he was so I did some research and it took me 18 months to find one. Very happy that we ended up with him!

How would you describe his personality: He’s always had this wonderful outgoing personality. You wouldn’t know it but he is actually quite lazy. From Day 1 every horse in the stable and on the farm has pretty much had to fit in around him. He is a great dog to have around horses as he has such a great demeanour - he is placid, so quiet and so comfortable around them. He is just such a happy go lucky dog. Some days he will lie in the middle of the barn and sleep and other days he will chase a ball or pull a witches hat out of a stable and run around with it. He does the feed run every day to see the spellers and he loves going on the buggy with the girls as they take loads of photos of him.

Is he photographed a lot: He is 100% more photographed than any horse that lives here!

He seems to really love all your staff: It’s very good for staff having a dog around even though they probably spend more time taking photos and patting him than doing actual work but for keeping people happy he’s awesome; every morning he goes and says good morning to every person that works here and he gets a pat and a treat. He walks around all morning basically just visiting everyone and checking in with them so from a mental health perspective he is great.

Owned by: Dan and Rae Fletcher at Telemon Stud, Innisplain, Qld

Did she get her name courtesy of all her childlike characteristics: (There’s a pause as we contemplate her size) Well, I guess that’s a good way of looking at it ?!

What does she love: Me (plus rabbits and possums)

What size winter rug does she wear: It’s not much smaller than a horse rug !

How valuable is she: She’s the love of my life. Dogs are more like children than animals.

How would you describe her personality: She loves her food, treats, being with people, riding in the farm buggy. Very much likes being in the front, she doesn’t like travelling in the back like a dog. Very kind, attentive, integral family member, she’s my shadow, good with the horses and will ‘run the gauntlet’ and enter any paddock as long as she’s by my side

PUP (4yo female Harlequin Great Dane)

SYBIL (3yo female Dachshund) DAISY (11yo female Cavalier King Charles Spaniel)

Owned by: Brett and Rachael Howard, Randwick Bloodstock

Do the dogs get on well together: Yes and no. They sleep on the same bed together unless there is food involved or strangers are around in which case Sybil gets quite vocal.

Do they come to work: Sybil is an office dog and she is in there for most of the day. Daisy is a REALLY loud snorer so drowns me out on the phone so she’s not a good office option!

Have dogs always been part of your lives: Yes. We had a chocolate Labrador when we first got married then a golden retriever then we went to the smaller dogs so these two.

Do the dogs have any quirky personality traits: Daisy is petrified of thunder. We have to now tie her up as she took off for 2 days on one occasion. We door

knocked everyone for a mile in every direction to try and find her. If she hears any thunder she will literally climb into the nearest cupboard with all the pots and pans or cereal packets to get away from it. Luckily, she is going deaf as she gets old so storms are not quite as challenging these days. Sybil believes she’s actually a rottweiler not a dachshund. She is Rachael’s shadow. If she goes out in the horse float or goes to put the bins out Sybil goes mental as she thinks she is being left behind. She is quite high maintenance!

Why do you think there is natural synergy between dogs and horses: We love animals so it works. We also have chickens, a cat, 3 boys ... it’s good to have animals around to teach children to care for things. The dogs are a part of life.

ROXY

(11.5 yo female English Bulldog)

Owned by: Adam and Allira Cook, Kingstar Farm

Tell us a bit about Roxy: Roxy is the calm one who will chill all day. She has attended more foalings in her life than most stud workers. She is deaf so from the age of 8 weeks it was a case of getting her to understand hand or sign language. We taught her to stay away from the horses from a young age as she couldn’t hear them so she isn’t afraid of horses but she keeps her distance from them.

And Layne: Layne needs a bit more attention and stimulation. She loves swimming - with a life vest of course. I don’t recommend swimming bull dogs without a vest ... they sink!

Are both dogs integrally involved in the farm: Yes. They come on a feed run every morning to check the mares and foals. Then they stay with Allira for most of the morning to attend whatever she is working on. If they can’t join in, they sit in the Gator.

Why bulldogs: I chose a bulldog because of their nature. They don’t have the herding instinct and won’t chase horses. Basically, all they want is attention from humans. They chill out at work with us all day, they don’t run away, and if someone is feeling a bit stressed or are down they are there for a pat or a cuddle and they are always up for that.

WHISKY

(7yo female mixed breed, rescue dog)

Owned by: Wayne and Michelle Bedggood, Cressfield

How did Whisky get her name: Whisky was surrendered to the Scone pound; we then adopted her. As a fan of good quality Scotch I was delighted to learn that she carried the same name; I figure her previous owners thought she was the colour of a fine, single-malt and named her accordingly.

Whisky is something of a local identity isn’t she: Whisky came into my life when I was acting as Upper Hunter Shire Mayor and she fast became known as “The First Dog” and spent a lot of time with me attending to Mayoral duties and attending functions. In fact, weekly Shire radio interiews typically saw the conversation turn from pertinent local matters to the topic of Whisky and what she was up to!

What is her role at the farm: No young horse at Cressfield has any excuse for poor behaviour around dogs as Whisky walks many kilometres beside and running around in front of them at some stage. We feel desensitizing our stock to animals, noises and strange objects is all part of the education process and to this end perhaps Whisky should probably be paid more than just a feed and a cuddle? She rarely misses a yearling parade and likes to overview proceedings from the parade area gazebo.

Man (women’s) best friend: Speaking from personal experience, I can say that dogs are magnificent well-being promoters who not only help relieve stress and act as faithful companions, but are therapeutic in their ability to give unrequited affection to one and all.

Do you and Whisky have any common traits: We love every moment turning grey together.

Raceday FACES

Raceday FACES

As a young girl, Kildare-born Lisa Coffey was told to settle for a job in a supermarket, but instead she went to university, migrated to the other side of the world and opened the first equine-assisted therapy centre in Australia, helping hundreds of people and racehorses find a new way in life.

The Irish have a saying that you’ll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind, so Lisa Coffey must be an Irishwoman. Down the bottom of southeast Australia, on the Mornington Peninsula in Moorooduc and Balnarring and a little further north in Pakenham, she is one of the busiest in racing’s aftercare industry.

Forty ex-racehorses spread between three farms, a crew of up to 20, countless volunteers and 250 clients a week through the gates of her business, Racing Hearts. In a nutshell, it’s a place where thoroughbreds are rehomed or reschooled for a very specific purpose – to be equine-assisted therapy animals.

“It’s my nature to love helping people, and I love helping horses, so to match the two together was something of a no-brainer,” Coffey says. “At the beginning of all this, I went away to the Equine Psychotherapy Institute in Daylesford to study how to genuinely integrate horses into therapy sessions, because the last thing I wanted to do was to sell some wishy-washy, magic package that promised people they’d feel better if they came to pat a horse.”

Racing Hearts is one of Victoria’s most recognised facilities for equine-assisted therapy. It gives people a leg up, both physically and figuratively, through interaction with horses. Its goodwill has spread the length of the country so that it’s now supported by Ciaron Maher, Victoria Racing Club, Godolphin, Henry Dwyer Racing, PACE Development Group and Racing Victoria and is always open to new partnerships.

“At last count, about 580 people have been through Racing Hearts in two-and-a-half years,” she says. “It’s amazing. Full-on, but amazing.”

The success of a business like this often rests on the empathy and drive of its captain. In this instance, Coffey is well-placed at Racing Hearts. She was a tenacious, ambitious child growing up in Kildare, but those characteristics were lost in a less than ideal family home. “My childhood was far from amazing,” she says. “I remember telling my dad one day that I wanted to go to university and he laughed at me. He said; ‘you’re a Coffey, and Coffeys don’t go to university. You’d want to get that out of your head and go find yourself a job down at the supermarket’. That memory has never, ever left me, and with the support of my mum who tried her best for us, I left home when I was 15 and here I am today with four degrees.” It might be this upbringing that helps Coffey relate to clients at Racing Hearts. Her brother didn’t survive their childhood as well as she did, and he’s always on her mind in her everyday work.

“Everybody asks me the question of why I came up with Racing Hearts, and the answer is that it made sense to join horses with people that have mental health issues,” she says. “But from my own private perspective, my brother came out of our childhood an awful worse than I did, and I think about his experience as a kid and how it has impacted his life in a really major way. If there was something like this available to him when he was a young child, his life might not have taken all the bad turns that it did.”

Coffey has taken this sad chapter of her life and turned it into something extraordinary. She’s the kind of woman that will be told she won’t succeed, only to go hard and succeed beyond her wildest expectations. Racing Hearts was the first organisation of its kind in Australia, founded in 2018 and, in three short years, it’s become the benchmark for equine-assisted therapy. It’s now in New South Wales.

Words / Jessica Owers.

“Of the kids that we get through Racing Hearts, the ones we see the biggest change in are those that are aged between eight and 13,” she says. “We seem to be able to make the biggest impact on them, in terms of their coping strategies and healthy expressions of emotion.”

Coffey’s qualifications include equine science, counselling and psychology, and she’s about to set off on either a Masters or PhD, the latter psychology-based with focus on understanding the neurosciences behind equine-assisted therapy. It’s heavy stuff, but Coffey wants to properly understand the mechanics of her programs because anecdotal feedback isn’t enough. She wants to know what physically happens to the human body and mind, in terms of hormones and physical change, when clients are working with her horses.

“I think that thing of being told I can’t do something often comes back to me because as a kid I was told repeatedly that I was stupid” she said. “When I do things, I tend to get hyperfocused and do them twice as big. It’s not always a good thing but in the case of Racing Hearts, I guess it has been an advantage.”

It’s hard to believe that this articulate, deftly educated woman once wanted to be a lawyer. Coffey’s place in the off-track community in Victoria has become so strong that you can only consider the industry’s loss had she gone another way. As an ambassador for Racing Victoria’s Off the Track Program, she has been a key player in the success of the state’s offthe-track (OTT) thoroughbred programs, and she’s a go-to when it comes to the retraining and rehoming of hundreds of thoroughbreds.

“Everyone wants the pretty ones, sound ones and ones that jump big fences,” she says. “I played a small part in establishing Racing Victoria’s OTT program and one of the biggest issues was all of the horses that no one wanted. They were the horses that weren’t 100 percent sound, that were not athletic enough for equestrian disciplines or couldn’t breathe very well. They might be too ugly for the showring or couldn’t be ridden at all, and we were really stuck as to what to do with them.”

Coffey isn’t the only one that has recognised a second-coming for these horses, but she has proved one of the best at making it happen. At Racing Hearts, she has horses that can and can’t be ridden, horses that had temperament issues and now don’t, and horses like the Grand Annual winners Gold Medals and Ablaze. But even they aren’t the most famous of her acquaintances.

Long before Coffey migrated to Australia in 2009, she rode for national hunt trainers in Ireland and worked for an equine transport company handling the logistics of Coolmore’s frequent flyers. She flew with the likes of Footstepsinthesand, Yeats and Mastercraftsman, Yeats in particular leaving a magnificent impression.

Almost the whole of Coffey’s professional career has waded through the racing industry. She’s made a living from it on both sides of the world, but the good work she does these days is more passion than economics. Like everyone, she has concerns about the industry’s public licence, and she’s probably in a better position than most to have an opinion on it.

“The traceability issue really worries me,” she says. “I’m not delusional. I know that not every horse can go on to a healthy life, but the traceability of horses that are bred in this industry is a real issue because horses are getting lost, no one knowing where they end up. It’s not good enough and the horses deserve a lot better, and I really do think it’s our biggest challenge in terms of equine welfare.”

When it comes to making a difference, Coffey is at the coal face. It’s a normal occurrence for her to have to explain her support of racing to non-racing audiences, and she does so by owning her educated opinion.

“Any work with animals is never going to be perfect,” she says. “For me, I’m only one person, but I’m still one person that is helping anywhere from 50 to 100 horses per year. If there are five or six of me, and there are lots of people in the industry making small waves, then we’ll make those waves bigger. I’d rather be on the inside helping than on the outside throwing stones.”

Coffey’s ambitions for Racing Hearts are creeping north. The organisation opened its New South Wales base in the Hunter Valley in November, and she’s eyeing off southeast Queensland now. The Gold Coast, with its firm attachment to the sport of racing and its countryside so close by, is just too good to be true.

“I’ve had a few discussions with people who are very keen on a Queensland farm, but it’s early days yet,” Coffey says. “On saying that, I’m ready to go when anyone’s ready to help me.”

It’s my nature to love helping people, and I love helping horses, so to match the two together was something of a no-brainer

Showjumping

Words / Cass Simmonds

INNOVATION & Peerless the Magic Millions Race Series go hand-in-hand.

The latest world-first innovations are set to make their mark at the 2023 edition of The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Raceday, driving the racemeeting’s participation and reach to its highest ever levels.

Saturday 14 January 2023 will see the inaugural running of two new feature races, the $1m Magic Millions The Syndicate and the $500,000 Magic Millions The Debut. The addition of these two new world-first races makes The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Raceday a ten race card worth a staggering $11.75m – and the only racemeeting in Australia to stage eight million dollar plus races on the one program.

A key objective behind the development of The Syndicate and The Debut by Magic Millions and Racing Queensland was to create new avenues for expanded participation across all levels on a major raceday and to further support industry growth with a stimulus for both investment and reinvestment in ownership.

Restricted to horses (3YOs & up) owned by a minimum of 20 individual registered owners and/or syndicate members (including micro-syndication), the $1m Magic Millions The Syndicate (1200m) will create the world’s largest ownership experience across one race.

Importantly the concept aims to incentivise and reward the establishment of large ownership groups by syndicators and trainers at the time of yearling purchase, with recognition that such groups provide vital accessibility and affordability to racing quality bloodstock, and in bringing large groups of owners together on a special shared journey that is all about the horse.

The $500,000 Magic Millions The Debut (900m), for unraced 2YOs, will see the introduction of pure excitement and speed to the Raceday, and become the world’s richest 2YO maiden. Imagine the anticipation of watching your horse line up for the first time on one of the biggest racedays in Australia, racing for half a million dollars! The Debut provides owners with the ultimate opportunity for an early return and an unforgettable ownership experience.

The Syndicate and The Debut are part of a national series of 26 races annually spanning six states, for nominated graduates of Magic Millions Yearling Sales. Be there on Saturday 14 January, get inspired by the new races and see why the Magic Millions Race Series is the first, best and richest sales-restricted race series in the world!

To Sir, lwith ve

Brendan Lindsay didn’t need to buy Cambridge Stud in the spring of 2017, but he wanted to. It could have taken him three years to negotiate the purchase, but instead it took him three weeks. He went from a life spent in the boardroom to one in the hot sun or driving rain, fixing fences and rearing bloodstock. He had swapped one intense, high-achieving business for another.

Brendan and wife Jo assumed control of Cambridge Stud in April 2018, less than two years after they sold their company, Sistema, for $660 million to an American outfit on the Fortune 500. They’d have preferred the particulars to be more private than they were, but that’s how things go at that level of commerce, and their purchase of Cambridge Stud brought a fresh wave of attention.

For 41 years, the property had strolled along in the willowy control of Sir Patrick Hogan. It had hosted the Queen, Sir Tristram and Zabeel, and it was hard to imagine that anyone else could do so well there.

Words / Jessican Owers

It’s been nearly five years since Brendan and Jo Lindsay bought New Zealand’s Cambridge Stud and, in the time since, they have rebuilt the farm with a particular homage to Sir Patrick Hogan and the two horses that delivered an empire.

To Sir, lwith ve

When the Lindsays moved in, they had every right to go their own way with their expensive, new investment, but they did so carefully. They had bought a horse farm that was equal parts New Zealand legend.

“There’s quite a responsibility that comes with buying a business that has a heritage like what Cambridge Stud’s got, and Jo and I took that responsibility onboard,” Brendan says. “We can’t ever achieve what the stud’s achieved in the past, because those are all memories, but we can honour its past, which we’ve tried to do.”

The first two years for the Lindsays were the hardest. When they moved in, they had resident stallions Tavistock, Keeper, Burgundy and Power. They lost Tavistock and Burgundy in the space of a month, which was only a short time after they lost Roaring Lion, who had just arrived on a shuttle deal, to colic. The following year, COVID took hold, and it might have been enough to squeeze the spirit of the hardiest man, but the Lindsays pressed on at Cambridge Stud. They rebuilt the farm from the beating heart of the stallion barn right out to the tree-lined boundary fences, and Cambridge Stud today is a sparkling version of its old self.

“We felt we needed to make some changes,” Jo says. “Most of the buildings hadn’t stood up to time very well, and so we put a plan together for the property with respect to what it was and what we wanted it to be. We bought two additional neighbouring properties, one that has become the new foaling unit, and that’s a good example of some of the things we had to do because before, the foaling unit was an old dairy.”

The Lindsays admit they had little idea when they purchased how much they would rebuild in a short space of time. If Cambridge Stud was like an onion, the layers kept peeling everywhere they looked.

“If a fence came down, you’d say to yourself that you’ll put it back up again,” Brendan says. “But then you look at the driveway beside it and realise that needs some work, and then you put in a new pathway. And now you’ve got a path that needs a fence too, and then you add trees until you look across the road and decide you might as well do the other side too.”

“Cambridge Stud wasn’t just Sir Patrick and the horses,” Brendan says. “It was also the staff that have come through the place, like Colm Santry to Adam Sangster, Brent Taylor from Trelawney and James Cummings. These guys all came through Cambridge Stud as part of their cadetship, if you like, so it was about honouring everyone who’s contributed, too.”

The Cambridge Stud Heritage Centre is an interactive experience for visitors. There are digital displays of old races and farm photographs, and quotes dotting the walls from recognisable names.

The Cambridge Stud silks are on display, as are many trophies and farm memories.

In the centre of things, the old horse known as ‘Paddy’ is recreated in splendid detail. Sir Tristram is surrounded by his wooden trough, stallion vest, brushes, bit and life-size effigy.

“We’d travelled to Kentucky to visit a couple of the horse museums there, and then we went to Ireland to see similar centres at Coolmore and the Irish National Stud,” Brendan says.

It is modern and polished, every bit the showpiece farm you’d expect of it, and sat in the hub of things is a new heritage centre. The idea for it came fairly soon after the Lindsays took over, and the logic was to honour the past, in particular the eras of Sir Tristram and his son Zabeel.

“In the first few days of talking about buying from Sir Patrick, we initially talked about wanting to add a heritage centre to Cambridge Stud,” Jo says. “It would be headlined by Sir Tristram and Zabeel because those two stallions left a massive mark on Australasian racing.”

However, the history of the place was bigger again than just those two horses.

“I’d already been to Newmarket to look at what they’d done, and we basically wanted to see what other people had achieved with these sorts of things and what we could learn from them.”

That was in 2019, just a year after the Lindsays had taken control of Cambridge Stud, so their heritage centre was front and centre of their earliest plans, and they enlisted bloodstock auctioneer

Steve Davis, a Kiwi, to join them on a quick, seven-day jaunt across the horse museums of the world.

Cambridge Stud is completely rebuilt today, which was a huge undertaking in five short years.

In the centre of things, the old horse known as ‘Paddy’ is recreated in splendid detail. Sir Tristram is surrounded by his wooden trough, stallion vest, brushes, bit and life-size effigy.

“I’m on the board of the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame, and we’ve got a lot of gear that we’ve accumulated over the years from inducting people and horses,” Davis says. “I’ve known Brendan and Jo for quite some time and, when I heard they were building a museum, I got in touch to see if I could be of any help.”

Davis joined the Lindsays in the earliest planning of the centre. He scribbled notes on napkins during their whirlwind tour, and assisted in the ideas about design and presentation. They visited the Kentucky Horse Farm in Lexington and the Keeneland museum, and in Tipperary they saw the monument to Sadler’s Wells, whose hide has been mounted and displayed.

“I thought it was great, this idea of a monument to the history of Cambridge Stud,” Davis says.

“And it’s been done in such a way that visitors walk in and reflect on the past, and they work their way around the museum and end up back in the present day. So you start in the green silks of Sir Patrick Hogan and you end up in the black and gold silks of Jo and Brendan.”

The Lindsays were under no obligation to open their new farm to the public, but that’s not how they operate. When they sold Sistema in 2016, it was under the condition that the business remain in New Zealand. Opening their heritage centre to visitors, gift shop and all, wasn’t an issue.

“They were inspired by the stud tours that go on in Kentucky, which were mirrored on the bourbon tours,” Davis says. “Buses of people going around the studs, it creates interest in the industry beyond its own audience. Brendan was genuinely interested in preserving the history of Cambridge Stud in one way or another because the property itself has gone through massive changes, so it’s nice that we’ve been able to retain some of the old stories.”

Like everything in modern commerce, Cambridge Stud has had to modernise and plunge forward, and in January, for the first time in over a decade, the farm will sell a draft on the Gold Coast under its own banner. Via Bhima, Cambridge Stud has sold January yearlings in recent history, but it’s a homecoming of sorts this time around.

“Sixty-five percent of our sales come out of the Australian market,” Brendan says. “We need to showcase our product in New Zealand obviously, but we also need to take some of our product to Australia. We’re very lucky that Barry Bowditch has been with us in New Zealand to see what we’ve done, and he’s very supportive, so coming back is a big thanks to him and to Magic Millions.”

Experienced as Cambridge Stud is at selling its bloodstock, there’s nothing like being among the colour and clamour of a Gold Coast January. For the Lindsays, however, it’s like the last few years, with its bumps and nudges, has been building to this.

“It’s taken us five years to get to here,” Brendan says. “Coming back to the Gold Coast is another step that Jo and I are taking with Cambridge Stud, and it’s a big step. We’re excited. We’re hoping to have a bigger profile at Magic Millions in the years that come, so this is the very start of a journey that our business is going down.”

There’s quite a responsibility that comes with buying a business that has a heritage like what Cambridge Stud’s go, and Jo and I took that responsibility on board.

SHARE IN THE VOBIS SIRES BOOST REWARDS

This sales season, choose VOBIS Sires progeny and take the frst step in unlocking Australian thoroughbred racing’s richest# scheme for owners and breeders with over $30 million in prizemoney, vouchers, and bonuses.

You can use VOBIS Sires Boost vouchers to reinvest in VOBIS Sires eligible progeny at approved Sales, Studs and Syndicators^

VOBIS Sires Boost vouchers are available on all 250+ VOBIS Gold bonus races run throughout Victoria, with these races now ofering:

• $20,000 VOBIS Gold Bonus* for VOBIS Gold eligible horses, and

• $30,000 in VOBIS Sires Boost Vouchers^ exclusive to the winning Owners of VOBIS Gold nominated progeny of a VOBIS Sires Stallion.

Look for the Super VOBIS and VOBIS Sires progeny logos and share in the rewards.

*Horses will need to be nominated and accepted into VOBIS Gold to unlock prizemoney, bonuses and vouchers - a fee applies to nominate to VOBIS Gold (which was $1,100 per horse in the 2021/22 racing year).

# As stated in TDN News, 9 Aug 2022 – Breeder bonus schemes reaching new heights ^Terms & Conditions apply. Please refer to vobissiresboost.com.au for a list of participating Sales, Studs and Syndicators.

Kings Consort (sired by Ilovethiscity) wins the The Showdown at Caulfeld on April 23, 2022

2

BARRIER DRAW

BARRIER DRAW 2

BARRIER DRAW2

Words / Michael Cox, Asian Racing Report

Hong Kong

Stanley Chan talks about the pleasure, and pressure, of owning Hong Kong’s best horse, the Magic Millions graduate Golden Sixty

Owning the best horse in Hong Kong has plenty of upside. Stanley Chan is kicking back in a cafe in the hip neighborhood of Tai Ping Shan, admiring a mural of his horse Golden Sixty painted on the laneway wall opposite. The shop next to the mural, the upmarket equestrian tack store Horse & Hound, is selling limited edition Golden Sixty designer jackets and vests.

Then there is the HK$116 million (AUD$23m) Golden Sixty has banked through a career in which he has won a Hong Kong Derby, six Group 1s and at one time went more than two whole seasons without defeat.

It all seems like a dream to a lifelong racing fan like Chan, but there is a flipside to the fun – like the nerves that kick in when his horse regularly starts a very long odds-on favourite.

“I am not betting on my horse, because he is 1.1 or 1.2, but my heart is still thumping,” he says. “I am worried that something will go wrong in the race, some sort of accident, and when he gets past the winning post, I can relax. It is a relief.”

Then there was the time Golden Sixty’s winning streak was snapped at 16 – one short of the Hong Kong record set by Silent Witness – when the horse’s price was “money back”, 1.0 – but more on that later. Fortunately for Chan there have been more good days than bad: 22 great days out of 25, to be precise. That was Golden Sixty’s record at the time through four remarkable seasons. Not bad for a horse that cost just $120,000 at the 2017 Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $120,000, pin-hooked by Riversley Park and bought as a ready-to-run two-year-old by Chan.

Not that it is all about money for Chan. Hong Kong owners can get a bad rap for lacking sentiment or a sense of romanticism for the sport, but when Chan’s eyes fill with tears while recalling Golden Sixty’s 2020 Hong Kong Derby win, it is clear that this is about much more than prize money or fame.

“From last horse to first, it was really something, I can’t explain the feeling,” he says. “For Hong Kong people, and the horse racing fans, the Derby is the once-in-a-lifetime race. If you miss your chance, that is it.”

Chan grew up a tram stop away from Happy Valley in Causeway Bay and by the age of seven he was a racing fan, his idols were Tony Cruz, Eddie Lo and Co-Tack.

There is an immense sense of local pride for Chan and Golden Sixty’s all-Hong Kong team of trainer Francis Lui and jockey Vincent Ho, who has ridden the horse in each of his 25 starts at time of publication. It isn’t that remarkable that Golden Sixty started with a local trainer and jockey, but one of the oldest stories in Hong Kong racing is the horse that starts with a local and is transferred to an expat trainer, or the jockey replaced by a club rider, or both.

When Golden Sixty was defeated in consecutive Group 1s at odds of 1.0 and 1.2 last season, Ho’s tactical decisions were the subject of media scrutiny – never mind the fact he had ridden the horse to victory in 19 of its previous 20 starts.

“Of course I want to support the local jockey, each season we have less and less local jockeys. If we do not support the local jockeys then maybe in five years it will just be the gweilos,” Chan said, good naturedly using the Canto slang term for an expat. “Vincent was the jockey from day one, he was on the horse in trackwork in the morning right from the start, so why should I change the jockey?

“Even before Golden Sixty, we had built a relationship with Vincent through our other horses.”

It’s fair to say Golden Sixty has marked a change in luck with ownership. His previous three horses all ended up racing in Hong Kong’s lowest grade, Class 5, and had a combined record of five wins from 115 starts. Given that record it is clear that despite Golden Sixty’s heroics, Chan will take a realistic set of expectations into his future purchases.

“Even with those other horses, I enjoyed racing,” he says. “I don’t expect that I can find another horse like Golden Sixty, it is very difficult. If my next horse, if he can make it to Class 1 or Class 2 this is more than enough. It is really difficult to find a good one. Finding one as good as Golden Sixty is even harder.”

And now that Chan has got a good one, he plans on taking care of him. As Golden Sixty’s ratings and achievements have grown, so have calls for the horse to travel.

At the end of last season, Japan’s tough summer Group 1 mile the Yasuda Kinen was considered, but Chan said his horse’s long term health comes before any overseas ambition.

“After he won the Champions Mile in April, it was on a high temperature day, and Francis and myself decided we would give him a break instead of going to Japan,” Chan says. “We thought it would be better to give him a summer holiday.”

That holiday was rewarded when Golden Sixty made a spectacular return in the G2 Jockey Club Mile in late November. Heading into the race first-up, Golden Sixty faced the rising star California Spangle, who started favourite.

Golden Sixty produced what was arguably a career-best performance, clocking a remarkable set of closing sections to gun down the leader, who had been given a near faultless ride by Zac Purton.

I don’t expect that I can find another horse like Golden Sixty, it is very difficult.

Hong Kong Hero A

As Golden Sixty and Ho crossed the line, the horse stretching his neck out with one last giant stride, Chan thrust his arms into the air and screamed to the crowd. It is an experience that could not be replicated anywhere but Sha Tin.

Now, in the relaxed atmosphere of the cafe, Chan sips his coffee, leans back in his chair and reflects on all of what his beloved horse has achieved – the records, prize money and accolades – and none of it means as much as Golden Sixty becoming a true Hong Kong hero.

In Hong Kong racing the two most competitive divisions are the sprinters and milers: last season it was Magic Millions graduates ruling the roost in both.

Not only was 2017 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale Golden Sixty named champion miler, and horse of the year, for the second straight season, but another Magic Millions bargain dominated the sprint category. The best sprinter award went to Wellington, a $70,000 purchase from the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, who closed the season with three straight wins, including two at top level.

Wellington’s wins in the Centenary Sprint Cup and a second straight Champion’s Sprint Prize cemented his place among the very best short course specialists in recent memory.

“He is one of the best sprinters in the world. It’s difficult to win these big Group 1 races back-to-back,” Gibson gushed of the son of All Too Hard after the Chairman’s Sprint Prize. “Try and win 10 races in Hong Kong; you need a darn good horse to do that. To win 10 races in Hong Kong is an exceptionally difficult thing to do.”

Both Golden Sixty and Wellington share more than just affordable prices at the Gold Coast Yearling Sale, they both arrived in Hong Kong as unraced horses – known as Private Purchase Griffins (PPGs) – and worked their way through the grades.

Golden Sixty won his first three starts and six of his first seven starts before reaching Group race company and Wellington also won his first three starts in Hong Kong.

The trend in Hong Kong is towards PPGs, shifting away from the expensive tried horses that have become harder to buy in Australia.

Golden Sixty’s owner Stanley Chan will certainly be seen around the sales ring in years to come.

“There are people paying HK$10million (A$2m) for tried horses and they sometimes don’t win a race,” Chan said. “We really didn’t have to pay too much for Golden Sixty and we had the fun of watching him climb up through

Richard Gibson’s gelding finished the season with a career record of ten wins from 16 starts and earnings of HK$40,056,190 (AU$7.1 million).

SARA

Look for the SUPER VOBIS logo and share in the rewards

Nominated horses can race for over $13 million worth of Super VOBIS bonuses on ofer in over 840 races each season across Victoria. Additionally, Super VOBIS nominated horses are eligible to be nominated for VOBIS Gold> and race in the exclusive VOBIS Gold Premier Race Series worth $3.75 million. Plus, VOBIS Sires progeny that are nominated into VOBIS Gold also qualify for The Showdown (2YO), VOBIS Sires Guineas (3YO) and $7.5 million on ofer in VOBIS Sires Boost vouchers. Nominations for eligible 2021 born foals close 30 April 2023.

SUPER VOBIS CONDITIONS: A yearling displaying the Super VOBIS logo within this catalogue is considered nominated to the Super VOBIS incentive scheme, provided the relevant nomination fee has been paid by the original nominator of the yearling. Payment of the nomination fee can be made in the following ways; 1. by credit card or cheque prior to the sale, or 2. by deducting the nomination fee from the proceeds of the sale of the yearling, which is typically referred to as a “Sales Deduction”. PAYMENT BY SALES DEDUCTION: In order for the Super VOBIS nomination fee to be paid by “Sales Deduction”, the relevant yearling must be sold in the sales ring during this specifc Yearling Sale. Therefore, if intending to purchase a passed-in or withdrawn yearling post-sale, ensure the Vendor confrms that the nomination fee has been paid. Alternatively, for confrmation please contact Racing Victoria on telephone 03 9258 4694 or email vobis@racingvictoria.com.au If the nomination fee has not been paid the yearling will NOT be Super VOBIS nominated. > A nomination fee of $1,100 applies for VOBIS Gold.

BLUE POINT

Champion Sprinter

Sire Power

Shamardal

The only horse ever to win three G1 sprints at Royal Ascot.

MICROPHONE

Champion Two-Year-Old in an elite crop

TOO DARN HOT

Champion Two and Three-Year-Old

Exceed And Excel

By the world’s best two-year-old stallion Exceed And Excel from the family of Written Tycoon.

Dubawi

A G1 winner, by a G1 winner from a G1 winner just like Dubawi, Galileo, Deep Impact, Kingman and Street Cry.

Champions by Champions

I look for shadows, I look for texture. I feel that it is actually really helpful to be around them all day long, then I go and paint them. I need to make sure I know my subject, and I do. I know them so well. I know them more than anything I’ve ever painted.

Words / Sam Cavallo, Equestrienne Magazine.

Most of us know Nicole and Billy are both horsey. They’ve both ridden since childhood, met at Pony Club & have a few racehorses and rescue horses at home.

Their house and stables sit on top of a steep hill. It’s elevated & totally private. The property rolls away. Nicole’s studio sits to one side with well-fenced horse paddocks and a large arena down further. She comes out to greet me wearing a navy polo, jodhpurs and cowboy boots. It’s a vibe. We jump in a UTV and head over to the neighbour’s place to meet Regis, a grey Percheron stallion who features in her dazzling works, ‘Regis’, ‘Blue’ and ‘Dream.’ “Isn’t he just so amazing!” She says, climbing in through the rails of the fence. “He’s so big and hairy!” She’s not wrong, he’s possibly the biggest horse I’ve ever seen. Not the tallest, but the biggest.

While she poses for a few photos, she tells me about her collaboration with Coolmore, having been invited to display one of her works at a VIP night they were hosting during the Magic Millions Carnival. ‘I’d painted the collection and all the exhibitions I’d tried to plan were constantly being cancelled through Covid. So when they offered to share the space it was a great opportunity as I hadn’t been able to show any of my pieces in real-life. I thought this would be a great way of getting my work out there to a new audience.’

The logistics of moving huge paintings (her works are all largescale… up to 3m x 5m) takes a bit of planning at the best of times. When it’s just before Christmas and they have to be on site, fully installed a few days after New Year, it turns into a nightmare. Transporting a framed canvas was just not going to be possible in that timeframe.

“I came up with the idea that I could paint one of their horses for the event which would be more fitting anyway. If I was going to do it, I decided it had to be the best piece to date. I had just come onboard as an ambassador for da Vinci art brushes, there are only two of us in Australia, so I was trialling them and had a lot of access to new brushes. I started trying a different technique which gave me a more realistic texture of hair. I wanted to cover the entire horse with that full-on detail of hair and texture which takes a long time”.

“I chose an image of the stallion Justify. Coolmore were running an incentive that the first of his progeny to win a race will win a Ferrari, so that’s where the collab came into it. It was a bit surreal when they said, ‘we have to go back to Ferrari HQ in Italy for approval’, because I had thought I was just dealing with Coolmore. Ferrari is quite strict who they associate with because they are such a high-end luxury brand. So, when they approved me as a brand to be in that room with them that night I then had Ferrari AND one of the largest studs in the world to represent. I needed to make sure I did my brand and their brands justice. I needed to make sure it was perfect. I was so nervous; I had no guidance from anyone. No one wanted to see it. They put their trust in me that whatever I wanted to do would be fine. I dragged Billy into the studio halfway through his mowing to double-check what I was about to do was going to be good enough, because once I started, there wasn’t time to re-do it. It’s the first time I’ve given myself such a challenge. I really feel that by pushing myself harder I discovered more skills for myself and it was just an opportunity to start perfecting everything I’ve been working on over the last two years.”

Deciding she’s been nibbled on enough; Nicole climbs out of Regis’ paddock and we hop back into the UTV. I’ve seen the painting, so I know she got it done. It’s impressive and powerful, an incredible evocation of the stallion. His pose has all the aggression of a Ferrari, revving. So how did she end up getting it there? “Well, I rang Mark Chapman from Chapman and Bailey who I deal with all the time for my art supplies and said to him ‘how am I going to make this work? I need to have this painting ready only a few days after New Year’s… on the Gold Coast... What am I going to do?’ He said, ‘I will fly in and make sure it gets stretched and framed onsite in the Ferrari showroom for you.’ So I then had to carry a 3m x 2m painting up with me on the

plane. It went underneath. I was having an absolute heart attack. Everything was riding on this painting! It had to survive the flight and get there without getting lost. The framing was cut a month prior, so we were relying on all these pieces of the puzzle to make sure that it was going to go together. It was insane. Bill and I spent four hours setting it up in the space and then good old Covid struck again and the night got cancelled! It was unbelievable. But Tom (from Coolmore) bought the painting. I know, again, not everything goes to plan, but I couldn’t have been happier because I’d pushed myself and I was ready for it because I had spent two years preparing for that moment.”

We continue to chat as we cruise back across the property. Nicole tells me she was dyslexic as a child but was always ‘extremely driven’ to make art her career. Her parents didn’t really know what to think when she’d told them, ‘Oh, I’m going to be an artist,’ but her Dad, Nick, built her an art studio in the backyard, helped make canvases and set up her market stalls. Sadly, he died in a bike accident when Nicole was just 21. “I had that moment where I knew that he was my biggest supporter and I hadn’t done anything. So that is one of the things that has always driven me to continue because I want to make him proud. If he was here, he would be like, holy… You’re still doing it!”

Nicole and Billy had only been together for a year at the time and she told me it felt somewhat like a changing of the guard when her Dad passed. Billy became that person for her and has been ever since. “Even though I did put my career on hold to a degree, he’s been a huge supporter in what I do as well. He’s always made sure I’ve had whatever I needed, even when I said ‘I’m going to rent a space in Richmond’, so I could keep trying, even if things didn’t work out. I started this venture 20 years ago. It’s been a long journey but I never gave up. I could have had it easier but I like to push myself, be harder on myself, want more from myself. I really thank Bill for his patience because it probably would have been a lot easier if I’d just stayed at home, looked after the kids and made sure that dinner was on the table. My father and Billy had to be the most patient people to just be around me sometimes. I was forever changing the house. Billy would come home and I’d have sanded the whole table top off

or something. One time I painted a wall pink because I decided it would go really well with a painting. He still says, ‘Oh my God, remember the pink wall!’ I think painting is probably the best thing for me otherwise I’d be demolishing the house every week, reinventing the wheel. I can’t stop.”

Arriving back at her place, we pull up outside a smaller paddock where two goats, two sheep and two dogs all crowd the gate bleeting, barking and baa-ing. Once inside, Nicole sits down on the ground and they all mob her. There’s Mary the sheep and Alfie the Shepherd both in her lap. Mary is butting her head against Nicole’s and she’s trying to stop the dog licking her face. Buddy is jumping up on me and Chip the goat gives me an inquiring nudge with his little, but rather pointy, horns. There’s a lot going on, it’s pretty wild! The sheep and goats were all born at an abattoir where they would normally be processed with the other animals.

slides them open to reveal an inviting, light-filled space with white walls and high ceilings. There are two canvases stapled to the walls. One is a Friesian trotting towards me, the other the profile of a horsehead. One is more worked than the other. I can see how she’s starting to build the layers with colours and textures. I feel privy to a process that takes place in private. The synergy of paint and linen, hundreds of hours, thousands of brushstrokes. It’s something between what can be defined and the divine. It’s special to be here, to share space. I remind myself to snap a few photos. They’re all candid, nothing posed. ‘‘Everything I’ve been doing over the last 2 years has been through lockdown”, she says, “I’ve been very fortunate to

“I’ve been very fortunate to have my studio in my backyard. The world stopped, my husband wasn’t travelling, I didn’t have all the distractions of kids and school, it was the first time ever I was able to put 100% of my time into it.

These though, are very lucky to have been saved by friends of the family and hand raised. There’s a lot of fur and paw prints on us by the time we get to the studio. Nicole unlocks the big glass doors and

Out of all the Stables Collection, I think he (‘Leo’, 2021, pictured) is my best piece. I think the reason is that he’s got blue eyes. He’s got four different colours going on in his face. He’s got a pink nose and this amazing transparent line around the outside of his white blaze. To play with all that in a painting was really cool. I’m not selling ‘Leo’, he’s the only piece that I will not sell.

have my studio in my backyard. The world stopped, my husband wasn’t travelling, I didn’t have all the distractions of kids and school, it was the first time ever I was able to put 100% of my time into it. It’s pretty cool to see how the detail has evolved and also the techniques I’m using. It’s all been trial and error. I think art is through the artist. I have never been through a school or studied art. There’s no right or wrong with art. My style is my style. I don’t want to know what everyone else is doing...I don’t want to doubt myself.”

I asked her how she manages to separate her work life from home life? “It’s a tricky one! I put my studio in a paddock full of goats and sheep. I’m surrounded by horses, I’m with horses all day long. I knew from the start when we designed our home that the studio had to be somewhere apart that I do not see every day so I can escape it mentally. I think it’s really important to not feel like I live at my work. Especially with art, you are giving so much of yourself that it becomes really draining. I have little breaks with Chip and Kathy (the goats). I can sometimes just sit out there for hours. My lifestyle inspires me, it always has. I never switch-off, I don’t think artists can, but having a separate space is really important.”

From the studio we wander down to the bottom paddocks where the horses are. Leo and his mum, Zen are in one paddock with the kids’ pony. Leo is a loudly marked paint. He’s very striking with his bold blaze and blue eyes. He walks straight over and puts his nose to Nicole’s face, sharing breath. The others wander over for pats and scratches too. Zen came to them as a neglected and frightened mare with baby Leo who was only a few months old at the time and totally unhandled. You would never know to look at them. They are fat, shiny and friendly! Nicole and Billy have done all their rehabilitation and even started them under saddle themselves. Leo (named after Leonardo da Vinci) and Nicole clearly have a special connection. “Out of all the Stables Collection, I think he is my best piece. I think the reason is that he’s got blue eyes. He’s got four different colours going on in his face. He’s got a pink nose and this amazing transparent line around the outside of his white blaze. To play with all that in a painting was really cool. I’m not selling ‘Leo’, he’s the only piece that I will not sell.”

“When I started painting horses I didn’t anticipate doing what is now the Stables Collection but I think it has come about because we’re around horses more than ever before. Now that I’m painting them, I’m studying them more. I get obsessed by their detail now. I know the direction of hair. That’s so important, especially when I’m painting such high detail. I’m constantly perfecting my skill, creating the shadows and just playing with the detail of the 1%. Like the whiskers have their own shadows. I love playing with whiskers! Half in shade, half in sun. And the nostril hairs, I obsess over nostril hairs now, like it’s my favourite part! And the eyelashes! I love ideas like that. You might look at my paintings at first and notice the mane and the eye, but if you start to really look, you’re going to notice details that you just didn’t see at first glance. Now when I take a photo I think of all those things and when I’m looking for my next reference image I look for movement, I look for shadows, I look for texture. I feel that it is actually really helpful to be around them all day long, then I go and paint them. I need to make sure I know my subject, and I do. I know them so well. I know them more than anything I’ve ever painted.”

Nicole seems totally in her element surrounded by these horses, who are so different from the tradition of hacks she rode as a young girl. She grew up competing in the show ring and won many Royal Show titles. These days she prefers a horse-centric approach to riding with good horsemanship the main focus for her and Billy. They both enjoy attending clinics and do a lot of groundwork and desensitisation, even with their Thoroughbreds. “We live and breathe it every day. We’ve got our broodmares and the foals at home now. We’re walking them over tarps and bouncing balls off them. I hope we don’t make them too quiet,” she jokes, “We still want them to run!” Slater Thoroughbreds is

a boutique breeding program that produces a few quality foals per season. The Slaters sold their first yearling through the Gold Coast Magic Millions Sale in 2019 (racing name Inner Spirit) and a Redoute’s Choice son at the 2021 sales. Both colts are out of their prized broodmare, Inishowen, who is a multiple race winner herself. The Slaters produced two fillies this year, ‘Polly’ by Pride of Dubai and ‘Pretzel’ by superstar sire, Snitzel. All their horses are part of the family, including the ones bred for racing. The kids feed them and give them their paddock names.

There’s no pretence with Nicole, she’s natural, expressive and incredibly generous. “Don’t listen to negative people who are trying to bring you down, listen to the ones who want to lift you up. I want to be that person for others. There’s a lot of positive energy that comes from me, I like to give energy to people. My friends say I’ve never changed. I pride myself on that. They also say I’m absolutely mad!” she adds with a laugh, “I love adrenaline. I’m good for jumping out of a plane, I’ve done that 3 times.”

Like I said, she’s a vibe.

“When I started painting horses I didn’t anticipate doing what is now the Stables Collection but I think it has come about because we’re around horses more than ever before. Now that I’m painting them, I’m studying them more. I get obsessed by their detail now. I know the direction of hair.

Summer 22/23 is all about

What does that mean exactly?

Choosing clothing that makes us feel fabulous, triggers those happy hormones, helps us stand a little taller and yields compliments is the name of the game. Make it hot or keep it cool...it’s up to you!

Let’s steal the focus from the business of thoroughbred sales for one hot minute. We all know The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Carnival is also, without doubt, a highlight of the Summer social calendar on the Gold Coast.

For the fashion lovers amongst us, it’s the perfect opportunity to put our best, perfectly manicured foot forward for both Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo & Showjumping and The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Raceday.

COLOUR ME HAPPY

Colour isn’t to be reserved for jockey silks! Whether it’s plain brights, colour blocking, bold, large format patterns or harmonious print clashing – embrace those feel-good hues. Combining colours that aren’t traditionally worn together will challenge the status quo.

Use different textures to create visual appeal.

Think laces, ribbons, tulle, sequins, even unconventional materials.

Linen will be on trend once again – no surprises there given its perfect qualities for the climate, particularly for polo.

COOL

POWER PLAY

Power suiting is something we can expect to see –shoulder padding and structured jacketing paired with a matching pant will be a smart alternative to a dress.

GLAMOUR

An opportunity to dress up and show up is something we’re all welcoming in light of recent years. Lets be lenient on each other if we go a little OTT on the glam factor, hey? After all, its best to be over-dressed than under-dressed! Life’s short, do the sequins, add the extra accessory and go the bold lip if it tickles your fancy!

FIND THE FUN IN FASHION

Have fun with it! Play with layering, colour combinations, shoes, bags and accessories to curate your look. Leave no detail to chance, giving consideration to skin preparation, hair and make-up styling as well.

If you need a little help to find the fun in fashion again, navigate seasonal trends or find your personal style, enlist the help of a personal stylist - it can save time and ensure you nail that look.

@stylechambers

STYLIST Louise Chambers has enjoyed working in the fashion industry for over 10 years styling individual clients, media personalities, fashion events, photo shoots, and retail merchandising displays.

Louise loves working with personal styling clients and throughout the session she shares tips on the art and science of dressing your body shape, while working to find your personal style. Louise’s goal is to inspire her clients to find the fun in fashion and feel confident when shopping for new wardrobe additions and navigating new season trends.

Louise is available for Personal Styling sessions in-centre at the Gold Coast’s unmissable shopping destination, Pacific Fair.

www.louisechambers.com.au

Women L to R: Portmans, David Jones (Jacket), Polo Ralph Lauren (Skirt), Oroton, Oroton, Bec + Bridge Hat: Designs by Stacey Hemera Roberts | Women’s Shoes: Incu Men L to R: Urbbana, M.J. Bale (Chinos, Shirt, Shorts), Polo Ralph Lauren | Mens Accessories: Urbbana

Bespoke

M I L L I N E R Y

We

have an incredible amount of talent in this country in the millinery and bespoke tailoring spaces, ready and waiting to weave their creative magic for clients seeking something unique.

Magic Millions is the perfect opportunity to call upon these talents to make your statement for both polo AND raceday. Veteran Fashions on the Field entrants, particularly winners, will all vouch for the power of a bespoke creation when it comes to the competitive side of fashion. Chances you’ll see someone else in the same outfit are next next to nil and we love that!

Millinery is every bit as important as your outfit and shouldn’t be the last jigsaw piece you place the day before raceday. Go for a unique creation that makes your heart sing and build your outfit around it for the true essence of dopamine dressing.

It will turn the most basic of outfits, even your LBD, into something spectacular.

Womens L to R: Maje, Tory Burch | Shoes: Christian Louboutin (Red), Edward Meller (Pink) | Bag: Billini Mens: M.J. Bale | Millinery: Hats Off Handmade Headwear (Pink), Jettah and Till Design (Black)

Womens L to R: Alexander McQueen, Carla Zampatti | Shoes: Christian Louboutin | Bag: Olga Berg Mens L to R: Urbbana | Millinery: Allport Millinery (Orange), Stacey Hemera Roberts (Blue), Ford Millinery (Yellow), Natalie Jane Milliner (Brown)

MEET THE MILLINERS

ALLPORT MILLINERY www.allportmillinery.com | Instagram: @allportmillinery

DESIGNS BY STACEY HEMERA ROBERTS Instagram: @designsbyshr

EVE TIL DAWN www.evetildawn.com.au | Instagram: @evetildawn

FORD MILLINERY www.fordmillinery.com.au | Instagram: @fordmillinery

HATS OFF HANDMADE HEADWEAR www.hatsoffhandmadeheadwear.com.au Instagram: @hatsoffhandmadeheadwear

JETTAH & TILL DESIGN www.jettahandtilldesign.com | Instagram: @jettahandtilldesign

LOCOPA DESIGNS www.locopadesigns.bigcartel.com | Instagram: @locopadesigns

MEG RAFTER www.megraftermillinery.com.au | Instagram: @meg_rafter_millinery

NATALIE JANE MILLINER www.nataliejane.com.au | Instagram: @nataliejanemillinery

&

POWER COUPLING

Heading along to the event as couple?

Teamwork makes the dream work…

Work together to make your outfits sing in harmony – weave touches of one colour into the other’s outfit.

Gents, its not just about the ladies having fun with fashion. You too hit your straps you take a classic suit and add a splash of colour with playful patterns, shirts and a flourish with lapel pins and pocket squares to complete your ensemble.

There’s something that makes us look twice at a couple who have taken the time and thought to compliment each other’s outfits and I don’t mean verbally.

It doesn't have to be too matchy-matchy but a tie and pocket square that gently nods to your other half’s ensemble is always honourable.

Womens: Scanlan Theodore | Shoes: Christian Louboutin | Bag: Oroton | Mens: M.J. Bale Millinery: Eve Til Dawn (Bottom), Natalie Jane Milliner (Top Left), Locopa Designs

Womens:

There is something mesmerising about watching an elite equine athlete responding to the commands of its rider in competition. Whether it is on the racecourse, the polo field or the sport horse arena, such unity in motion is a joy to behold and for the second year spectators will be treated to the best Showjumping can offer at the 2023 Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo & Showjumping. Magic Millions’ own Showjumping aficionado James Hetherington offered his thoughts on the leap forward the concept has taken since the inaugural event last January, and what spectators can expect for 2023.

While selling Thoroughbreds is the bedrock for Magic Millions as a business, the team at Bundall, driven by Katie Page-Harvey, have an agenda to grow the Carnival as a horse event, whether it be sales, Racing, Polo or Showjumping. On the back of the well-entrenched annual Magic Millions Polo match, the 2022 Carnival featured the inaugural Showjumping event, the acorn from which shoots of growth can already be seen less than a year down the track. What was originally proposed as a ‘taster’ to test audience appeal will blossom in 2023 into a contest with 48 world class riders, a slotholder concept that has pushed prizemoney to over $1 million and a junior competition to showcase the homegrown talent who will grace our arenas in the coming decades.

James Hetherington, part of the Magic Millions Bloodstock team and a more than handy man with a gavel, has a passion for jumping and provided an insight into what we can expect at Main Beach on the day. “Last year was a testing ground to see how successful the idea might be. The Polo had been successful for so long and here we were bringing a new sport in alongside of it, and that could have been tricky. But we were delighted to have a sold out event followed by very positive feedback, something which has been further borne out with ticket sales for 2023. Many of the spectators were watching jumping for the first time - it was different, but it’s like any good sport, if you are bringing the best of the best it makes for good watching.”

“The event has grown probably a lot quicker than anyone expected,” James explained. “In 2023 the prizemoney on offer will be over $1 million and with that sort of money, and the interest we’ve had from top level riders, the upcoming contest can only be better than the inaugural competition, and that bodes well for the spectators.”

With Coolmore Australia again on board and Peachester Lodge also joining for 2023 as major sponsors, prizemoney available has taken a massive leap thanks to the involvement of a dozen slotholders. James explained how the prizemoney hike has had a positive effect on what we can expect to see on the day. “It won’t be Olympic level, but we’ve had World Cups here in Australia and this will be up there as far as prizemoney and the standard of competitors is concerned. This year we’ve had to reduce 82 entries back to a field of 48 riders of which about eight are Olympians, along with a number of local riders looking to compete overseas in the near future. The best Showjumping competitors in Australia competed on the Gold Coast this year and will be back this coming January. There are also a couple of Kiwi entries and a gentleman from South Korea who will ride a local horse, so there is international participation coming together.”

Dropping a few names James said “Amongst the competitors will be Shane Rose, the Silver Medallist at the London Olympics and Peter McMahon of Killora Lodge, who rode in the Beijing Olympics, and will compete along with his children. Then there is Vicki Roycroft who has represented Australia at the Olympics at both Eventing and Showjumping and Chris Chugg who rode at the last World Equestrian Games, to name a few. Even if spectators only have a passing interest in the sport those are names they will recognise.”

As most of us travel to the Gold Coast each January for the Thoroughbreds, I wondered what sort of crossover there was between racing and jumping, both human and equine, or was the 2022 event primarily for the jumping fraternity. James responded by saying “We had a good cross section of spectators both from the jumping and racing worlds. Gai Waterhouse was there, her grandchildren are just starting out jumping, while Amber Tait from Twin Hills Stud was there as her and husband Olly’s children ride. And while James Harron was inspecting horses his wife was at the Showjumping. She must have been impressed, James will be a slotholder this year! There’s always the cross section of people with an interest in both sports.”

But what about in the arena? “This year the competition was won by Team Godolphin and Jessica Pateman, Champion jump jockey Steven Pateman’s wife.”

As for the horseflesh James explained “It is the intention that as the event grows the impact on Thoroughbreds as Showjumpers will increase. It is significant that of the junior section with twenty competitors we expect seven or eight will have Thoroughbred mounts.” It follows such an event offers a further opportunity for Thoroughbreds off the track, and that can only be a good thing.

So, if watching the mastery of the rider and the bravery of the horse matching flawless execution at each obstacle with speed against the clock appeals, then Doug Jennings Park Main Beach on Sunday January 8th is the place to be.

Words / Glen Latham

There is something mesmerising about watching an elite equine athlete responding to the commands of its rider in competition.

the record time held by Ha Ha for the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas – set in 2002.

> Clan O’Sullivan holds the race record for the MM 2YO Classic at 1:08.46.

WINFRIED the Navigator

BOYHOOD DREAM

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges was born into a business family where his father Fritz enjoyed huge success in the reinsurance sector and was also a successful racehorse owner.

At a very young age (four or five), his father took him to the races where he stood next to the rails witnessing his father’s horse winning convincingly. This was a feat which he never forgot and eventually this equine passion made him give up his desire to become a professional footballer (though he also excelled in this sport in playing for the German Youth Team) and while graduating from the University at Cologne in business and economics, his interest in breeding and racing continued to grow.

At the age of 27, through his marriage to his first wife, he was given the opportunity to manage Gestut Zoppenbroich, one of the top breeding farms of classic winners in the history of German racing. The first German Triple Crown winner and Champion sire “Konigsstuhl” (sire of “Monsun”) was out of this farm, together with two other German Derby winners.

At the same time he assisted his father who was in ill health with his family’s reinsurance business. His passion finally pointed him to the direction where he belongs - he was elected as the youngest board member of the German Owners and Breeders Association, initiating the opening up of the German bloodstock market to the rest of world.

Another step further is his admission as a Board Member of the German Racing and Breeding Authority (Direktorium für Vollblutzucht und Rennen), the governing body of German horse racing and breeding, whose members include the representatives of racecourses, the Trainers and Jockeys Association and the German Breeders and Owners Association. During this period he also developed and managed the Authority’s commercial activities, including its tote, telebetting, TV production, marketing and sponsorship. He became the Executive Vice President of the organization for six years before moving on to even greener pastures.

EAGLE’S LANDING IN HONG KONG

Winfried was approached by the Hong Kong Jockey Club to head to the Far East: it was after the reunification of Hong Kong back to China. He attended the Hong Kong International Races in 1997 and marvelled at the glamour and excitement of the event as well as the Club’s top facilities and technology. On the other hand he also felt that with the abundance of resources, he could achieve his mission of bringing Hong Kong to the world arena. It was the then Chairman of the HKJC, Alan Li, who discussed with him in detail the development of a 10 year strategy to upgrade the quality of Hong Kong racing. He accepted the challenge with delight. He was appointed Director of Racing of the HKJC in 1998. Prior to his arrival, there was no international Group 1 race in this reunified Chinese territory. Now there are 12, with 8-11 of them listed in the last five editions of Longines World’s Top 100 Group 1 races, all while there are less than 850 races at Happy Valley and Sha Tin each racing season.

In 1998 Hong Kong didn’t have a single horse in the international rankings, now there are on average 15-20. With less than 1% of the global horse population in training at Sha Tin and the picturesque Conghua, between 7-9% of the best horses in the world reside in Hong Kong. Among them since 2000 are fellow Aussies “Silent Witness”, “Sacred Kingdom”, “Able Friend” and none other than Magic Millions graduate “Golden Sixty”.

13 times Champion Jockey and now multiple Group 1 winning trainer Douglas Whyte summarised in one sentence, “Winfried has taken Hong Kong to another level....world class level!”

Though he missed his farm in Germany, his passion for horses kept him going, particularly when Hong Kong provided him with plenty of resources. He participated actively in yearling purchases in person after the Club took up the role of self-sourcing of yearlings, including from the Magic Millions Yearling Sales.

In 2007, Winfried was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the HKJC – a move away from his role in racing to now managing wagering, charity, membership, property, information technology, corporate affairs etc. All familiar tasks to Winfried while in Germany, only much larger in scale and complexity in Hong Kong. From what we have seen over the past 15 years, he handled the role with flying colours.

REVITALISATION OF HONG KONG RACING

Think of yourself as a racehorse owner under Winfried’s regime: prizemoney increased five times over the past 25 years? You gotta be kidding. But yes, Winfried successfully brought the Hong Kong Cup from a HK$7 Million dollar race in 1997 to $34 Million in 2022. How about prizemoney in general? From $464 Million in the 97/98 racing season, to $1620 Million projected for the 2022/23 season, 3.5 times compared with 25 years ago. Happy indeed!

Under the leadership of Winfried, the HKJC has clearly developed Hong Kong’s horse racing not only as a wagering centre or hobby, but also as a sport and a mind game for all. There are huge investments in racecourses, facilities and dining venues both on course and in clubhouses.

As a committee member of the Sha Tin Clubhouse I am honoured and delighted to host lunches and dinners in our new restaurants in which my guests can experience state of the art cuisine. On top of that, successful branding exercises such as Happy Wednesdays at Happy Valley as well as marketing activities in the off course betting centres provide us with branding segmentation where we look at the different wants and needs of people, and hence the Club can revamp racing products to meet their expectations and needs.

An idea introduced by Winfried during the Asian Racing Conference in 2007 and launched in 2014, comingling of wagering pools is now firmly established as a good revenue driver for both the HKJC and its comingling partners, among them Australia. It contributes 18.8% of the overall local Hong Kong racing turnover, underlining

Words /Apollo Ng

the attractiveness of Hong Kong racing overseas even under pandemic conditions. At the moment the HKJC has almost 70 partners across 26 countries and jurisdictions. In addition the World Pool introduced in 2019 has been received positively by global customers including Australia in 2022.

With such prolonged strategic innovations, results speak for themselves: racing turnover increased from HK$92,300 million+ in the 1996/97 racing season to $140,000 million in the 2021/22 racing season, a sharp increase of 51.6%. Charity donations, increased from HK$1,040 million in the 1996/97 season to $4,500 million in the 2021/22 season, a 332% increase. Need I say more.

LEADERSHIP IN GLOBAL AND ASIAN RACING

Winfried was elected Chairman of the Asian Racing Federation (ARF) in 2014.

“I have convened seven Asian Racing Conferences”, said Winfried. “As a major event on the international racing calendar, the ARF attracts and engages leaders in racing and sports, alongside other influential stakeholders, to discuss and shape global and regional agendas to continuously advance the racing industry.

“We also stepped up our efforts to engage more meaningfully with our members and continuously amplify the impacts and reach of the work of the ARF and its members.”

In October 2021, Winfried succeeded Louis Romanet to become Chairman of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA). “Together with the IFHA Executive Council we oversaw the successful implementation of the Governance Review of IFHA, which saw the federation transitioned into a global executive office, with its governance consistent with the standards of a world-class regional sports federation.”

“Looking ahead, the IFHA has identified future key priorities critical to the long term sustainability of our industry, from integrity, climate change, commercial and marketing etc”.

“While the last few years have proven to be extremely difficult for our sport as we navigated the challenges of the pandemic, it has been a privilege to work alongside the leadership teams in the respective organisations to provide support and assistance to our racing community. This has ranged from a series of webinars organised and hosted by the ARF to the convening of a virtual International Conference of Horseracing Authorities, as well as organizing much more regular engagements across the ARF & IFHA memberships.”

In honour of what he has achieved and done for the racing industry, Winfried was awarded an honorary doctorate in humanities from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He was also appointed Justice of The Peace in 2009, and most importantly awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star by the HKSAR Government in 2016, a feat never achieved by any full time participant of the Hong Kong racing industry.

Voting

Past

Chairman,

Racing

Writer: Apollo Ng

Member, Hong Kong Jockey Club

President, Hong Kong Racehorse Owners Association

Racing World Publications Ltd

Raceday STYLE

Raceday STYLE

Words / Trevor Marshallsea

JD Hayes

As the grandson of Lindsay Park’s founder Colin Hayes, and son of the just as formidable David, JD’s enthusiasm for the turf oozed from every pore.

Teaming with older brother Ben to now continue the empire from the Euroa farm their dad built, the Hayes brothers appreciate their good fortune. But there were obstacles to overcome - particularly the wall around Sha Tin racecourse, as JD grew up in his father’s first Hong Kong stint, from ages nought to 10.

“In Hong Kong, we weren’t allowed to go to the races till we were 18,” says the man rarely called by his full name, James David. “So me, my twin brother Will and Chad Schofield (the future jockey son of rider Glyn Schofield) would build treehouses to be able to look over the fence and watch the racing. That’s where my interest really developed.”

The treehouses didn’t achieve any degree of permanence, certainly not a fraction of the Hayes dynasty’s longevity - but JD’s course for a life in the sport was set early on.

“We were allowed into trackwork,” he says. “I was quite inquisitive, so Dad said I was allowed to ask up to 10 questions a day. I’d use them all up - no doubt more dumb questions than good ones.

“Then every school holidays we’d go to Lindsay Park at Angaston. Dad would run his eye over the place and we’d go riding and build experience in that side of it. Then, when we moved back to Australia, I started riding trackwork at 14 years and nine months - the first day you’re allowed.”

Lindsay Park’s famous founder, Colin, started the empire with his England-inspired Angaston facility, and David built Euroa along similar lines. JD has one main memory of his granddad, who died when he was five, but it doesn’t involve horses.

“The jelly bean trick!” he beams. “He’d hold out his fists and I had to pick which one had the jelly bean. I thought I was a genius! Wasn’t till years later I realised he had one in each.”

Is there a gene for natural born sunniness that can run through a family? Every time you see JD, Ben or David speaking, it looks like they’re about to burst out laughing. Perhaps stars like Dulcify, Better Loosen up, Miss Finland and Mr Brightside will do that to you, although the clan hasn’t been spared tragedy, with David’s trainer brother Peter dying in a plane crash in 2001, two years after Colin’s passing. What’s certain is the founding father’s thirst for work runs through his descendants. Aside from inheriting that - and the Euroa farm upon David’s return to Hong Kong in 2020 - JD and Ben also embraced considerable third-generational pressure when partnering up in June, 2021.

“Yeah, there’s big shoes to fill,” JD says. “CS trained 5,300 winners and is a Hall of Fame trainer. Dad’s got a huge CV, and is also in the Hall of Fame.

“We come from a long lineage of trainers who’ve done successful things. We couldn’t have had a better teacher - Dad’s such a knowledgeable man - and he’s also kindly handed us one of the best training facilities in the world. But Ben and I are just hoping to put one foot in front of the other, work hard, and get the best from our horses. Good luck happens when hard work and opportunities meet.

“With Ben and I, it really is a job-share. There’s no clear boss. We work very well together, bounce ideas off each other. I’m perhaps more on the sourcing bloodstock side and Ben’s more training, but even then it’d be a 55-45 split. But there’s also a strong team behind us.

“Ben and I having that family bond works well. Sometimes, in an argument, the professionalism might go out the window and you can use a few descriptive words you wouldn’t use in another workplace relationship! But there’s no grudges held. We’re good mates.”

If JD Hayes had somehow landed in a career not involving thoroughbreds, it might have been carpentry.

Chantelle Jolly

Most girls love playing with their mum’s shoes. Chantelle found them a hindrance to be removed, as she mimicked the reallife stable world she’d catch glimpses of through her dad.

“I’d get mum’s shoeboxes, and use them as the stables for my toy horses,” Chantelle says. “I’d get Dad’s old trackwork sheets and go by them, and pretend I was training horses.”

Chantelle was later given a show pony, Billy, and used to saddle and ride him around Richard’s Morphettville stables, often contesting 20-metre races with little brother James on his bike. But it wasn’t certain she’d embed herself in the family business, however, with ex-jockey Richard and his former trainer wife Dianne insisting she explore different pathways.

“Mum and Dad made me go to uni. I studied business for a couple of years but found my heart wasn’t in studying, and felt I might as well follow what the heart wants to do,” says Chantelle, who’d also spent time learning horses with her godfather, Adam White, on work experience at Vinery Stud. “I knew I wanted to work with horses, I just wasn’t sure where.”

A strapper and trackwork rider from her mid-teens, she considered becoming a jockey - until she started dating one. Learning the full ups and downs of that life from Jake Toeroek, still her partner, crystalised her main ambition. She gained her trainer’s licence at 19 - the youngest Australian woman to do so - and prepared two horses from her dad’s stable. At Murray Bridge in 2017, Toeroek steered Watchout Watchout to become her first winner. The couple then rode trackwork for English trainer Ralph Beckett for three months, before Chantelle and Richard’s partnership began in 2018.

“When we returned from England, I was still riding work,” she says, “but I found I’d ride one horse, and that was all well and good, but it meant I’d miss out on what all these other horses were doing. I realised what I loved was being on the ground, working with horses - being with them, and caring for

them. I thrive on getting to know the horses - see how they pull up, see how they are, everything about them - and it helps us train them better as well.” Now 24, and half of the team that last year became the first partnership to win Adelaide’s premiership, Chantelle says she loves working with her Dad, plus James and his twin Lilli. There have been downsides, however.

“I wanted to not just be known as Richard Jolly’s daughter, I really wanted to make my own name,” she says. “Everyone assumes you’re getting a free ride off your dad. I did struggle with that early on, because I do work really hard. I was pretty determined at first to prove people wrong, but now I don’t need to prove anything. I let success be the noise, and the people who know you, know we work hard.

“Dad got the business to where it is, and I’ve come in and we’ve taken it to the next level. We’ve grown, and we’re planning on getting bigger.”

Daughter and dad fulfil complementary roles, which Chantelle says “work together really well”.

“I do a lot of the hands-on work with the horses, and that frees up both of us,” she says. “Partnerships are just the way now, and it makes it so much easier - easier to delegate, and you have four eyes on the horses, not just two.

“We’ve got a pretty cruisey approach to training for our horses, in a way. Some older trainers like to ‘break’ them, break their spirit. But we’re very positive. Horses have their own personalities, likes and dislikes, and you’ve got to train every horse individually, bringing that personality out to get the best out of them.

“I love working with Dad. For me it’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle. I get up each day excited to see the horses, excited to see what our next champion’s going to be.”

What started as child’s play - plastic horses with their own training regimes being “worked” on the loungeroom floor - has two decades later led to one of Australia’s most potent partnerships, Adelaide’s premier pair of Chantelle Jolly and her father Richard.

Calvin McEvoy

McEvoy was in third grade when his father Tony first brought home one of racing’s most coveted prizes as trainer of Fields Of Omagh in 2003. “Weight for age” and “Cox Plate” were nebulous terms for the eight-year-old, not nearly as important as “centre-half-forward” and “ruck rover” for a footy-mad boy reared in a region known more for reds than racing, the Barossa Valley.

But when the nine-year-old Fields had his fifth crack at the Plate - becoming its sixth dual winner and the first in non-successive years - Calvin was 11, had a fair grasp of the moment, and shared in his family’s excitement. Not coincidentally, it was also around then his course was inexorably set for a life in training.

While his dad was no longer head trainer at Lindsay Park after David Hayes’ return from Hong Kong, Tony’s role in charge of the empire’s Angaston wing meant FOO and other stars were a common sight around Calvin’s childhood farm.

“There were a stack of really good horses who’d come over and start their preparations at our place,” Calvin says. “Fields Of Omagh, Miss Finland, All American. It was an exciting time to grow up there, and that sparked my passion from a young age.

“I was at my grandma’s house when Fields won his first Cox Plate. I didn’t really realise the importance of it. But towards the end of primary school I began to realise the significance of everything.”

Calvin was in year 10 when his father kicked off his own training business, in partnership with Wayne Mitchell, in 2011, with bases in Victoria and Angaston.

“I started spending a lot of time at the stables, and felt like a part of the change, and it was a really exciting time,” he says. “The Barossa’s not really a racing place, but all my mates got into racing because of me.”

On completing year 12 through a school-based apprenticeship, which afforded a day a week at the stable, McEvoy worked at Lindsay Park, Euroa

for a year, then on preparing yearlings at Coolmore Stud. He then furthered his equine education in a different world of training - with England’s David Simcock, famed for star sprinter Dream Ahead.

“I went there at 20 not knowing anything really, especially about how things were done there,” he recalls. “I was probably a bit young, but it made me learn quickly, and it was good to see things done differently. David was a very shrewd operator and a great teacher. I’d ask questions and he wouldn’t just tell me an answer: he’d make you think about it and try to come up with the answers yourself.”

Having also learnt staff management in two years with Simcock, McEvoy returned to a sublime opportunity - as assistant trainer to his dad, essentially running his Angaston wing.

“The old man was in Melbourne a lot, and with 100 horses it was a great opportunity. I had to make my own mistakes, and learn by doing,” says McEvoy, eventually brought in as co-trainer - confirmed in a surprise announcement by Tony at the SA Racing Awards in 2019 - ahead of the stable’s consolidation into its present Ballarat base.

“It was great having the two states initially, but now we’re together in Ballarat it works really well. There’s a bit less pressure, because we can spread the load a bit.

“We do have our different ideas, and we do have some heated discussions, but with that family link we can speak our mind and move on. He’s probably always been tougher on me than most staff, because I’m his son and he knows I can cop it. He’s the boss, but we do show each other great respect.

“We’ll have some differences of opinion, mostly about placing horses, but a little bit about the training. But I’ve learned most of my stuff from him, and so we train very similarly. Our main thing would be to treat all our horses as individuals, to listen to them, and know you don’t need to over-train them, and to have a great team of people around us too.”

It’s just as well for Calvin McEvoy that not only was Fields Of Omagh unsatisfied with winning just one Cox Plate, he waited three years to take his second.

Sam Freedman

November 1, 2005. Freedman wasn’t quite the youngest baby on course his uncle Lee nominated as the only person who’d live long enough to see another triple Melbourne Cup winner like Makybe Diva. But he was only nine, and there wasn’t much of him, and as the magnificent mare surged towards the lead entering the straight, the crowd around Sam and his siblings - in Flemington’s car park area while their uncles and father Anthony attended to business - surged with her.

“Dad made a rare point of suggesting we come that day, because we might see something special,” Sam recalls. “And after they came around the home turn in the Cup, everyone where we were rushed over to get closer. I was running, and in all the mayhem, I got knocked over. That’s what I remember most vividly.”

Anthony’s chapter of the Freedman clan were reared at the family’s spelling farm on the Mornington Peninsula, and thus young Sam learnt thoroughbreds by studying some of the best ever, and learning from some gifted horse people.

“My first real racing memory was Mummify’s Caulfield Cup,” says Sam, who was seven for that 2003 edition. “All the horses spelled up on our farm. Mummify is buried there. I used to follow the staff around such as Steve Adams, who still works for us today. I didn’t sacrifice my studies, but I was always very keen on racing.”

Sam has been in partnership with his father since the start of the 202021 season, but still the path wasn’t inevitable. He studied professional communications for a year, “mostly because I didn’t know what I wanted to do” (though it still shows in his role as team talker, beside his famously taciturn dad). And when Sam went to England, it wasn’t for racing but his other sporting interest - cricket.

The former Prahran club all-rounder played semi-professionally in Cambridgeshire. But the fact that was a stone’s throw from Newmarket - and

a world or two away from the family stable - combined to confirm his future. Six months at Godolphin’s pre-training operation were followed by 18 with Roger Varian, trainer of such notables as Postponed and Ajman Princess.

“I’d been working in the family stable while at uni in Melbourne,” he says, “but it wasn’t until I stepped away - getting away from the family business, which was important, I think, to just see a different side of it, and work with someone with a blank canvas - that was probably what cemented it.

“It’s very different in England. You have access to completely different facilities there. And definitely, a lot of the things I learnt there I try to implement in our stable.

“Such as with stayers - the old Australian way of starting them off over shorter trips and stepping them up - we’re starting to phase that out. The English are the best trainers of stayers in the world, and they have no issues with kicking them off over 2000 metres. With Australia’s training tracks and short trial structure, it can be difficult to get the work into them, but treadmills - which they use a lot in England - are changing things.”

Sam is perhaps more technologically-minded than his father, such as with heart monitors and eating trackers. But that’s not to say Anthony, who’s spent time in England as well, is wary of them.

“He’s actually very open to a lot of this sort of stuff, though perhaps I’ve been able to bring it to his attention a bit more, and he’s probably not as much in touch with the actual use of some devices as I am,” says Sam.

“We do have our clashes. That’s like any partnership, but perhaps more so when you’re father and son, because you’re happy to be pretty honest with each other. But everything comes from the right place.

“Dad’s very good at knowing when the right time is to discuss things. My mind’s always ticking with work, probably because when you’re young, you’re keen to learn. He’s been an amazing teacher for me, and I’ve learnt nearly everything I know from him.”

It’s lucky the most significant moment - among so many - in his family’s vast racing dynasty didn’t traumatise Sam Freedman away from the game for life.

&Bar Retreats Dining Delights

ISOLETTO POOL CLUB AND ISOLETTO PRIVÉ

The Star Gold Coast is renowned for its high-quality bars and restaurants, and the stunning Isoletto Pool Club and adjoining Isoletto Privé are certainly no exception.

Exclusive to hotel guests staying in any of The Star’s resort precincts, Isoletto Pool Club is the ultimate poolside oasis celebrating the Gold Coast’s sun-kissed lifestyle. Here, guests can relax on luxe day beds, sun lounges or in-pool wet lounges, with delicious eats and island-inspired refreshments. There are even private cabanas for the quintessential luxury pool club experience, and a 12-metre viewing wall with mesmerising skyline views. Inspired by the region’s natural beauty, award-winning design firm Plus Architecture opted for organic neutral hues with pops of bright lemon and melon. The result is fresh, elegant, and invigorating.

A cocktail menu favourite here is the Giulietta, a sweet and sour concoction with gin, Aperol, Pavan liqueur, lemon juice, cranberry juice, and sugar syrup. There is also a wide selection of craft and premium beers available, plus fine local and international wines for refined palettes.

A highlight for guests is the option to indulge in an official Poolside Cabana Experience, such as the Veuve Clicquot Experience. It includes a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Brut Rosé from Remis, France, a refreshing seasonal fruit platter, 2 x 500ml bottles of sparkling water, and SPF 50+ sunscreen.

If you start to feel peckish, Executive Chef Uday Huja has carefully curated a menu of snacks, light meals, and more substantial fare. Think freshly rolled sushi, locally sourced oysters with mignonette dressing, delectable burgers, and revitalising nourish bowls to name a few.

In addition to the pool club, Isoletto also offers a brand-new light-filled events space. Isoletto Privé features a sprawling lawn, deck and terrace, and is available for intimate (or not so intimate) gatherings, corporate functions, private celebrations, and weddings. The neutral base palette was inspired by the sun’s warm glow and is the perfect blank canvas to create a bespoke look and feel. The Star’s expert events team are on hand to provide a sophisticated menu of local dishes, premium beverage packages, impeccable planning support, and access to high-end AV.

So, whether you’re channelling a poolside sanctuary or searching for a beautifully designed and multifaceted venue for an upcoming event, look no further than Isoletto Pool Club and Isoletto Privé. www.star.com.au/goldcoast/hotels-and-spa/isoletto-pool-club

Words / Bianca Trathen

Promising the freshest modern Mediterranean and Asian fusion cuisine, breathtaking Broadwater views and unprecedented oceanluxe vibes, La Luna is the place to see - and be seen.

Located in boutique shopping and dining hub, Marina Mirage, a visit to La Luna promises a truly unique multisensory experience. The space boasts a beautifully executed Mykonos meets Bohemia aesthetic, with just the right balance of panache and effortless style. Overlooking glistening water, luxurious yachts, and the new floating La Luna Beach Club, every detail is on point. This level of perfectionism is synonymous with founder Patrik Gennari of The Gennari Group, whose portfolio reads like the who’s who of Gold Coast restaurant royalty i.e., The Loose Moose, Koi, Maggie Choo and Roosevelt Lounge.

Upon arrival, you’ll be intoxicated by the ocean breeze and relaxed ambience reminiscent of a Mediterranean island. The calm neutral hues, soft drapery, blonde wood floors and green foliage provide the perfect setting for your culinary journey. Settle in for a long lunch, soak up the panoramic Broadwater views, and rosé all day. Perhaps an intimate dinner is more your style, or a twilight cocktail watching the sun set on yet another balmy Gold Coast afternoon.

sauce. For the main event, pasta and seafood enthusiasts will love the Seafood Linguine with prawns, scallops, bug, mussels, fresh fish, garlic, chilli, tomato, 39 white wine, Pernod, and olive oil. If you’re more of a meat-eater, it’s difficult to pass up the 250g Wagyu Striploin, mb 9+ rangers WX, aged for 60 days from the Northern Tablelands in New South Whales. Finishing on a sweet note, the Bombe Alaska is the perfect palette cleanser, with passionfruit, citrus ice cream, almond meal cake, passionfruit gel centre, and Italian meringue.

There is an impressive list of signature cocktails to complement the chic Euro atmosphere, such as the French Connection with Belvedere vodka, eros grape, grapefruit liqueur, lime, and pineapple juice. Or opt for a drink from the lengthy selection of red, white and sparkling wines, rosés, champagnes, spirits, and more.

The newest addition to this Gold Coast showstopper is La Luna Beach Club, Australia’s very first floating beach club. Modelled on life aboard a luxury yacht, imagine a sparking Mediterranean pool complete with sun lounges, plush day beds, and private cabanas. Take a dip, order a cocktail, rejuvenate, and luxuriate, before enjoying a selection of carefully curated European eats at the Beach Club’s exclusive MĀRE restaurant.

The destination of choice for the fine food and cocktail loving social set, La Luna is the antidote to ordinary and gateway to the good life.

www.lalunadining.com.au

A standout starter is the Prawn Cocktail with avocado, lettuce and cocktail sauce, before moving on to a sumptuous entrée of Moreton Bay Bug Roll with baby cos, lemon and dill mayo, and hot

Serving sophisticated modern Australian cuisine, Coast Beach Bar & Kitchen has elevated the region’s culinary landscape to new heights. No expense was spared on the high-end design and fit out of this new $2.5 million beachside stunner, located in Surfers Paradise’s Ocean by Meriton.

Boasting uninterrupted ocean views and a chic coastal ambience, it’s as much a treat for the eyes as the palette. The elegant yet relaxed atmosphere marries muted beachside hues and natural tones to complement the ocean and skyline. Tasmanian Oak furnishings, rattan, and pops of lush greenery are tastefully offset by luxe leather, brass, and the statement 14 metre marble bar. Guests can relax in the upscale dining room or enjoy sea breezes and a glass of champagne at the Beach Bar and Rooftop Terrace. The perfect spot for a pre-dinner tipple, plan your visit for a weekend to catch a variety of live music from acoustic sounds to DJ beats.

Owners and local hospitality trailblazers Justin and Elizabeth Allie appointed culinary hero Matt Le Beau as Executive Chef, together creating a truly showstopping menu. Matt brings over 20 years’ experience to the table, working in esteemed Australian venues such as Sea Scape and Public Brasserie.

The restaurant’s five-star fare is thoughtfully designed and plated to create the ultimate shared dining experience. Menu highlights include Wasabi Leaves with local king prawn, chilli, lime, and caviars to start, setting the bar high for the courses to follow. Mains are just as impressive, like the Moreton Bay Bug served with chilli and coconut jam, and the succulent meat dishes cooked in the Josper then sliced to share. A favourite is the 350g, 180-day grain fed pure Black Angus Flank from Rangers Valley in New South Wales, perfectly paired with your choice of sauce and any of the gourmet sides.

The wow-factor of the cuisine is matched by the equally impressive 2,000 strong wine bottle cellar, housing up to 160 varieties. Exciting even the most discerning food and wine connoisseurs, there’s only one thing left to do; raise a toast to Coast!

www.coastbeachbar.com.au

THE EXHIBITIONIST BAR

Soak up the view, savour the menu, and tickle your tastebuds at The Exhibitionist Bar. Located on the fifth floor of the Gold Coast’s spectacular cultural hub, HOTA Home of the Arts, it is a firm favourite for locals and visitors alike.

With a glass of wine in hand and a selection of mouth-watering bites to share, you’ll be treated to unhindered views of the Surfers Paradise skyline and contrasting hinterland. People travel from near and far to enjoy the unique casual-meets-cosmopolitan ambience for a light meal with friends, a cocktail at sundown, or a cheeky nightcap.

Bar Manager Tom Angel and his team have used the major art exhibitions as inspiration for the cocktail menu. With each exhibition, the specialty cocktails change to encapsulate the current vibe in liquid form. Each original creation takes a chef’s approach to flavours and techniques, whilst remaining playful and approachable.

Demonstrating Tom’s mixology master skills are the likes of Let There Be Robe, with Jack Daniels No.7 whiskey, salted cola caramel, and fernet bitters, and the Enterprise Martini with Fords Gin, tomato leaf vermouth, hemp seed oil, and cherry tomatoes. Or for those who aren’t partial to a cocktail, perhaps a glass of wine, champagne, craft beer or non-alcoholic beverage will be more to your liking.

The menu, created by Dayan Hartill-Law, Executive Chef of HOTA’s fine dining Palette restaurant, blends sophisticated tastes with some classic bar favourites. Dayan boasts a long resume, with vast industry experience including The Star, The Press Club, Dinner by Heston, Vanitas and Quay. His culinary prowess is celebrated all over Australia and is perfectly paired with a venue of this stature.

Dishes are designed to be shared and savoured, using a juxtaposition of flavours for an unforgettable eats experience. Begin with a selection of Australian cheese, cured meats, house pickles and breads to set the scene, before moving on to more mouth-watering fare. The Corn Ribs with chilli butter, Manchego and lime are highly recommended, as well as the Byron Bay Halloumi with green tomato and vanilla pickled onion. For something a little more substantial, try The Best Cheeseburger with butter lettuce, heirloom tomato, American cheese and house cut fries, with a chaser of Basque Cheesecake with PX sherry caramel for dessert.

The perfect place to debrief after viewing the latest HOTA exhibitions, The Exhibitionist Bar is a destination in its own right and brings a unique eats and sips experience to the Gold Coast.

www.theexhibitionistbar.com.au

Lot 170 was a bay colt by Lunchtime from Easy Date, and he sold for $22,000. Named Snippets, he won the inaugural Magic Millions and became the poster boy for the sale as their first champion, going on that season to win the Gr.1 AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes and finishing his two-year-old season with five wins from seven starts. Back at three, he took on the older sprinters and won four of his seven starts, including the Gr.1 Oakleigh Plate and Gr.1 Galaxy Handicap. The Champion 2YO and Champion Sprinter retired to Trans Media Park Stud (now Twin Hills Stud) in 1988, then moved to Arrowfield Stud in 1994 when Trans Media Park Stud was dispersed. Sire of 55 stakes winners, he died in 2002, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the Australian racing industry. His sire sons include Pins, Snowland, and Snippetson, but it is as a broodmare sire that Snippets has thrived, with Champion Sire Snitzel, and thirteen other Gr.1 winners, and is the second damsire of unbeaten Champion racemare Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) who is out of Helsinge (Desert Sun-Scandinavia, by Snippets). The $1million Magic Millions Snippets, run over 1200m, is named in his honour.

Champion Sire Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice-Snippet’s Lass, by Snippets) was a $260,000 yearling at the 2004 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and after winning the Gr.1 Oakleigh Plate, he has gone on to win four Australian Sire Championships, with 128 stakes winners and is the sire of exciting young stallion Shamus Award (20 stakes winners).

Savabeel (Zabeel-Savannah Success, by Success Express) won the Gr.1 WS Cox Plate as a three-year-old, as well as the Gr.1 Spring Champion Stakes, and has since been crowned Champion Sire in NZ on seven occasions. Sold at the 2003 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $400,000, Savabeel is the sire of 127 stakes winners.

With stallions like Zoustar, Not a Single Doubt, General Nediym, Written Tycoon, Sebring, Magic Albert, Stratum, and Testa Rossa among the proven sires who have been sold as yearlings at the Gold Coast, there is a long history of successful stallions purchased here.

Throw in some of the rising stars, like Pierro, Capitalist, Star Turn, Star Witness, Rubick, and Vancouver and the future looks extremely bright. Even brighter are the young unproven stallions who were sold as yearlings at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale – Farnan, Tagaloa, Stay Inside, Capitvant, King’s Legacy – and of course the six first season sires with their first yearlings appearing at the 2023 sale.

The cycle of stallion success will continue this year with six Magic Millions graduates among the twenty-four first season sires who have first crop yearlings at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

The cycle of stallion success will continue this year with six Magic Millions graduates among the first season sires who have first crop yearlings at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Yes Yes Yes

A boom two-year-old whose Gr.2 Todman Stakes win was one of his three wins at two, Yes Yes Yes is most famous for taking on the older sprinters in The Everest and winning, beating Santa Ana Lane and Trekking with future Champion Sprinter Nature Strip in fourth. Two other winners of The Everest, Redzel and Classique Legend, were also in the field, as was Champion 3YO Sunlight. It was arguably the best sprint field ever assembled in Australia. Yes Yes Yes also placed in the Gr.1 Golden Rose and Gr.2 Run to the Roses on his way to The Everest glory.

From the first crop of Magic Millions graduate Rubick, Yes Yes Yes was crowned Champion 3YO Colt, and is one of seven stakes winners for his young sire, who recently earned his first Gr.1 winner when Jacquinot won this season’s Gr.1 Golden Rose. Yes Yes Yes has a strong colonial family. He is a half-brother to stakes placed winner Dee Nine Elle, and his winning dam is a half-sister to group winning sprinters Hot as Hell, Flaming Hot, and Craig’s Dragon, as well to the winning dam of dual Gr.1 winner In Her Time.

Yes Yes Yes was popular in his first season at stud, and has 112 live foals on the ground in his first crop. Sold at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $200,000, Yes Yes Yes won four of his eight starts and over $7.1million. He has 29 first crop yearlings catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

(Rubick-Sin Sin Sin, by Fantastic Light)

Stood in 2020 at Coolmore Stud for $38,500

Pierata

Stood in 2020 at Aquis Farm for $44,000

Sold at the 2016 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $160,000, Pierata won nine races and over $5.8million. A winner at two, and placed in the Gr.2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes behind Melody Belle who went on to win 14 Gr.1 races, Pierata improved at three to win a group race and place in the Gr.1 Randwick Guineas behind Kementari. At four, Pierata showed his class to win the Gr.1 All Aged Stakes, a race he almost won again at five, missing out by a nose to Tofane. Pierata was a tough racehorse who competed against the best sprinters in Australia.

From the first crop of Magic Millions graduate and Triple Crown winner Pierro, Pierata is one of Pierro’s 31 stakes winners with Arcadia Queen, Regal Power, Shadow Hero, Levendi, and Pinot all joining Pierata as Gr.1 winners.

Pierata’s dam, November Flight, won seven races including the Gr.3 Millie Fox Stakes and has also left group winner, and Gr.1 placed Ashokan, group place winner Jet Propulsion, and the dam of Gr.3 winner Our Playboy.

Breeders recognised his speed and soundness, and he has been popular in his first seasons at stud. His first crop consists of 115 live foals, with 32 of them catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Zousain

Stood in 2020 at Widden Stud for $19,800

Zousain was extremely popular in his first season at stud, and has 138 live foals on the ground, with 35 of them catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. From the first crop of Zoustar, Zousain showed his speed early winning on debut in Sydney in February, before running fourth in the Gr.2 Skyline Stakes at only his second start. Back for the Brisbane carnival, Zousain won the Gr.2 Champagne Classic before running second in the Gr.2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes and the Gr.1 JJ Atkins Stakes (to future Champion 3YO The Autumn Sun). As a three-year-old, Zousain encountered a couple of champions, running second in the Gr.1 Golden Rose to The Autumn Sun and second in the Gr.1 Coolmore Stud Stakes to Sunlight.

Magic Millions graduate Zoustar (Northern Meteor) has quickly proven to be a very good stallion, leaving Champion 3YO Filly Sunlight in his first crop, and already has 33 stakes winners on the board. The 2018 Gr.1 Coolmore Stud Stakes was a Zoustar trifecta with Sunlight, Zousain, and Lean Mean Machine; an incredible outcome for Zoustar’s first crop (and for Magic Millions who sold all three).

Zousain is one of three winners for his Gr.3 winning dam, Pasar Silbano, who was a quality two-year-old, winning four races at that age (five in total) in Ireland and America.

Zousain lived up to the early maturing form on both sides of his pedigree, and buyers have 35 yearlings by him to find the next generation of success.

(Pierro-November Flight, by Flying Spur)

At four, Pierata showed his class to win the Gr.1 All Aged Stakes, a race he almost won again at five, missing out by a nose to Tofane.

(Zoustar-Pasar Silbano, by Elnadim)

D’Argento

Stood in 2020 at Bowness Stud for $16,500

Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas winner D’Argento was offered by Baramul Stud at the 2016 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and was sold for $135,000. Unbeaten in two starts as a two-year-old, D’Argento won first up at three, then ran third in the Gr.2 Hobartville Stakes. His next three starts were all in Gr.1 company and he won the Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas and ran fourth against the older horses in the Gr.1 Doncaster. Back at four, he only raced in Gr.1 and Gr.2 races, placing in the Gr.1 Epsom, Gr.1 Winx Stakes, and Gr.2 Theo Marks. He retired with four wins and four placings from 14 starts and earnings over $1.1million.

D’Argento’s sire So You Think is often touted as the best looking horse in Australia, but he’s not just handsome! The Champion racehorse won ten Gr.1 races in Australia and Europe and is now the successful sire of 46 stakes winners including nine Gr.1 winners. He has emerged as one of Australia’s leading sires.

D’Argento’s dam was quick, winning the Listed Debutante Stakes and three other races, and she also left Fullazaboot, who ran second to Sunlight in the Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic at only his third start.

From a first crop of 104 foals, D’Argento has 18 first crop yearlings catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

There’s something so exciting about anything new. It’s the untapped potential that comes with maybe finding the next big thing, perhaps even the next Danehill! At the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, there are twenty-four sires with first crop yearlings on offer, and buyers will be spending their time hunting for the next Extreme Choice (Gr.1 Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside in his first crop), Capitalist (Gr.1 winning two-year-old Captivant in his first crop), and Flying Artie (Gr.1 Blue Diamond winner Artorius in his first crop). Current top quality sires and Magic Millions graduates Written Tycoon, Zoustar and Spirit of Boom all were the leading first season sires of their year before going on to bigger successes.

Brutal (O’Reilly-Alberton Princess, Golan)

Stood in 2020 at Newgate Farm for $27,500

Brutal won the Gr.1 Doncaster Mile as a three-year-old in a career that spanned three seasons. A winner of his only start at two, Brutal was pitted against the older horses at three, winning the Doncaster and finishing second in the Gr.1 George Ryder behind champion mare Winx. By New Zealand Champion Sire O’Reilly, Brutal is from a strong New Zealand family and is a half-brother to Listed winner Talaria.

Brutal was very popular with breeders, and has 124 live foals in his first crop with 26 of them catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Blue Point (Shamardal-Scarlett Rose, by Royal Applause)

Stood in 2020 at Darley for $44,000

A Champion Sprinter who emulated Choisir by winning the Royal Ascot Gr.1 King’s Stand Stakes and Gr.1 Diamond Jubilee in the same year, Blue Point was a group winner at two (and twice Gr.1 placed). He was a group winner at three, then won his first Gr.1 King’s Stand Stakes at four, following it up at five with a win in the Gr.1 Meydan Al Quoz Sprint before the Royal Ascot double. By Champion racehorse and sire Shamardal, Blue Point is a half-brother to group winning two-year-old Formosina.

Australians love a tough sprinter, and Blue Point had 100 foals in his first crop with 21 yearlings catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Too Darn Hot (Dubawi-Dar Re Mi, by Singspiel)

Stood in 2020 at Darley for $44,000

Champion 2YO and 3YO in Europe, Too Darn Hot won the Gr.1 Dewhurst at two, won by the likes of Frankel, Teofilo, Shamardal, New Approach, Grand Lodge, and Rock of Gibraltar; then went on at three to win both the Gr.1 Prix Jean Prat and Gr.1 Sussex Stakes. By Champion sire Dubawi, Too Darn Hot is out of triple Gr.1 winner Dar Re Mi, who is the dam of five other stakes horses, and his second dam is Gr.1 winner Darara, dam of four Gr.1 winners, the others being Rewilding, River Dancer, and Darazari.

Too Darn Hot has 85 live foals with 21 first crop yearlings catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Exceedance (Exceed and Excel-Bonnie Mac, by Thorn Park)

Stood in 2020 at Vinery for $38,500

Winner of the stallion making Gr.1 Coolmore Stud Stakes, Exceedance won at two, and sprinted at three. All up he won three of his nine starts; the Gr.1 Coolmore Stud Stakes, as well as running third in the Gr.1 Golden Rose. Exceedance is by Champion Sire and Champion 2YO Sire Exceed and Excel from Listed winner Bonnie Mac, making him a full brother to group winner Oxley Road and a half-brother to Listed winner Mac ‘n’ Cheese. This is Australia’s premier fast 2YO sireline.

Exceedance had 95 live foals in his first crop with 20 yearlings catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Microphone (Exceed and Excel-Sung, by Anabaa)

Stood in 2020 at Darley for $38,500

Champion 2YO in Australia, Microphone won the Gr.1 Sires’ Produce Stakes and was second in the Gr.1 Golden Slipper to win four of his six starts at two. Back at three, Microphone was a group winner who placed in the Gr.1 Randwick Guineas. By Champion Sire and Champion 2YO Sire Exceed and Excel, Microphone is out of Listed winner Sung, who is a full sister to dual Gr.1 winner Yell, and Gr.1 winner Holler is also from this family. A fast Gr.1 2YO from a fast 2YO sireline.

With 20 yearlings catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, this represents a third of his first crop of 62 live foals.

(So You Think-Fullazz, by Redoute’s Choice)

Unite and Conquer

(Hinchinbrook-Maglissa, by Magnus)

Stood in 2020 at Kingstar Farm for $6,600

A boom two-year-old, Unite and Conquer won his first two starts, both at Listed level, before unfortunately being injured in the Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic. A rehabilitation attempt was unsuccessful and he was retired to stud, standing at a great value price.

Initially purchased at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $80,000, Unite and Conquer was first seen in the Listed Maribyrnong Trial Stakes which he won in 57.82 for the 1000m, beating Sun City who went on to win the Gr.3 BJ McLachlan Stakes. Next up, he won the Listed Wyong Magic Millions 2YO Classic, beating Exhilarates, who went on to win the big race in January.

By successful sire Hinchinbrook, whose 22 stakes winners include Gr.1 winners Beat The Clock, Press Statement, Spright, and Seabrook, Unite and Conquer is out of city winner Maglissa, a daughter of Gr.1 Flight Stakes winner Danglissa.

From 55 foals in his first crop, Unite and Conquer has seven yearlings catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Dubious

(Not a Single Doubt-Suspicieuse, by Elusive City)

Stood in 2020 at Aquis Farm for $13,200

The epitome of an early two-year-old Dubious won the Gr.3 Breeders’ Plate on debut as a September two-year-old. He followed his up with another win in December, then was second to Exhilarates in the Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic. Dubious went on to win the Gr.2 Champagne Classic, and place in the Gr.2 Todman Stakes.

Back at three, Dubious placed in the Gr.2 Danehill Stakes and was fourth in the Gr.3 Vain Stakes, retiring with three wins and three placings from twelve starts with earnings over $1.2million, an excellent profit on his yearling price at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale where he cost $350,000.

Not a Single Doubt took a little while to get going with his stud career, but when it took off, he really flew, and now has 79 stakes winners. His sons at stud are mostly too young to have runners, however, Extreme Choice has been an extraordinary find with 8 stakes winners from three small crops of racing age. Dubious is out of stakes placed winner Suspicieuse who is a half-sister to French group winner Sediciosa.

With 97 foals in his first crop, Dubious has appealed to breeders looking for early maturing speed, and buyers will get the chance to inspect 17 of first crop yearlings catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

A boom two-year-old, Unite and Conquer won his first two starts, both at Listed level

Castelvecchio (Dundeel-St. Therese, by Dehere)

Stood in 2020 at Arrowfield Stud for $33,000

A Gr.1 winner at two and three, Castelvecchio showed his class when second in the Gr.1 WS Cox Plate as a three-year-old. At two he won three races; the Gr.1 Champagne Stakes and the Listed Inglis Millennium, then at three he won the Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas. One of five Gr.1 winners for young sire Dundeel, Castelvecchio is out of Listed winner St. Therese, making him a half-brother to Gr.1 winner Maid of Heaven, group winner Mirrasalo (dam of group winner Mirra Vision) and also to the dams of Listed winner Precious Memories and Hussy by Choice.

Nineteen of his 95 first crop yearlings are catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Cosmic Force (Deep Field-Little Zeta, by Commands)

Stood in 2020 at Newgate Farm for $16,500

A boom two-year-old for his young sire, Cosmic Force won the Gr.2 Pago Pago Stakes at two, and went on with it at three, winning the Gr.2 Roman Consul Stakes. By the very speedy Deep Field who already has three Gr.1 winners and 21 stakes winners from his first few crops, Cosmic Force is from a colonial family and is a half-brother to group winner Onemorezeta and a full brother to Listed winner Razeta.

Of his 88 first crop foals, 18 are catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Alabama Express (Redoute’s Choice-Lago Ovation, by Encosta de Lago)

Stood in 2020 at Yulong Stud for $27,500

Winner of the Gr.1 CF Orr Stakes against the older horses while only a three-year-old, Alabama Express also won his only start at two. The quality sprinter is by sire of sires Redoute’s Choice from a half-sister to The Everest winner Giga Kick, with a strong international pedigree behind him.

Alabama Express was popular in his first season with 114 foals, and 17 have been catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Magna Grecia (Invincible Spirit-Cabaret, by Galileo)

Stood in 2020 at Coolmore Stud for $22,000

Champion 3YO Miler, Magna Grecia was a Gr.1 winner at two and three in England, winning the Gr.1 Futurity Stakes at two, and the time-honoured Gr.1 The Two Thousand Guineas at three. By Champion Sire of 2YOs and sire of sires Invincible Spirit, Magna Grecia is a half-brother to Europe’s Horse of the Year and five-time Gr.1 winner St Mark’s Basilica, with both being out of group winning juvenile Cabaret. Magna Grecia had 74 live foals in his first crop and twelve have been catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Tassort (Brazen Beau-Essaouira, by Exceed and Excel)

Stood in 2020 at Newgate Farm for $11,000

Winner of the Golden Gift and placed in the Gr.2 Silver Slipper at his only two starts, Tassort had 100 live foals in his first crop. By dual Gr.1 winning sprinter Brazen Beau who has already clocked up 20 stakes winners at stud, Tassort is beautifully bred, being a half-brother to triple Gr.1 winner Alizee, and Gr.1 winner Astern, as well as stakes placed winner Mogador, and the dam of group winner Mamounia.

Tassort has eight first crop yearlings catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Calyx (Kingman-Helleborine, by Observatory)

Stood in 2020 at Coolmore Stud for $17,600

An unbeaten two-year-old who won a group race at Royal Ascot, Calyx was a quick group winning sprinter at three. By young sire sensation Kingman, who was the second fastest sire to reach 50 stakes winners in Europe after Frankel, Calyx is out of group winning two-year-old Helleborine, who is a full sister to Gr.1 Sprint Cup winner African Rose, and to the dam of triple Gr.1 winner Native Trail.

Calyx has seven (of his 45 live foals) catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Super Seth (Dundeel-Salutations, by Redoute’s Choice)

Stood in 2020 at Waikato Stud for NZ$35,000+GST

Caulfield Guineas winner Super Seth won two of his three starts at two, before his impressive three-year-old season where he beat multiple Gr.1 winner Alligator Blood in the Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas, and placed in the Gr.1 Futurity Stakes against the older horses.

One of five Gr.1 winners for young sire Dundeel who now has 18 stakes winners, Super Seth is from Dundeel’s second crop. A half-brother to group winner Wild

Planet, Super Seth’s second dam is speedy stakes winner Toast of the Coast.

Super Seth has 93 live foals in his first New Zealand crop, with seven of those travelling over to Australia for the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Royal Meeting (Invincible Spirit-Rock Opera, by Lecture)

Stood in 2020 at Leneva Park for $11,000

An unbeaten Gr.1 winning two-year-old in France, Royal Meeting was imported to Australia for his three-year-old season where he ran against the older horses, placing at group level. By Champion Sire of 2YOs and sire of sires Invincible Spirit, Royal Meeting is one of two group winners for his dam, Champion 2YO Filly and Gr.1 winner Rock Opera, and his half-brother won fifteen races including six at group and listed level.

Of his 60 first crop foals, six have been catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Omaha Beach (War Front-Charming, by Seeking the Gold) Stood in 2020 at Spendthrift for $22,000

Triple Gr.1 winner Omaha Beach comes from one of the best families in the USA Stud book and he lived up to expectations with a stellar race record. By quality sire War Front, Omaha Beach is a half-brother to Champion 2YO Filly Take Charge Brandi (dam of recent Listed winner Courvoisier). His second dam is triple Gr.1 winner Take Charge Lady, dam of three Gr.1 winners.

Omaha Beach has 70 live foals in his first crop with four catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Cliff’s Edge (Canford Cliffs-Simulation, by Snadee)

Stood in 2020 at Cornwall Park for $6,600

A tough racehorse, multiple Gr.2 winner Cliff’s Edge raced from two till five, winning eight of his 30 starts and over $1.1million. At three he won the Gr.2 Alister Clark Stakes beating Levendi as well as two other group races, and at four he won the Gr.2 Schweppes Crystal Mile. By five-time Gr.1 winner Canford Cliffs who has sired 21 stakes winners, from eight race winner Simulation, who is also the granddam of Gr.3 Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes winner La Rocque.

Cliff’s Edge has 23 live foals in his first crop with three of them catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

I Am Immortal (I Am Invincible-Meliora, by Ad Valorem)

Stood in 2020 at Swettenham Stud for $13,750

I Am Immortal won his first two starts at two; the Listed Blue Diamond Preview and the Gr.3 Blue Diamond Prelude. Poor luck impacted his Gr.1 Blue Diamond Stakes run, but he returned at three to place in the Listed WJ Adams Stakes behind multiple group winner Jungle Edge. One of 85 stakes winners for I Am Invincible, I Am Immortal is out of Gr.2 winner Meliora, and is also a threequarter sibling to Whypeeo (I Am Invincible).

With 74 live foals, I Am Immortal has 3 first crop yearlings catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Strasbourg (I Am Invincible-Danish Spy, by Dane Shadow) Stood in 2020 at Rosemont Farm for $11,000

Brilliant two-year-old Strasbourg won the Gr.2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes and placed in three other stakes races at that age. By boom sire I Am Invincible, Strasbourg was an expensive yearling thanks to superior pedigree and physical type. His dam, Danish Spy, was a group placed winner of five races, and his second dam is stakes winner and good two-year-old Super Snooper who left Listed winner Forest Spy.

From 81 live foals in his first crop, Strasbourg has one yearling catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Vino Rosso (Curlin-Mythical Bride, by Street Cry) Stood in 2020 at Spendthrift for $13,750

Winner of the Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Classic and the Gr.1 Santa Anita Gold Cup, Vino Rosso was unbeaten at two, a group winner at three, and a dual Gr.1 winner at four. All up, he won six races and over US$4.8million. By dual USA Horse of the Year Curlin, who is now a hugely successful stallion with 83 stakes winners, Vino Rosso is out of a winning Street Cry mare who is a half-sister to two group winners.

From 67 live foals, Vino Rosso will be represented by one first crop yearling catalogued at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

BEECHMONT

600m above sea level, Beechmont Estate is situated on the plateau of the same name in the Binna Burra section of the Lamington National Park. The area offers a delightfully refreshing micro climate with temperatures approximately 7 degrees cooler than the Coast; perfect for taking the edge off summer but equally delightful in winter when you want nothing more than to curl up in front of a fire with a favourite book.

Drive through the gates and there is a real sense of stepping sideways from the frenetic energy represented by the Coast and its skyscrapers that lie far in the distance. Your new goal is simply to reconnect with some of life’s essentials: your health, wellbeing, quality food, rural scenery, and fresh air.

Beechmont Estate - formerly known as Hazelwood Estate - has evolved from a disused dairy farm to a luxury private resort boasting 20 guest rooms, a restaurant and day spa, polo field, and stables. Guests are invited to indulge in the chef hatted cuisine, the pristine natural environment and switch the ‘go’ switch to ‘go slow’. The Estate forms part of a curated portfolio of boutique lodges and experiences in Queensland (the collection’s other properties: Orpheus Island Lodge, Daintree Ecolodge and Mt Mulligan Lodge). The collection is designed to allow travellers

to experience Queensland in its purest form and to contribute to sustainable economies in the region.

Green building principles are embedded in the estate’s design and construction. The build saw the planting of over 7,000 trees, including native plants, to rejuvenate soil biology and the restoration of the once derelict dairy farm using regenerative farming practices. The resort has over 600,000 litres of water storage onsite, with all water used being harvested rainwater. Solar power currently accounts for 71% of Beechmonth Estate’s energy consumption (all energy excluding overnight usage) and the supply of Vanadium batteries by Vecco Group will see the property go completely off-grid in the next two years.

This is a place committed to the circular economy; to sustainable living; to appreciation and considered contemplation of detail such as the feel of kiln fired pottery in your hands as you nurse your coffee to the rich softness of bed linens and the fragrance of natural oils whilst enjoying a spa treatment. In the crackle of flame in a fireplace and a meandering walk amidst paddocks and rolling hills with an inquisitive muzzle from one of the resident polo ponies seeking a stray pat you have, basically, embraced mindfulness for the senses.

Words and Photos / Katrina Partridge

A hidden treasure well worth discovering lies a 45-minute meandering inland drive from the Gold Coast.

Accommodation options at Beechmont Estate include 17 King Farm cabins (featuring their own potbelly fireplaces, sandstone bathrooms and expansive windows to allow for expansive Valley views; enjoy complimentary Loco Love organic, plant-based chocolate, Wallaby still spring water and Salus Australianmade botanical bathroom amenities) and 3 Luxury Pavilions that overlook the polo field. Pavilions include a sitting area complete with fireplace, study nook and freestanding bath. Whatever your accommodation choice be sure to take a seat on your private balcony and absorb the choral strains of resident bell birds. Cattle graze the nearby fence line; lambs in the distance proclaim Spring. This is a case of Mother Nature standing centre stage allowing architecture and interiors that boast a rural luxe aesthetic melding with what already exists rather than dominating and altering the natural course. This is about not imposing on the environment but rather an encouraging gesture to meaningfully coexist.

The jewel in the resort’s crown is undoubtedly its chef hatted restaurant ‘The Paddock’. Local relationships forged on trust and connectives fuel a kitchen alive with modern ideas and a quest for valuable difference.

Head chef Simon Farley pursues a philosophy of serving contrasting, contemporary food with a sense of place. The seasonally driven menu showcases the region’s finest ingredients, sourcing sustainable produce from the Scenic Rim [a location

recently ranked number eight in the top regions of the world to visit by Lonely Planet] and the surrounding region of SouthEast Queensland. World-class Australian Wagyu steak is the hero cuisine sourced from Queensland family-owned cattle producer Stanbroke; in fact, all 15 restaurant suppliers are based within an hour of the Resort.

“Our dishes are created with a focus on hyper-local and sustainable seasonal produce, using this produce from root-tostem and nose-to-tail,” says Farley. “Basically, you treat an animal the way that you would treat a plant when preparing it for a meal. Why not make a difference if you have the opportunity? We cook for lots of people every week; we have the chance to make a change. If we can do this while highlighting the bespoke local suppliers that are at our fingertips, we are happy.”

The food offers a unique signature not least in its homage to all things local. Finger limes that feature on the evening menu are sourced from a neighbouring property. Other ingredients include strawberry gum (a type of eucalypt unique to the Lamington National Park), salt bush and papalo as well as chive trees, bottle brush, lavender and she-oak; in a chef’s commitment to sustainability, you will discover a refreshing diversity of flavour.

The restaurant itself boasts languid district views from its floor to ceiling windows. Beams soar high in cathedral ceilings, the huge fireplace is embellished with stone whilst leather lounges encourage one to succumb to their depths.

My advice: turn off your phone and park it with your car when you arrive. Allow Beechwood Estate to guide you on a sensory journey that underlines your individual connection to the environment – whilst allowing you to draw breath from the frenetic pace that is life.

Turn your passion into a profession with Marcus Oldham College

If you’re passionate about horses and want a rewarding career in the equine industry, Marcus Oldham’s Equine Business Management course is the perfect opportunity for you.

Developed in close consultation with industry, the course will equip you with hands-on practical and horse management skills and the extensive business knowledge needed to excel as an informed industry leader.

To find out more about the Equine Business Management course and study options, call (03) 5247 2911or visit marcusoldham.vic.edu.au/equine

Emma Muldoon 2022 Equine Management Student

After the

WHISTLE

After the whistle, some of our sports stars enjoy a zealous connection with the thoroughbred industry and the Magic Millions. Jim Tucker traces three fascinating tales

Words / Jim Tucker

Jonathan BROWN

Three-time AFL Premiership-winner turned owner

AFL Hall-of-Famer Jonathan Brown has lived the thrill of a Magic Millions racehorse all the way to the winning post. The three-time premiership winner with the Brisbane Lions is enjoying the time of his life as a part-owner of Snapdancer, the classy bay mare which won the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield in August.

That second Group One victory catapulted her past $2 million in prizemoney. It’s a dream return on the winning bid she attracted of $180,000 when presented as part of the Sledmere Stud draft at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Brown was on course for Snapdancer’s big win in the Magic Millions Fillies and Mares (1300m) at the Gold Coast last January when the feature race carried a $1 million purse. “I’ve owned plenty over the journey but I’ve finally hit a bit of a purple patch over the past few years,” Brown said with relish.

“I was there live for the big one on the Gold Coast. It was so exciting. I was in a marquee about the 200 and watched her click into gear.

“I remember my old footy coach saying to me that the 30 seconds of winning a big race (as an owner) there’s probably no greater exhilaration he’s felt in sport.

“That was from Leigh Matthews, who won a TJ Smith with Sizzling (in 2012). For all he’s done in footy with premierships and so on (as a Hall of Fame player and coach), I thought how could that be real?

“I agree with him now. The exhilaration of seeing your horse hit the front in a major is unbelievable.”

It was footy which inadvertently led Brown into buying a share in Snapdancer. In retirement, he’d headed to Melbourne’s Balwyn Football Club to train for some fitness.

Hamish STEWART

Hamish Stewart isn’t talking about performing as a rugby player in front of 20,000 fans, although he has savoured highs as a footballer he’ll cherish for life.

He’s talking about the vibe of the Magic Millions Gold Coast and being immersed in the bloodstock-sales and racing pleasure of an event that gets bigger by the year.

Stewart, 24, experiences the Magic Millions from the inside through the family-owned Oaklands Stud which thrives on more than 400 hectares of fertile, undulating pastures outside Toowoomba. For years now, he’s enjoyed the thrill of walking wellpresented yearlings into the sales ring at the Magic Millions.

“Honestly, there’s no better event on the calendar than the Magic Millions,” Stewart said. “For a good two weeks, there’s a rush of raw energy and excitement that you don’t get anywhere else. That’s whether you are going to watch the races or you are a big vendor with 40 or 50 horses in the draft.

“It was to keep fit and share a beer. The boys at the club said they were getting into a horse and I said ‘no worries’ because they’d already had the Midas touch with Extra Brut (2018 Victoria Derby winner). Being part of a syndicate has made it even more fun,” Brown said.

His love of the racing industry has always been there, even before the first kick of his decorated 256-game career for the Lions (2000-14). More particularly, it started with greyhounds which his family raced in Victoria.

“I’d put greyhounds in their boxes to race. Back in the day, I walked out a Warrnambool Cup winner (Another Currency),” Brown said with a grin. “That was my claim to fame as a 15-year-old, wearing a loose-fitting tuxedo and bow tie as a box attendant. I was king of the tuckshop at school the next day.

“My grandfather Kevin always had a great love of the horses. All through my youth and teenage years on Pa’s farm, with the framed horse racing photos up on the wall, I’d hear some of the great old racing stories of the 1940s through to the ‘70s. “Mum would regale me with stories of being dragged along to provincial race meetings instead of going to school. “That morphed into my love of the horses.”

Brown’s wife Kylie is a Gold Coast girl. They lived on the Coast during part of the time in Queensland which made the Magic Millions an annual social highlight.

Going to school in Warrnambool with respected trainer Ciaron Maher has always meant Brown has wise counsel in his corner.

“I like to listen to the experts. (Former West Coast and Carlton captain) Chris Judd and I have a staying type in early training with Ciaron at the moment so we could have some fun at the Magic Millions in years to come,” Brown said.

Western Force rugby player and Oaklands Stud Co-Principal

“You feel the buzz that people get who don’t even know a lot about horse racing but go there and watch. For me, it’s the thrill that goes with knowing all the hard work put into one of our born and bred horses. That’s from the moment a foal drops and you monitor a steady growth, weaning, branding, letting them be carefree in the paddocks and prepping them for the sales. It’s watching how the progeny of your stallion develop.” Like Risky Investment, the two-year-old colt sired by Power that was a firststart winner over 1000m at Eagle Farm in October. Or Gypsy Power, an all-ladies owned colt.

“There are limited periods I can be fully involved but I won’t be doing anything else when I finish footy. I love it. I walked my first horse at the Magic Millions when I was 12 or 13. Once you are born into horses, it’s in the blood,” Stewart said.

Centre-flyhalf Stewart is lacing on the boots with the Western Force this year after fruitful seasons with the Queensland Reds earned him a Super Rugby AU title in 2021 and Australia A games against Samoa, Tonga and Japan in 2022.

Other players put their feet up during the off-season. Stewart dives into the more physical aspects at Oaklands.

Hamish and older brother Alistair are Co-Principals beside proud father Neville, who has built an operation running more than 150 broodmares and 100 foals since he founded Oaklands Stud in 1979.

Hamish has his collection of Magic Millions catalogues stored away yet there is no better text to read than absorbing wisdom out in the paddocks. “You might pay $2 million for the nicest horse in a catalogue and he won’t run for you. I do study bloodlines but, like in footy, sometimes you see a freak of an athlete where the risk and reward is tilted more your way. The horse might be a good walker, have fluent moves or another trait,” Stewart said.

“Dad is a pretty tightlipped so you need to be beside him in the moment inspecting a horse to pick up those gems of knowledge he’s learnt over decades.”

There’s a rush of raw energy and excitement that you don’t get anywhere else.

Hayden BALLANTYNE

Former Fremantle Docker turned trainer

Playing 171 AFL games for the Fremantle Dockers taught rising trainer Hayden Ballantyne plenty of lessons that relate to getting the best from his horses.

You can absorb every pointer on bloodlines from a Magic Millions catalogue but never underestimate what you see and feel with your own eyes at a parade of yearlings.

Western Australia’s up-and-coming trainer uses the analogy of playing for a decade beside two-time Brownlow Medal-winner Nat Fyfe. “Nat is an absolute superstar player but his brother can’t kick a footy. Just because they’ve got good pedigree doesn’t mean you get a superstar horse,” Ballantyne said.

“The breeding side is a good starting point but you need to see a horse in the flesh. The eye that an experienced trainer has from being in the game for 100 years is invaluable.”

Ballantyne, 35, is grateful that veteran trainer David Harrison is so unselfish in sharing astute insights from decades around Perth tracks and sales. “David is a bit of an uncle to me. He’s helping me learn the trade when it comes to picking horses and I’m developing an eye for the horses I like. We love getting around to all the studs before a Magic Millions sale to pick out some good horses I’ll bid hard for,” Ballantyne said.

“I’ve learnt from him and others to build my own training process.” The high-energy forward was in his final season of AFL when he trained his first winner, Mankind, in 2019. The transition to the racing industry full-time with Hayden Ballantyne Racing has kept his busy equilibrium and avoided the post-footy void experienced by so many.

“You can get consumed by the day-to-day life of being a footy player. For me, getting to the stables was my outlet, a real gift. My little mate, Mankind, got me through the last few years of my footy career,” Ballantyne said.

“Having stepped out of playing senior footy for 15 years, I needed something to step into or I would have gone crazy.”

He’s a hands-on trainer as you’d expect and happy to ride the harder to handle thoroughbreds for the first week or two at his Karnup base, south of Perth. He has around 25 horses on the books, including multiple race-winner Vogue’s Choice, a mare sired by Patronize that was his first MM purchase. It’s named for his five-year-old daughter, Vogue.

Good nutrition and recovery translate directly from his elite footy know-how as does his focus on preparation and keeping his horses happy. “I get my satisfaction even before a horse jumps when I know I’ve ticked every box in getting them as fit and ready to race as I can. I really like the process. When they do win, it’s a huge reward,” Ballantyne explained.

He bought seven horses at the 2022 Magic Millions sales in Perth, three for individual owners and four to syndicate. He’s hoping to repeat the formula that put so many smiles on faces after She’s Greysful ran second in the Magic Millions WA 2YO Classic at Pinjarra in February.

“We were the first all-ladies horse home for the Magic Millions WA Racing Women’s bonus. There were more than 50 ladies who had a share in the horse as individuals or through syndicates. You could have heard them on the east coast when She’s Greysful was coming down the straight,” Ballantyne said with a smile.

“It was a great day and a really good way to be involved. You can own one per cent of the horse but share 100 per cent of the fun.”

Ballantyne’s own love of horses started early. Father Graeme, a long-time trainer himself, had his son in the saddle as a 12-yearold and provided the sort of racing fairytale we all love. The Ballantyne-trained Talent Show was first emergency for the 2013 Perth Cup, earned a late start and the daughter of Melbourne Cup-winner Jeune raced home as a roughie at $31. “My old Dockers teammate Nick Saban and I owned a quarter-share in Talent Show and we got on at $68,” Ballantyne said.

One of WA’s best young trainers is making his first visit to the Magic Millions on the Gold Coast in January.

&

GODOLPHIN Stud STAFF AWARDS Stable

Words / Kristen Manning

FI MCINTYRE

Thoroughbred Care & Welfare

Her father Ricky - who started his professional life as an apprentice jockey before moving onto training - managed the stud at Sunbury where she grew up whilst her mother Kaye’s passion was retraining racehorses for second careers.

And so Fi was around horses from birth, including the 1972 Caulfield Guineas and Caulfield Cup winner Sobar who stood at the Sunbury farm owned by that horse’s owner Keith Southwick.

“So it was a natural progression for me to work with horses,” Fi said - “I have never known anything different!”

“I was plonked on a Shetland pony before I could even walk and then I was off to pony club, I grew up playing cowboys and indians on horses.”

Fast forward and Fi’s life is still filled with the equine!

Named Racing Victoria’s Retrainer Of The Year in 2020, Fi takes in horses not only via Racing Victoria’s RESET programme but also for private clients - many of whom wish to keep the horse, but have him or her trained professionally first.

Based at Inverleigh outside of Geelong, Fi has around 20 horses on the farm at any given time and what a mixed bag they are... “horses from three to 29!” she said, “all in different stages of their retraining.”

Plus some rather special retirees such as the Mackinnon Stakes and Australian Cup winner Sirmione who at the age of 19 is enjoying his “life of luxury.”

Another former member of the Bart Cummings stable is the horse Fi is best associated with, the five times Group winner Precedence who raced from three to ten, lining up in four Melbourne Cups.

Fi has fond memories of his arrival - the horse noted for wanting to pull in his races proving to be rather good at that! “On my first ride I thought I was going to have my arms dragged off,” she laughed.

But Precedence proved to be a quick learner and is now an established member of the show circuit, at the time of writing having just been to the Adelaide and Melbourne Royal Shows.

Fi has taken hopeless cases (including a son of Zabeel who had been confiscated from an unworthy owner by the RSPCA) through to success as well and nothing gives her a bigger thrill than that progression.

And she thanks her horses for this award - “it is a huge honour but it’s the horses who deserve the recognition, they are amazing.”

Fi had a great time at the awards, a rare chance to catch up with lots of like-minded people - “it was great spending time with people who work so hard behind the scenes, it was brilliant.”

The seventh Godolphin Stud & Stable Staff Awards were presented to a variety of worthy recipients at the Gold Coast Turf Club on Wednesday 25 May; we had a chat with each of the winners to see just what this award means to them - and how they came to be on the stage on that night...

I was plonked on a Shetland pony before I could even walk and then I was off to pony club, I grew up playing cowboys and indians on horses.”

Administration And Ancillary

When someone has worked at the same stud for over 20 years, you know that not only do they love their job - but also the environment in which they work. And in Jess Hood’s case, work is also home... Arrowfield Stud.

A long way (some 1320km!) from where she was raised in Edenhope on the Victorian/South Australian border (her parents still in the area - at Horsham), Arrowfield is, Jess says “definitely like a family.”

“The Messaras are fantastic, great people,” she said. “They have big knowledge and a lot of passion not only for the industry but for the people who work in it.”

As does Jess, with one of her Arrowfield roles being to help out the new recruits - not only officially, but as their friend; someone they can feel comfortable having a chat with.

Jess does not hail from a particularly horsey background, joking that “my parents couldn’t put a head collar on a horse!” but they always had a share or two in a bush horse, sharing the fun with a neighbour.

And it was another local who told Jess at a very early age (seven!) that her pony wasn’t quite up to scratch - gifting her a 15hh horse... she had to be a quick learner!

JESS HOOD REG FLEMING

Dedication To Racing

As a child, in his bedroom decorated with photos of horses like Leilani, Reg Fleming dreamed big. One day, he thought, he would love to work for Bart Cummings.

Raised in the Brisbane suburbs close by to Eagle Farm and Doomben, Reg was taken to the track from a very early on by his father Reg Snr who had also been around stables since he was young - at one stage sharing quarters with the legendary jockey Darby McCarthy.

Reg would hang around the stables of renowned trainer Alby Pratt and the very minute he was old enough to get his strappers licence he was off to the races - a memorable day at the Gold Coast in 1979 seeing the first horse he ever led into the mounting yard - Claire’s Victory - salute.

He was there to strap another horse later in the day but John O’Shea, working for Henry Davis, needed a helping hand. And so began a friendship that would lead to Reg’s current position at Godolphin - John asking him to come aboard in early 2015.

And when John left his position at Godolphin, along came James Cummings who Reg has known since he was a kid.

The reason he has known James so long... Reg was able to fulfil that childhood dream of his; for over two decades being an integral part of the Bart Cummings success story.

With her natural affinity with horses it was only natural that Jess pursue a career with them and after school she completed Marcus Oldham College’s equine course which set her on her way.

Eight years with the yearlings at Baramul Stud where she quickly rose to yearling manager followed and then it was onto Arrowfield, the first decade with the yearlings, the last decade in the office.

And she has loved both roles.

“I love the horses, love being with them. Getting to know the yearlings as individuals, seeing them turned out for the sales and then the finished products as successful racehorses.”

Office life is a bit different but equally as challenging and enjoyable.

“You would think this would be a 9 - 5 life but it’s nothing like it!” she laughed, noting that she loves the interaction with staff both old and new along with the many differing challenges of the stud year.

Enjoying the awards night with her brother, Jess said that winning “meant a lot,” in regards to recognition of a lifetime in the industry.

“It is nice to be seen as a valuable member of the thoroughbred community,” she said.

After his first racing job working for Bruce McLachlan (who was introduced to racing by his school mateReg Snr), Reg ventured to Melbourne were he gained further valuable experience with Tommy Hughes who he describes as “an absolute gentleman and a great trainer.”

After a couple of years working in Perth for Buster O’Malley, Reg returned to Brisbane, helping out in his dad’s stables in the mornings before heading to a 9-5 job which lasted seven years before he “got the itch to get back into racing.”

And so he took the leap and rang Bart Cummings, the best phone call he ever made! Working at different times in Melbourne and Brisbane - also taking horses such as Catalan Opening and Rogan Josh to Hong Kong - Reg worked with the likes of Saintly and So You Think, citing Precedence (now in the care of fellow award winner Fi McIntyre) as his favourite.

Enjoying the awards night with Sheralee Paterson who (along with Ashley Oldham) nominated him, Reg said that the win was “very humbling.”

“I didn’t get into this caper for awards but dad always said that sometimes it is just nice to get that well done pat on the back.”

And it was a full circle event for him - Reg happy to be back at the Gold Coast where he strapped that first winner!

You would think this would be a 9 - 5 life but it’s nothing like it!”

“I didn’t get into this caper for awards but dad always said that sometimes it is just nice to get that well done pat on the back.

ADAM SHANKLEY

Horsemanship

It is funny how fate steps in to map the path for a person’s life, in the case of Adam Shankley it was his sister’s childhood desire to have a horse. And her subsequent lack of enthusiasm once she fell off said horse!

“She wasn’t interested in riding after that so dad said, ‘well he is your horse now!’”

Discovering an instant love for and affinity with horses, Adam spent many a weekend riding through the bush in the Pilbara region of Western Australia... great memories.

And racing was in the background, his grandfather “always loving a punt.”

Adam was still at school when his family moved to Newcastle, an area which enabled him to gain experience with thoroughbreds - taking a weekend job at a small farm.

From there he moved to Victoria, working at Hobson’s Lodge firstly with Jim Mason at the helm, and then Mathew Ellerton. A two year breeding course at what was then Wangaratta Tafe (now Goulburn Ovens Institute of Tafe) ensued - and his final work placement was at Widden Stud.

It was during this time that Adam met his future wife (a member of the Vinery team) but he soon found the drive from Widden into Scone tiresome and he made the switch, with the help of Peter Keating, to Arrowfield. That was just over 20 years ago, Adam describing Arrowfield as “an unbelievable place to work!”

“I have spent half of my working life at Arrowfield,” he said, noting his enjoyment in a variety of rolesspending time in the covering shed, with yearlings and sale preparation, in stallion management and in the hospital area.

One experience stands out however, the time he spent working with a rather talented horse by the name of Redoute’s Choice.

Three times crowned Australian Champion Sire, Redoute’s Choice was - Adam says “a life-changing horse for everyone.”

“He was a great horse - he could be a bit cheeky at times but he was a gentleman, he’d do anything for you.”

Adam enjoyed the awards night in the company of his wife and with the Arrowfield team in town for the broodmare sales.

“It is nice to be appreciated for doing a good job,” he said, “and I think the whole concept is such a great idea.”

LIESL BAUMANN

Leadership

There was a pleasant surprise in store for Liesl Baumann on the night of the awards - not only the well deserved win - but in regards to who she got to share the excitement with.

“I took up a good friend as my plus one and I thought it would be just her and me but a few of the Cressfield team flew up to surprise me - it was so nice seeing them walk through the door!”

And so a great night was made even better and Liesl felt honoured to receive the award, noting that “it was a really nice moment to pause and reflect on the fact that years of hard work had not gone unnoticed.”

Describing her equine career as “a childhood obsession which took hold,” Liesl was raised amongst horses with her parents keen on Arabians.

“I did the usual pony club stuff, as well as some endurance riding though a career in horses was not what my parents had in mind - they thought it would all be long hours of picking up poo with not enough pay!” she laughed.

“But there are wide and varied pathways you can take into the thoroughbred industry.”

Embarking on her thoroughbred journey with three years spent at Turangga Farm, Liesl learned all about that variety - “being a small farm, I got to do a bit of everything. There were some long days and hard yakka but it was great.”

From there Leisl headed to Cressfield - some 16 years ago - and it is there she happily remains.

Starting off as a stud hand, Liesl gravitated towards the foaling side of the business, describing that “as my passion and where I most like to spend my time.”

Now the stud’s Operations Manager, Liesl said that she “struggles to define” just what her job is but basically she is “across everything!”

With Cressfield home to high quality stock, Liesl said that she feels “privileged” to work with such mares as the Group 1 winning sprinters Pippie and Spright; a couple of her favourites who she describes as “lovely mares and easy to do anything with.”

She also has plenty of time for the not so straightforward horses - “I love the quirky ones, they tend to win you over!”

Sire Redoute’s Choice

He was a great horse - he could be a bit cheeky at times but he was a gentleman, he’d do anything for you.”

“But there are wide and varied pathways you can take into the thoroughbred industry.

Ten years selling charcoal chickens is not the usual lead-up to a career with horses and Sacha Roberts admits that there was never any stage in her life where she considered an equine career.

In fact she didn’t even have a dog - “there is no way anyone would pick me for being an animal person!” she laughed.

But when a friend suggested that she spend an afternoon at the Cranbourne stables of Mick Kent, something just clicked... though not exactly immediately.

“I was petrified at first, I’d never been around horses at all,” Sasha said but it was within a very short time frame that she started to realise that she was having a really good time.

“I thought, wow I am loving this!”

“It was helping me mentally, the stables were just such a nice place to work and I soon realised that this was where I wanted to be.”

SACHA ROBERTS KELLY FROST

Dedication To Breeding

When you are a little girl and you just want a horse!”

That is how Kelly Frost, with no equine background - no family involvement in horses of any sort let alone thoroughbreds - came to be where she is today.

Just where she wants to be, in the very thick of things working for one of the world’s biggest racing and breeding operations, Godolphin.

Stud Secretary at their Darley base in Victoria, Kelly is kept very busy managing the comings and goings of the stud’s horses with the spring a particularly challenging time of year.

It is a side to the horse industry that is still relatively new to Kelly who took over this role in March 2020 having spent the rest of her horse life in the great outdoors.

“This is a whole different side to things,” she said“when you are out there doing things with the horses you don’t realise how much organisation goes into the everyday operation of a farm.”

And she loves it, enjoying bringing everything into alignment, ticking all the boxes, making sure everything runs smoothly.

And she still has time to spend with horses, something she has been passionate about since that childhood dream of having her own horse.

Growing up in Hopetoun in north-west Victoria, Kelly had that horse she wanted and once her family moved to Mudgee in New South Wales her sights were set on the thoroughbred game.

Learning the ropes at the Kent stables, Sasha switched jobs during the winter and within six months of working for the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace partnership, the stable had won the Melbourne Cup with Gold Trip.

“That was amazing,” Sasha said, already thrilled to be in the thick of things at Flemington that day - strapping her favourite horse Ascension in the all-greys race - and all the more excited when Gold Trip stormed home.

In the final stages of completing her certificate 4 in racing, Sasha also has plans to finish a nursing course she started pre-COVID with the hopes of at some stage combining her passion for mental health with her new found love of horses.

But in the meantime she is very happy where she is, noting that “I just love my life in racing - there is never a day when I wake up and don’t want to go to work.”

Attending the awards night with her very proud mother Jo, Sasha said that “it felt amazing to be appreciated.”

“And winning has given me the confidence to keep pursuing all that I would like to do in racing.”

“I saw Gooree and I fell in love with the place and decided that’s what I wanted to do.”

Kicking off her thoroughbred career as a trainee at Yarraman Park (where she spent four happy years), Kelly then spent time overseas - gaining valuable experience at the Irish National Stud, Rathbarry Stud and Old Connell Stud and then on to the United States where she served as a veterinary technician intern. Back home, with recognition of her prior learning and experience, she was (after a 12 month course) able to qualify as an equine veterinary nurse.

Throughout this time Kelly’s passion was working with foals, enjoying her time on night watch before being made the foal unit manager at Darley, NSW.

“I then decided I was getting a bit too old for the hands-on work with horses,” she laughed... hence the switch in roles to stud secretary.

And now, recognition for her long time devotion to the thoroughbred industry.

“It was actually incredible just to be nominated for this award,” she said, “and winning it was totally unexpected.”

“You don’t do your job or live your life in pursuit of such things, you just do it because you love it.”

Kelly enjoyed the awards night, describing the Godolphin team as “a big extended family,” delighted to share her achievement with many of her fellow staff who were in town at the time for the broodmare sales... as well as with her mum who was obviously very proud!

“Everyone was so supportive, it was all very lovely.”

It was helping me mentally, the stables were just such a nice place to work and I soon realised that this was where I wanted to be.”

“I saw Gooree and I fell in love with the place and decided that’s what I wanted to do.

MAGIC

from Milburn Creek

From Wildes Meadow in the NSW Southern Highlands, our yearlings are raised on some of Australia’s finest horse country. They are expertly prepared by Scott Holcombe and his team for your inspection in January.

FIVE superb colts

Lot 362, bay colt, Exceed And Excel - Shadow Watch by So You Think. By Champion Australian sire and leading influence for early 2yo speed. Second foal of a mare by Champion and rising star broodmare sire So You Think from the great “Criterion” family.

Lot 375, bay or brown colt, Zoustar - Sheiswhatsheis by Bernardini. By Australia’s hot commercial Gr1 sire out of a mare bt quality broodmare sire Bernardini. Second foal of multiple SW of $477k.

Lot 558, bay colt, Castelvecchio - Wynnstay Avenue by Fastnet Rock. First crop of multiple Gr1 winner Castelvecchio out of a mare by crack broodmare sire Fastnet Rock. Half-brother tp SP Ferocious, from the great Danendri, Faint Perfume family. Bred on the outstanding High Chaparral/Danehill cross.

Lot 709, chestnut colt, Capitalist - Chain Of Fools by More Than Ready. By Golden Slipper winning young Gr1 sire out of a mare by quality broodmare sire More Than Ready. Second foal of a daughter of Gr1 placed Burgeis from family of Golden Slipper winner Stratum. A Golden Slipper pedigree.

Lot 738, bay colt, Extreme Choice - Come On Over by War Chant. By Gr1 winning 2yo now Australia’s leading sire by stakes winners to runners, including Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside and multiple Gr1 winner She’s Extreme. Second foal of a winning mare from a prolific black type family.

John Muir and Scott Holcombe invite you to inspect this quality draft at the 2023 Magic Millions Yearling Sale.

FIVE magnificent fillies

Lot 51, bay filly, Extreme Choice - Leamington by Pleasant Tap. By Gr1 winning 2yo now Australia’s leading sire by stakes winners to runners, including Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside and multiple Gr1 winning filly She’s Extreme. Half sister to four winners including Leami Astray 6 wins, $204k.

Lot 81, bay or brown filly, Zoustar - Luqyaa by Exceed And Excel. By Australia’s hot commercial Gr1 sire out of a mare by exceptional young broodmare sire Exceed And Excel.Third foal of a SP winning mare from the wonderful Group winning family of Charmview, Shiva’s Revenge, Just Now, Scenic Warrior.

Lot 145, chestnut filly, Written Tycoon - Moldova by Snitzel. By an Australian Champion sire out of a winning mare by a quadruple Australian Champion sire.

First foal of a multiple winner of $150k from a great Gr1 winning family including Savvy Nature, Hasahalo (NZ 1000 Gns).

Lot 442, bay filly, The Autumn Sun - Summer Surf by Big Brown. By Australia’s Champion colt out of a winning half-sister to Golden Slipper winner Farnan. Immediate family of Gr1 performers Farnan and Sandbar, grandam Tallow Gr3 winner of $365k.

Lot 899, chestnut filly, Written Tycoon - Glamorize by Sepoy. By Australian Champion sire out of a mare by Golden Slipper winner Sepoy. First foal of a mare from a prolific black type family. Closely related to Written Beauty, 6 wins, SW of $475k. Bred on the great Written Tycoon/Mr Prospector nick.

Milburn Creek

john@milburncreek.com.au | scott.h@milburncreek.com.au

Ten MAGIC yearlings from Milburn Creek 5 colts and 5 fillies by leading sires from proven stakes producing families.

Arrowfield

Ask Kevin Payne about feeling the magic of racing triple Classic winner Hitotsu, and it’s hard to pull him up.

“Hitotsu gave all his owners, their friends and families three once-in-a-lifetime experiences in six months. I personally had 16 family and friends at Flemington on Australian Guineas day and for all of us, it was one of the greatest days of our lives. And I know most of the other owners had similar groups around them across his three Group 1 wins.

“Once you can no longer be an active sportsman yourself, a good horse lets you compete at a high level and you’re riding with him every inch of the way! Hitotsu has taken me to a level I could never have reached myself. The love and joy Hitotsu has given Vikki and me and our fellow owners, friends and families is incredible, it’s priceless. The ripples go so much further than you think - strangers come up to me and say how much pleasure he’s given them. Everyone’s keen to hear about Hitotsu, then we get talking about other horses. It creates a very strong common bond with people, talking about something beyond work, weather and family! I call it the Payne Train, everyone jumps on board

our horses and it becomes more about family and friends than yourself. Vikki and I get such a buzz out of that!”

And that’s without counting Hitotsu’s $3.1 million prizemoney or his potential stallion value, making it an exceptional investment, as well as great fun for the big group of people who now own him and simply love the magical ride he’s giving them. Kevin Kelly secured Hitotsu on behalf of Kevin & Vikki Payne from Arrowfield’s 2020 Magic Millions draft for $100,000 - little more than half the median price in Book 1 at that sale. Kelly later said, “Arrowfield are great people to buy off; they’re very fair and I hold them in high regard as vendors.”

Statistics from the 2016-21 Magic Millions Gold Coast sales back that assessment. Arrowfield out-performs the Sale with 43 Stakes Performers, 19 Stakeswinners and Group 1-winning colts Hitotsu, Invader, Profondo and Tagaloa from 345 offered lots. Then there are horses like Missile Mantra, a canny $30,000 buy for Triple Crown Syndications, who became a Group winner & Group 1 performer, earned $600,000 and sold as a broodmare in 2022 for $950,000. Count De Rupee, a $145,000 purchase by Robert and Luke Price whose 7-win,

$2.6 million career included the 2022 Victory S. G2 and the $1 million The Gong. $270,000 filly Soaring Ambition, a Listed stakeswinner of more than $100,000 at her very first start, as a December 2YO. And Wee Nessy, bought for $400,000, who gave her owners the special thrill of a Spring Carnival stakeswinner when she won this season’s Crockett S. LR at The Valley.

Arrowfield’s 63-lot 2023 Magic Millions consignment presents compelling options for buyers wanting to achieve similar results. Four-time Champion Sire Snitzel is keeping up a ferocious pace this season, with 10 stakeswinners already on the board including his 49th 2YO stakeswinner Ethereal Star. Arrowfield has bred or sold 8 of his 18 Group 1 winners, among them Magic Millions graduates Invader and Sweet Idea. Arrowfield’s Sales Manager Sally Gordon begins her early-prep selections with a pair of Snitzels. Lot 309, the Snitzel-Rose of Cimmaron colt is “a gorgeous colt with a lot of quality and a great attitude”, whose siblings include Group-winning colts Siege Of Quebec and Bull Point. Lot 589, the Snitzel-Alexandra Rose filly, half-sister to US Grade 1 winner Oleksandra, is “a strong, athletic type that’s thriving during her prep.”

/ Team Hitotsu

Part-owner Kevin Payne (right) celebrates Hitotsu’s 2022 Australian Guineas G1 victory with his grandson Max Payne (left) & nephew John Bishop. (PHOTO: Bronwen Healy)

New to the market are the first yearlings by Castelvecchio, a Group 1 winner of rare talent at both 2 and 3, and second in Lys Gracieux’s Cox Plate G1. Arrowfield will offer nine of the 19 Castelvecchio yearlings at Magic Millions. Lot 423, the Castelvecchio-Statuette colt, “a precocious, well-muscled colt, a racy individual”, has four winning siblings including the Group-placed New Zealand mare Providenceprovides.

The 13 Written Tycoon yearlings in the draft are the result of Arrowfield’s inspired move to stand the son of Iglesia in the season he won the Australian General Sires’ Premiership. He’s added 18 new stakeswinners to his record since then, including this season’s Group 1 winner Coolangatta. Sally’s pick is Lot 641, the Written Tycoon-Bandol colt: “Well-balanced and powerful, he looks an early type.”

Dundeel’s upward trajectory continues this season, thanks to 52 winners headed by dual Group-winning mare Hope In Your Heart, and 3YO Elliptical, runner-up in both the Spring Champion S. G1 and Caulfield Guineas G1. Dundeel’s current 2YOs and yearlings, bred on the back of his first 5 Group 1 winners, will drive his challenge for stallion championship honours. Lot 951, the Dundeel-I Am Queen filly “has always been a quality filly. She is beautifully balanced and very athletic.”

Looking for a smart sprinting type by one of the best stallions in Australia’s highly competitive group of third season sires?

Ten per cent of Shalaa’s runners have earned black type - 10 of them at two - and he’s building a good record in Hong Kong too. Lot 808, the Shalaa-Dual Star colt, full brother of Melbourne stakes-placed city winner Shalstar, is “a ready-made racehorse, with a powerful hind-quarter and strong forearm.”

If the early feedback from trainers is any indication, five-time Group 1 winner The Autumn Sun may soon be Australia’s next hot stallion, and that makes buying from his second crop a smart decision. Arrowfield is offering 11 of 17 The Autumn Sun yearlings catalogued for Magic Millions. Lot 139, the colt by The Autumn Sun from Miss Super Quick is “a nice mover with a lovely strong profile and looks sharp.”

Pariah, already the sire of 2YO Group winner Swiss Exile among his 12 winners this year, and Showtime, himself a star Magic Millions graduate whose first 2YOs race this season, have a total of 11 yearlings on offer at the Gold Coast.

Sally and the Arrowfield team will be hard at work parading the draft at the Gold Coast, but the Stud’s famous hospitality will also be in full swing. “We all look forward to catching up with clients, friends and buyers and there’s always a special excitement about the first sale of the year.”

C/B. Shalaa (IRE) Julkkis

F/B. Snitzel Laguna Azzurra (JPN)

C/Ch. Pariah Le Regine’s

F/Br. Written Tycoon Lucky Raquie

C/Ch. Written Tycoon Miss Helsinki

F/B. or Br. Shalaa (IRE) Miss Match (ARG)

C/B. Shalaa (IRE) Miss Salinger

C/Ch. Written Tycoon Miss St Tropez

C/Ch. The Autumn Sun Miss Super Quick

C/B. or Gr. Showtime Moonlight Hussey

F/B. Castelvecchio Ms Rodarte

C/B. Showtime Normality

F/B. Castelvecchio Ocean Challenger

C/B. Castelvecchio Opportunity (NZ)

F/B. The Autumn Sun Pierrocity

C/B. Dundeel (NZ) Politeness

C/B. Snitzel Princess Noir (JPN)

C/B. Snitzel Rose of Cimmaron

F/Ch. The Autumn Sun Royal Tithe

F/B. The Autumn Sun Sabanci

F/B. Castelvecchio Savethelastdance

F/B. or Br. Written Tycoon Scandaleuse (USA)

C/B. Dundeel (NZ) Sekiyama

C/B. Snitzel Sewreel (NZ)

C/B. Shalaa (IRE) Shwaimsa (IRE)

F/B. Snitzel Star Fashion

C/B. Castelvecchio Statuette

C/B. Snitzel Super Cash

C/Ch. Written Tycoon The Broken Shore

F/B. I Am Invincible Thislilsoulofmine (CAN)

F/Ch. The Autumn Sun Time Check (USA)

C/Ch. Written Tycoon Valalie

F/Ch. Written Tycoon Villa Rosa

C/Ch. Written Tycoon Adamina

C/B. Shalaa (IRE) Adviso (USA)

F/Ch. The Autumn Sun Al Jasrah (IRE)

F/Ch. Snitzel Albanilla (GB)

F/B. Snitzel Alexandra Rose (SAF)

C/B. Written Tycoon Aliyana Tilde

F/B. Castelvecchio Aspen Summit

F/B. Castelvecchio Autumn Wild

C/B. Castelvecchio Ballet Blanc

C/Ch. Written Tycoon Bandol

F/Br. The Autumn Sun Bollywood (JPN)

C/B. Snitzel Bring Me the Maid

C/Ch. The Autumn Sun Champagne Run (USA)

C/B. The Autumn Sun Couronne (JPN)

C/B. Written Tycoon Dame Pattie

C/B. The Autumn Sun Dargana

C/B. or Br. The Autumn Sun Dawned (NZ)

F/Ch. Zoustar Debonnaire (GB)

F/Br. Written Tycoon Don’t Doubt Mamma

C/Br. Shalaa (IRE) Double Deel

C/B. Shalaa (IRE) Dual Star

F/B. Shalaa (IRE) Fire Gully

C/B. Snitzel Fleet Week (USA)

C/Br. Trapeze Artist Found the One

C/B. Castelvecchio Gesemi (NZ)

F/B. Written Tycoon Grito

F/B. Dundeel (NZ) I Am Queen

C/B. Shalaa (IRE) Igotmyeyeonyou

F/B. Shalaa (IRE) In a While

C/B. Dundeel (NZ) Iskander

www.arrowfield.com.au | Scone, NSW

Paul Messara: 0438 248 258

Jon Freyer: 0408 583 888

Sally Gordon: 0421 080 021

Alison Brassil: 0439 338 630

Mitchell Ralph: 0475 258 950

/ Count De Rupee

He turned $145,000 into $2.6 million, after his victory in The Gong, placings in the Golden Eagle and Silver Eagle and a Group 2 win. (PHOTO: Lisa Grimm)

/ Wee Nessy

Snitzel’s 3YO daughter Wee Nessy, trained by Mick Price & Michael Kent Jr, won the Crockett S. LR at The Valley in October 2022. (PHOTO: Darren Tindale)

Baramul STUD

Afarm is only as good as its latest Gr1 winner, and while Baramul Stud was made famous by standing Star Kingdom, their rich history of producing quality racehorses continues today with Alligator Blood. 2022 Gr1 Underwood Stakes winner Alligator Blood (All Too Hard) was sold by Baramul Stud at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $55,000; and now boasts eleven wins, three at Gr1 level, and earnings over $3.6million. Ironically, due to ownership issues during his 24 start career, he’s ended up coming full circle back into the ownership of Baramul Stud’s Gerry Harvey who reportedly paid a lot more for him than he sold him for!

In the same draft, Baramul Stud sold Gr1 JJ Atkins Plate winner Prince Fawaz (Fastnet Rock) for $220,000, and the colt now stands at stud in Queensland. Other Gr1 winners from this farm included Gr1 WS Cox Plate winner and champion sire Savabeel, Lotteria, Golden Slipper winner Polar Success, Arlington Road, and Gr1 Australian Oaks winner Royal Descent. Other recent graduates from Baramul’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale drafts include McLaren (Exceed and Excel) who won the Gr3 Canonbury Stakes on debut. Of the current fouryear-olds, Listed winner Me Me Lagarde (Star Turn) was offered by Baramul Stud at the 2020 Magic Million Gold Coast Yearling Sale, while Listed winner Blondeau (I Am Invincible) was sold in the same draft.

Baramul Stud’s current crop of three year-old graduates from the Gold Coast Sale includes Gr2 winner Best of Bordeaux (Snitzel) who won two group races at two and was second in the Gr1 Golden Slipper; before continuing on the same way at three, having recently won the Gr2 Roman Consul Stakes. Listed winner Stroll (Snitzel) as well as stakes placed Flashing Steel (Not A Single Doubt), Snitcat (Snitzel), and Vienna Princess (Snitzel) are all from the same draft.

Baramul Stud have a draft of fifty yearlings for the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, split equally between book one and book two. The stallions represented in their draft are All Too Hard (7 yearlings), American Pharoah, Better Than Ready (4), Brazen Beau (2), Dundeel, Epaulette (2), Exceed and Excel, Exceedance (2), Fastnet Rock, I Am Invincible (3), Justify, Press Statement, Russian Revolution, Snitzel (7), So You Think (3), Spirit of Boom (2), Star Turn (3), Written Tycoon (4), and Zoustar (4).

The colt by I Am Invincible from Gr1 winner Diademe, Lot 785, is bound to prove popular with Diademe having a great start to her broodmare career with her first

two foals both collecting black type, including Listed winner Unition.

A Snitzel half-brother to Gr1 winner Sofia Rosa is Lot 667, while Lot 537 is a Zoustar half-brother to Listed winner Stroll. Gr2 winner No Evidence Needed has an I Am Invincible colt, Lot 186, and she has already left Gr2 placed winner Discharged; while Listed winner Palazzo Pubblico has Lot 214, a Written Tycoon colt who is a half-brother to Listed winner Palazzo Spirit. Gr2 winner Palacio de Cristal has a Zoustar colt, Lot 213, who is a half-brother to Gr2 placed winner Palazzo Vecchio and two other winners.

Paul Thompson from Baramul spoke to Bluebloods about their 2023 draft.

What is the best horse you have sold through Magic Millions?

We have sold many good horses through Magic Millions. Cox Plate winner and successful stallion Savabeel, a Golden Slipper winner in Polar Success and our current hero Alligator Blood. My all-time favourite is the one we actually passed in, Royal Descent. Watching Royal Descent win the Oaks by ten lengths and then becoming the best mare in the country over a mile.

What makes Magic Millions at the Gold Coast such a success?

Magic Millions is successful for a combination of reasons; the location at that time of the year has major appeal along with the family environment. The Magic Millions sale is an event that people want to be a part of, there are no elitist attitudes, and everybody is welcome.

Football or Fishing?

I’d like to say fishing but have done it enough to know I’m not good at it. Exciting as it is to pull in a big fish, the time between catches is unfulfilling to me. I find football much more stimulating as there is a lot more happening to keep my attention.

What drives you nuts about social media?

Social media has so many amazing benefits but not enough to get me across the line. I’m one of the few people that has no social media platform. I see it as possibly very time consuming and an easy way for people to have an opinion on something they know nothing about. People can say detrimental things that hurt others and often these things would never be said verbally.

Words / Rénee Geelen

C/B. Spirit of Boom Kakakakatie

Zoustar Next the Universe

I Am Invincible No Evidence Needed

C/Ch. Zoustar Palacio de Cristal

Written Tycoon Palazzo Pubblico

Brazen Beau Rose Pattern

Snitzel Wartime Lovers

Fastnet Rock Dowager Queen (NZ)

Written Tycoon Down the River

American Pharoah (USA) Godiva Rock

Snitzel Improvement (NZ)

Zoustar In Times of War

Bhima

Words / Rénee Geelen

Since Mike and Kate Fleming purchased Bhima seven years ago, the brand has been positioned as the premier vendor of yearlings for both breeders and buyers. This reputation has been enhanced by their graduate record, with the farm responsible for selling a Gr1 winner for three successive Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sales - a stunning record by any measure.

In 2022 the elite graduate record from Bhima hit new heights, with four individual Gr1 winners coming from Bhima sale drafts. To add some sugar, GSA Bloodstock’s crack three year-old sprinter Giga Kick (Scissor Kick), a horse who spent his formative days between Bhima and Arrowfield, then took out The Everest. The most recent Bhima Gr1 winner is 2022 VRC Derby winner Manzoice (Almanzor).

With the goal of expanding their client success - on the track and in the ring - Bhima has upgraded their farm facilities, building a new yearling barn, and ensuring their property is the best place to grow out young horses and showcase them for the market. And this attention to detail and investment is borne out in their results with an impressive list of graduates in the past twelve months.

“It’s an impressive yearling complex, representative of the high quality of bloodstock our clients entrust us with selling each year,” said Mike Fleming, of the new 39-box structure.

“We are proud to be able to offer these facilities to our clients. It’s been built with all modern safety advances, to ensure our yearlings can have the smoothest preparation

Creating an environment that minimises stress on horses is important to us at Bhimawe achieve this through their environment, by keeping their daily routine on track and by ensuring each horse is on a tightly scrutinised nutrition programme.”

period possible. There’s no doubt that having facilities like this is more time effective for staff and more comfortable for the yearlings.”

“Creating an environment that minimises stress on horses is important to us at Bhima - we achieve this through their environment, by keeping their daily routine on track and by ensuring each horse is on a tightly scrutinised nutrition programme.”

In 2023, Bhima will present 32 quality yearlings by 22 different stallions, and with their graduate record being by a wide range of stallions - Almanzor, Scissor Kick, I Am Invincible, All Too Hard and Deep Field, buyers would be well-advised to inspect them all.

Last season’s Champion Sire I Am Invincible has two yearlings in the Bhima draft out of Galileo mares; this is the cross that has produced Gr1 winner Invincibella, while the Invincible Spirit - Galileo cross is responsible for five Gr1 winners including Coolmore stallion Magna Grecia. The first, a filly, Lot 221, out of a Galileo half-sister to High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells) comes from a very deep European family. The colt, Lot 489, is the second foal of winning mare Tiberias (Galileo) who is a half-sister to dual Gr1 winner Silasol.

Bhima will present three yearlings by Champion Sire Written Tycoon; Lot 905 is a colt out of dual Listed winner (of eight races) Golden Penny, while Lot 722 is a filly who is the second foal of Gr3 winner China Star, from the family of Dissident. Gr3 David Coles Stakes winner Maximillius (Written Tycoon) has a full brother, Lot 340, and he is superbly bred, being out of Gr2 winning two year-old and Gr1 placed Scandiva, who is a half-sister to Gr1 winner Magnus, Group winner Wilander, Listed winner Arctic Flight, as well as to the dam of Black Caviar and All Too Hard, and to the dam of Ole Kirk and Gimmie Par.

Other sires with yearlings in the Bhima draft include Brazen Beau, Deep Field, Fastnet Rock, Per Incanto, So You Think, Star Turn and Toronado. First and second crop sires represented include Blue Point, Castelvecchio, Magna Grecia, Super Seth, The Autumn Sun, and Too Darn Hot, amongst others.

The Bhima youngsters will be available for inspection in Stable Q and Mike Fleming had the last word, “Please come and inspect our high quality draft, there will be something to suit in all price ranges.”

94 F/Ch. Pariah Mansera (FR) 221 F/Br. I Am Invincible Patsy Boyne (IRE) 271 C/Br. Per Incanto (USA) Quick Choice (NZ) 305 F/B. Blue Point (IRE) Rocket Commander 321 F/B. Exceed and Excel Saddaqa (USA) 340 C/B. or Br. Written Tycoon Scandiva 357 C/B. or Br. Exceed and Excel Serenade 364 F/B. Star Turn Sharp Tune 393 C/B. Blue Point (IRE) Sistonic 408 F/Ch. Toronado (IRE) Sora 410 C/B. Frosted (USA) Southbank 447 F/Ch. Deep Field Super Oasis 489 C/B. or Br. I Am Invincible Tiberias (FR) 496 C/Ch. The Autumn Sun Total Discretion 508 C/B. Super Seth Twenty One Times (NZ) 602 C/B. Super Seth Amerindia (GB) 609 C/B. or Br. Pariah Anchor Bid 651 C/B. or Br. Brazen Beau Bella Martini 666 C/B. Too Darn Hot (GB) Birdy O’Reilly 722 F/B. or Br. Written Tycoon China Star (NZ) 772 F/Ch. Super Seth Dark Heather 824 C/Br. So You Think (NZ) Elusive Nature 868 F/Ch. Castelvecchio First Tier 905 C/B. or Br. Written Tycoon Golden Penny 930 F/B. So You Think (NZ) Hediard 970 F/B. Fastnet Rock Influencer (NZ) 976 C/B. or Br. Pierro Is What it Is 987 C/B. or Br. Churchill (IRE) Tobacco Bay (IRE) 1043 C/B. Ribchester (IRE) Busted Love 1119 C/B. Vancouver Hi Gorgeous (NZ) 1148 C/B. or Br. Pariah Le Clercq 1238 C/B. Magna Grecia (IRE) Scorpio (NZ)

www.bhima.com.au 3 Moobi Road, Scone 2337 (02) 6545 1000

Mike Fleming: mike@bhima.com.au 0448 254 365

Kate Fleming: kate@bhima.com.au 0409 311 794

Bowness STUD

Words / Renée Geelen

I’ve witnessed first-hand the momentum Bowness has gained in more recent times and we all fully expect that the acquisition of D’Argento can keep us on that upward spiral.

Bowness Stud’s ability to produce competitive racehorses is astounding. Their recent graduates include Trapeze Artist, Youngstar, Funstar, Media Award, Chapada, and Listed winner Miss Charlie Brown. Bowness Stud sell a lot of winners at great value prices, such as Magic Millions graduate Birdies Galore who sold for $60,000, and has won two of her four starts and is Listed placed twice this season. Buyers and trainers would find it well worthwhile inspecting this draft.

Prance ‘n’ Dance sold at a Magic Millions sale for $15,000 and was a city winning two year-old last season with earnings over $95,000, while $20,000 graduate and three year-old Summer In Siam won on debut recently. Currently three year-old winner Shadow Vampire won recently at his fourth start, while Kayleen was a two year-old winner at her second start last season. Super Sting was a Magic Millions graduate for $15,000 and he won at his fourth start recently; while Anahita is one to watch. The Magic Millions graduate won on debut this season at three, then ran third to Waltz on By at her second start. The first yearlings by a stallion are always a big moment for a farm, and Bowness Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft is dominated by progeny from the first crop of their Gr1 Rosehill Guineas winner D’Argento (So You Think-Fullazz, by Redoute’s Choice). The strapping grey stallion was unbeaten at two, a Classic winner at three, and multiple Gr1 placed at four behind Winx, and Hartnell. D’Argento has the physical type, the race record and the pedigree to make it as a stallion, and breeders certainly agreed as he covered a big book of 151 mares in his first season, resulting in 104 yearlings in his first crop. His first crop weanlings sold for $120,000, $90,000 and $80,000, and were bought for potential re-sale in New Zealand and Australia. D’Argento covered 140 mares in his second season, showing that breeders were happy with their first crop foals.

“I’ve witnessed first-hand the momentum Bowness has gained in more recent time and we all fully expect that the acquisition of D’Argento can keep us on that upward spiral. His purchase came at a very good time for the fresh plans we have now put into place and the early days of his stud career could not have gone much better,” said Bowness Stud’s James Daly.

Giga Kick has been the sprinting find of this season; unbeaten in five starts including The Everest, and Lot 250 is a colt out of his winning half-sister Popular Acclaim, whose first foal is a winner. Giga Kick, and this colt’s dam, are also half-siblings to two other stakes horses and to the dam of Gr1 winner Alabama Express.

Sharp ‘n’ Smart won this season’s Gr1 Spring Champion Stakes and Lot 1028 is a D’Argento colt from a close relative. This yearling is the third foal of winning mare Bexstar, who is a half-sister to Listed winner Absalon, and to the dam of Sharp ‘n’ Smart.

Lot 322 is a colt out of Saggiatore, a winning Galileo half-sister to Follow Gold, the stakes winning dam of Gr1 winner Driefontein, and to Export Gold who is the stakes winning dam of stakes winners Dubawi Gold and Forest Gold. Saggiatore has left three winners to date.

The second foal of a sprint winning mare, Lot 473’s second dam is American Listed winner Moon De French (Malibu Moon) who placed in the Gr1 Lady’s Secret Stakes, and we all know how well those American families do here.

Of the D’Argento fillies, Lot 888 is the third foal of Full of Beans, a winning half-sister to dual Gr1 winner Kenedna and group winner Spill The Beans, and this is the family of Bounding Away, In a Bound, Yammer, Speak Fondly, and many others.

With fifteen of D’Argento’s 104 first crop yearlings in the Bowness Stud draft, buyers will get a good chance to see what the Gr1 winner’s stock look like. They will be pleased.

Also in the Bowness Stud draft are Lot 21, a filly by Pierata out of winning mare Kaitlin Cove (Snitzel), and Lot 898, a colt by Magna Grecia who is the first foal of an unraced full sister to Listed winner Choice Words (Choisir).

Bowness Stud is a family owned and operated property, and they keep churning out the winners at incredible value prices.

F/B. Pierata Kaitlin Cove

C/Gr. D’Argento Pink Rocks

C/Gr. D’Argento Popular Acclaim

C/Gr. D’Argento Saggiatore

C/B. or Br. D’Argento Terminally Pretty 888 F/B. D’Argento Full of Beans 898 C/B. Magna Grecia (IRE) Gladys 1000 F/Br. or Gr. D’Argento Zaawia 1019 F/B. D’Argento Azeezaty 1028 C/B. D’Argento Bexstar (NZ) 1072 C/Br. or Gr. D’Argento Defacto 1125 F/Gr. D’Argento Idriess 1142 F/Br. D’Argento Lacey Lonhbreak 1149 C/Br. or Gr. D’Argento Lead Foot Lacey 1181 C/Br. or Gr. D’Argento Mossy Girl 1186 C/Gr. D’Argento My Word 1261 F/B. or Br. D’Argento Spinner’s Magic (NZ)

www.bownessstud.com.au James Daly: 0428 821 390 office@bownessstud.com.au 1238 Moppity Road, Young, NSW

Bowness Stud will bring seventeen yearlings to the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale with fifteen of them by D’Argento, with nine colts and six fillies.

CambridgeSTUD

Words / Paul Vettise

Cambridge Stud principals Brendan and Jo Lindsay will take another major step forward when they sell under the farm’s banner for the first time at the Gold Coast in January. Their debut will be marked by a consignment of 10 quality youngsters, comprising an even mix of colts and fillies, at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale.

The husband-and-wife team took over the stewardship of the iconic New Zealand Farm in 2018 from Sir Patrick and Lady Justine Hogan, who over four decades had been at the helm of the Australasian thoroughbred powerhouse. The Lindsays have subsequently put their own stamp on the business while maintaining the established standards of previous times.

They have previously enjoyed success at the Gold Coast with yearlings sold through Mike Fleming’s Bhima Thoroughbreds, but in 2022 it will be under the time-honoured Cambridge Stud flag. It is an overdue move and the farm is confident it has the young talent to draw widespread attention from domestic and international buyers.

“It is something we have had in our minds for a little while, but with the travel difficulties of COVID in the last two years it was a non-starter,” said Scott Calder, Head of Sales and Nominations. “We have sold well through Bhima and that has been a successful relationship, but Brendan and Jo have put so much effort and investment into the brand of Cambridge Stud that it makes sense to go and sell under our own banner.”

Investment is a key word and significant building and infrastructure expenditure aside, the broodmare band has also undergone a major upgrading process over the last five years and that is reflected in the farm’s 2023 Gold Coast draft. Eight of the yearlings are out of mares purchased by the Lindsays to bolster their broodmare band and represent a combination of well-credentialled Australasian and international purchases.

“Two years ago when these yearlings were conceived, we had just the two stallions on the roster and while we supported them heavily, it did give us the scope to breed off the farm and we

sent a lot of mares to Australia,” Calder said. “We have got quite a diverse representation in our yearling crop and we have been able to select some top yearlings for Magic Millions. We feel we have a really solid group by stand-out proven stallions and an offering by exciting first-season stallions.”

The selections of yearlings for the Gold Coast has been a collaborative process between principals Brendan and Jo Lindsay, Chief Executive Officer Henry Plumptre, Farm Managers Marc Devcich and Bevan McCallum, Calder, Sales and Nominations team member Cameron Ring and Yearling Manager Chelsea Mcleod. “We also work in conjunction with Steve Davis, Magic Millions’ New Zealand representative and the final decisions are made by Henry with Brendan and Jo following input from the rest of us,” Calder said.

Cambridge Stud has been particularly buoyed by the outstanding start shuttle stallion Almanzor has made to his career and a timely first Group 1 victory courtesy of his VRC Derby-winning

“Almanzor has a really good track record at the sale and has had some high-priced horses and one of those was Manzoice,” Calder said. “We were keen to select a nice Almanzor for the draft and this filly is a very good representative of her sire, she is all quality and we believe she will be very popular.”

Russian Revolution’s daughter is out of the Shamardal mare Aotearower, a multiple winner and Group performer. “She is obviously by the leading first-season sire and on pedigree really stacks up and is a lovely, sleek-looking filly,” Calder said.

“We really like Spirit Of Boom and the filly we will offer is a real get up and go type, very strong and the pedigree would suggest she can make her mark as a juvenile.” She is the first foal of the winning Pierro mare River Mist.

Too Darn Hot is represented by a filly from Phenetic, who is by Zamindar and a winner in France with a strong European pedigree. “We’re really fond of the stallion and this youngster has great credentials. We sold her half-sister by Almanzor at the sale last year for A$220,000 and this filly is well-balanced and nicely put together,” Calder said.

The daughter of Written Tycoon is out of the unraced Encosta De Lago mare Pizzazz, who has already showed her ability to leave early runners. “She is a really athletic type and from a domestic branch of the family our stallion Hello Youmzain comes from,” Calder said. “The mare’s first foal (All That Pizzazz) is a multiple two year-old winner and her second is already a two year-old trial winner.”

A son of Castelvecchio and the Fastnet Rock mare Word Games, a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Fiveandahalfstar, is another fine example of a rich pedigree with the looks to match. “He’s a well-bred colt from a deep and active family and the dam’s first foal is a trial winner who has gone to Hong Kong,” Calder said.

A colt by champion sire Fastnet Rock from the Galileo mare Anchovy, who is out of a half-sister to Group 1 winners Duke Of Marmalade and Ruler Of The World, is a proven mating. “Fastnet Rock is a fantastic stallion and has sired nine Group 1 winners out of Galileo mares,” Calder said. “The pedigree reads so well, lovely bloodlines, and on type the colt is exactly what we hoped for - medium size, powerful and correct so we’re looking forward to showcasing him.”

The Pierata youngster, who is a grandson of Group 1-winning sprinter Egyptian Raine, is yet another expected to attract an abundance of interest. “He’s a striking colt, a lovely dark colour with a strong hindquarter. I think he is a horse that will catch people’s attention,” Calder said.

“The Pierro-Thames Court colt is out of a mare that Brendan and Jo had a lot of success with on the track, she won the Alexandra Stakes-G3. She puts a lot of substance into her foals and this horse is no different. He’s a forward, strong-looking Pierro.”

The draft is rounded out by a son of So You Think from the German-bred Lawman mare Nessun Dorma. “So You Think is going better than ever and German bloodlines are recognised all over the world for their stamina and soundness. This colt will be a staying horse, but he’s an early foal with good substance and looks a top future three year-old prospect,” Calder said.

180 C/B. So You Think (NZ) Nessun Dorma (GER) 233 F/B. Too Darn Hot (GB) Phenetic (GB) 243 F/B. Written Tycoon Pizzazz

F/B. Spirit of Boom River Mist

C/B. Pierro Thames Court

C/B. Castelvecchio Word Games

C/B. Fastnet Rock Anchovy (IRE)

F/B. or Br. Russian Revolution Aotearower (NZ)

Almanzor (FR) City Fair (GB)

son Manzoice. Among its female consignment to the Gold Coast is his highly regarded daughter out of the winning Zamindar mare City Fair.

/ Cambridge Stud’s homebred Queensland Derby-G1 winner Pinarello.

Carrington Park STUD

Carrington Park’s inaugural draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale have just turned three, with Gr2 Spirit of Boom Classic placegetter Thelwell flying the flag for the farm. Thelwell, sold for $25,000, has already earned over $125,000 from ten starts, with a win and several group placings on his record.

Peter Beauman had a chat to Bluebloods about their 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.

In 2023, Carrington Park Stud will offer eight yearlings by a wide range of stallions, and buyers are likely to love the early maturing colt, Lot 786, by Golden Slipper winner Capitalist (Written Tycoon) from speedy two yearold winner Diala (Artie Schiller) who also ran fourth in the Gr3 National Stakes. This is Diala’s first foal, and Diala is a half-sister to group winner Petits Filous, from the family of Gr1 winner La Bella Dama. This pedigree is layered with precocious speed.

First season sire Pierata (Pierro) has a filly, Lot 697, who is out of Canny Time (Canny Lad), a very promising racemare who placed in her first two starts then had to retire after only her third start. Her first foal is a winner, and her second foal is placed in 2022, so this is a family on the move. Canny Time is a half-sister to Gr2 winner Charlie Boy and to stakes placed winner of seven races Hijauan Valdor, and this filly’s third dam is Gr1 Flight Stakes winner Pontal Lass (dam of Gr2 winner and Gr1 placed Quays).

Words / Rénee Geelen

First season sire Magna Grecia (Invincible Spirit) was a Gr1 winner at two and three, winning the English Two Thousand Guineas, and his filly, Lot 936, is the second foal of winning High Chaparral mare High Specs, who is a daughter of Listed winner Creative Plan, herself a half-sister to Hong Kong stakes winner Jeune King Prawn. This is a real miler’s pedigree with classic style horses on both sire and dams side.

Crafty Miss (Starcraft), a daughter of Listed winner Miss Gai Flyer, broke her maiden at her fourth start and went on to win twice more. Her colt by first season sire Alabama Express (Redoute’s Choice), Lot 1065, is her fourth foal, and her first foal has placed twice from his five starts, and is currently in work. This is the family of Gr1 Golden Slipper winner Ha Ha, Gr1 Caulfield Cup winner Southern Speed, and Gr1 Champagne Stakes winner Go Indy Go.

Divine Prophet (Choisir) has started his stud career well with Gr2 Skyline Stakes winner Promitto and group winner See You In Heaven, and his filly, Lot 1191, is out of winning mare North Pole Dancer (Anabaa) who has left two winners including Future Event who has won eight races. North Pole Dancer is a half-sister to Gr3 winner Communique, from the family of Gr1 winner Cronus, Gr1 winner Samantha Miss (dam of Gr2 winner and Gr1 placed Miss Fabulass), Gr2 winner Pravda (dam of group winner The Good Fight and Listed winner Pravana).

Champion Sprinter and first season sire Blue Point (Shamardal)’s filly, Lot 1068, is the first foal of Danaat (Chester House), who is out of a stakes placed winning full sister to Listed winner Tears I Cry (Chester House) from the family of Champion sire and Horse of the Year Street Cry, and Champion sire Shamardal.

First season sire and Gr1 winner Royal Meeting (Invincible Spirit) has a colt, Lot 1233, who is the fourth foal of Russian Rites (Stravinsky) whose first foal won four

races. Russian Rites is out of a winning half-sister to Listed winner of twelve races, Motspur, from the American Fanfreluche family.

Super One (I Am Invincible) is the sire of a yearling colt, Lot 1210, whose winning dam, Piccali (Piccolo) is a full sister to Listed winner Picardi Run. Piccali won five races and her first foal to race has had two starts, running fifth in July 2022 at his second start. This is the family of Gr1 winner Sofia Rosa, Never on Sunday, Mascarpone, Marwong, and Gr3 Blue Diamond Prelude winner Nanutarra.

Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?

Definitely. We put our heart and soul into the yearlings we sell each year. It’s emotional watching them go through the ring but exciting when we follow their careers going forward.

What makes Magic Millions at the Gold Coast such a success?

The weather and location are major draw cards and the event is so well promoted in the lead up. The Magic Millions staff go above and beyond to make it a highly successful event. The whole atmosphere surrounding the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale is outstanding.

What food have you never eaten but would really like to try?

Pavlova! Every Christmas I eye off my mum’s homemade Pavlova which I can’t eat because I’m allergic to eggs. What’s the coldest you’ve ever been?

Sleeping in our horse truck at Harden Horse Trials in the middle of winter 2021. We couldn’t feel fingers or toes and it hurt to breathe! In 2022, we chose the local motel…

Coolmore

Bluebloods spoke to John Kennedy about Coolmore’s 2023 draft

How would you describe your 2023 MMGC draft?

The yearlings are currently in the early stages of their preparation for the sale in January, and we are extremely excited by the quality of the stock that we will present at the Magic Millions. Once again, we will present an outstanding draft of horses with representation by a well-balanced blend of proven, up-and-coming and brilliant young sire prospects. As per previous years, the Coolmore Australia draft for 2023 will encompass quality stock to suit all budgets and personal preferences.

Coolmore have enjoyed great results with their graduates of the MMGC sale. What are some recent highlights for horses reared at Coolmore?

Everything that we do on the farm at Coolmore Australia is with the ultimate aim of producing elite athletes to excel on the track in the future, and we follow our graduates with great interest. The pastures and our staff at Coolmore are second-to-none and this has shown in the results on the track in recent years. This year the success of horses

raised and grazed at Coolmore has been highlighted by an incredible 5 Group 1 winners including Magic Millions graduates Madame Pommery and Jacquinot, as well as September Run, Fangirl and Snapdancer Obviously the great Winx was raised and grazed on the farm and went through our 2013 Magic Millions yearling draft, however some other highlights from our recent Magic Millions offerings include Group 1 winners Vancouver, Sherwood Forest and Winning Ways and Stakes winners such as Jazz Etude, Bright Blue Sky, Lady Of Honour, Parry Sound, Rock and Love Tap

Your draft features the highly anticipated first crop yearlings by Everest winner Yes Yes Yes. They were very well received at the weanling sales, how have they progressed?

Yes Yes Yes was a brilliantly fast horse, with speed that saw him break track records at Randwick at both two and three. He himself was a Magic Millions yearling sale graduate that went on to become one of the most accomplished three year-old sprinters we have seen in Australia. To beat ten individual Group 1 winners and win The Everest as a Spring three year-old in track-record time is an unbelievable

achievement. His yearlings possess many of the qualities that saw him become the one of the fastest horses ever from the Encosta De Lago sire line. They look fast and precocious, just as you would expect from a horse with his race record, pedigree and physique. There are a significant number of Yes Yes Yes yearlings represented throughout the sale and the chat from both the Magic Millions staff and breeders throughout the country has been overwhelmingly complimentary.

Justify was a horse of extremely rare ability. His first crop two year-olds have made a phenomenal start on the track, which has to give you confidence about his future in Australia.

Any horse that wins the US Triple Crown obviously has to be an exceptionally talented horse, however he is the only Triple Crown winner ever to retire undefeated. In his six-start career, he won four Group 1 races and was never headed, and now he has started his career at Stud with great effect. With his first two year-old runners in the Northern Hemisphere he has already produced 23 winners, 10 Stakes performers, 6 Stakes winners and 4 Group winners. What is equally encouraging from

/ Sunlight, Invincibella and Champagne Cuddles

C/B. or Br. Rubick Leviosa

F/B. or Br. Zousain Liesele

C/B. or Br. Justify (USA) Lightstream (USA)

F/B. Fastnet Rock Love Charm (GB)

C/B. Magna Grecia (IRE) Maewyn (IRE)

C/B. Pierro Miss Que

C/B. or Br. Russian Revolution Moralto

C/B. Snitzel Muzyka

C/B. Pierro My Sanctuary (GB)

C/B. Night of Thunder (IRE) Nicky’s Brown Miss (USA)

C/Ch. Justify (USA) Orontes

F/Ch. Yes Yes Yes Pear Tart

C/B. Justify (USA) Pelican (NZ)

C/Br. Pierro Piccadillies

F/B. Justify (USA) Pleasurable (IRE)

F/B. Justify (USA) Rock Giselle

C/B. Fastnet Rock Roz (GB)

C/B. Justify (USA) Sacred Eye

F/B. or Br. Pierro Sacred Valley

F/B. or Br. Pierro Santuzza (NZ)

C/Ch. Justify (USA) Sunlight

F/B. Fastnet Rock Veneers (NZ)

F/B. So You Think (NZ) Whistle Baby

C/Ch. Calyx (GB) Without Saying

C/B. Snitzel Yosei

C/B. Fastnet Rock At Last (IRE)

C/B. Yes Yes Yes Blue Sky Baby

C/B. I Am Invincible Booker

C/B. Fastnet Rock Bubbleberry

C/Ch. Justify (USA) Champagne Cuddles

C/B. Justify (USA) Childhood (USA)

C/B. Pierro Ciarlet

F/B. Yes Yes Yes Constellations

C/B. Justify (USA) Crystal Fountain (NZ)

Yes Yes Yes Excellent Magic (GB)

Exceed and Excel Heart of the Oak

an Australian perspective is that his progeny are showing a liking for turf surfaces. This is not really a surprise, given the effectiveness of the Scat Daddy line on turf. Additionally, his blistering speed, mixed with his ability to sustain a strong gallop will serve him well in Australia. Across the board, his progeny have great hips and hindquarters, forearms and gaskins and plenty of bone, which we always thought would suit Australian racing conditions. Reports from trainers throughout Australia are such that we have a lot to look forward to, so we are delighted to present 11 well-related yearlings by him at the Magic Millions, including colts out of the likes of Sunlight and Champagne Cuddles

A feature of your draft is the strong representation of proven sires. Can you talk us through some of the sires on offer?

There are a wide range of proven stallions represented in our draft, with progeny of the likes of So You Think, Churchill, Rubick, Exceed And Excel, I Am Invincible, Snitzel,

Capitalist, Night Of Thunder and Russian Revolution all featuring.

There is also a particularly strong group of 8 Pierro yearlings within the draft. Already one of the elite sires in Australia, we believe Pierro will only continue to go from strength to strength over the next few seasons. His current crop of yearlings were conceived at his peak fee of $137,500, hence the quality of the mares was of an incredibly high standard and this is evident in the yearlings that we present. Last year at the Magic Millions Pierro’s yearlings averaged in excess of $380,000, and we expect them to be extremely well sought after once again. We have a great record with progeny of Pierro that were also raised and grazed at Coolmore. These include the likes of Pinot, Rock, Parry Sound, Rocha Clock, Gamay, Wheelhouse, April Rain and Sikorsky.

We are also represented by 5 quality yearlings by Fastnet Rock, who has maintained his standing as one of the best sires in the country for many years.

/ Booker

/ Sunlight

Corumbene STUD

For two decades now the paddocks of George Altomonte’s Corumbene Stud have been a consistent source of Group winners, primarily Gr1 juveniles. Early results point to the trend continuing through the 2022/23 season with the farm preparing to take a quality draft of 13 yearlings to the Gold Coast, all primed to carry on the tradition. If there is a farm with a better record in juvenile Gr1s when compared to foals bred than Corumbene, it doesn’t readily spring to mind. The Dunedoo farm gave the industry the Golden Slipper winners Sebring and Overreach and the Blue Diamond winner True Jewels, and as we prepare to head to the Gold Coast the Corumbene bred Empire Of Japan (Snitzel), offered out of the Gold Coast ring last January, is amongst the early favourites for this year’s Slipper on the back of a stunning display in the Gr3 Breeders’ Plate. It makes sense then to go through each of Corumbene’s draft endeavouring to identify next season’s star horse. To achieve that we enlisted the help of Corumbene’s Stud Manager Trent Hewitt who gave us his impressions of each lot.

The Corumbene draft kicks off with Lot 26, a daughter of first crop sire Microphone and Kathoros. “My favourite filly” said Trent. “A lovely type with a very nice hock and a good walk about her. She screams two year-old type. The few Microphones we have had have all been good types and this filly in particular has a presence about her.” That Katharos was a Flying Spur half-sister to Menari mean the odds were this filly was always going to be a stunner.

Amongst an outstanding draft most discerning buyers will be interested in Lot 931, a Too Darn Hot filly that Corumbene will offer on behalf of her breeders Peter Brown, Fred and Mary Moses and Bob Charley. And what a filly she is, a half-sister to In Her Time, the dual Gr1 winning sprinter from a few seasons back. Trent explained “I’ve had a bit to do with this mare and this filly is the nicest foal out of the mare in say the last five years. Generally the foals out of Hell It’s Hot have been tall, leggy and lanky whereas this filly looks a better athlete with the input of Too Darn Hot. She will make a two year-old for sure.”

This is a family that has been knocking out Gr1 performers back to as far back as the inception of the Pattern system in the 1970s. It’s an indication of how strong the pedigree is that just two dams appear on the page with the last two lines devoted to The Everest winner Yes Yes Yes. Also on the page are the short-course specialists and full brothers Hot As Hell and Flaming Hot while not on there, but from this family, is the speedy Salaam, winner of The Galaxy, now a Gr1 race. Hell It’s Hot is the dam of seven winners in total including this seasons three year-old Scorch, successful at Randwick at his only start to date. And being by Too Darn Hot out of Hell It’s Hot, the breeding certainly lends itself to plenty of cool naming options.

Despite passing on his crown as Champion Sire, Written Tycoon continues to do an outstanding job, particularly with fillies like Coolangatta and buyers get a chance to tap into his blood with Lot 717. Out of the More Than Ready mare Cheetara, this filly is a half-sister to Single

Bullet who danced most of the two year-old dances in his year winning the Gr3 Pago Pago Stakes on his way to a start in the Golden Slipper. This is an excellent winner producing family, Cheetara is a half-sister to ten winners out of Danehill’s daughter Dashing Eagle who dead heated in the Gr1 Flight Stakes but didn’t need to share the prize in the Gr1 Thousand Guineas at her next start. Trent thinks she is “a nice filly with plenty of attitude and a great walk about her.”

For those impressed by the record Deep Field is building Corumbene send to market his daughter out of Cloak Of Night by Lonhro. The dam has had four foals of racing age all of which are winners including Science Path (Hinchinbrook) who only recently had more success in Hong Kong, and the Chris Waller trained filly Amati (Sebring) who has spent her last couple of starts chasing black type. In Trent’s opinion she is “Another very nice filly that will make into a two year-old, earlier than most by Deep Field. Certainly on the compact side but very nice, and one we would have been happy to keep.”

Then there is an impressive daughter of Lonhro and the Choisir mare Daytime who sells as Lot 775. Trent thinks she is “a robust filly with plenty of strength and a solid hindquarter on her. She’s a filly that will continue to improve through her preparation.” With Daytime two for two winners to runners, this is a family that continues to give. Even as the catalogues were being finalised Daytime’s half-brother Massimo was winning the Gr2 Lee Steere Stakes in Perth for a second time. Their half-sister

Words / Glen Latham

Altitude shows up as the dam of Exosphere and it wasn’t that long ago he was such a dominant winner of the Gr1 Golden Rose.

In Lot 372 the farm will send for sale a Shalaa filly out of Snitzel’s daughter Sheer Style that comes with a strong association with Magic Millions. Amongst Sheer Style’s three wins came success in the Magic Millions Clockwise 2YO Classic before running third in the RL Magic Millions Wyong Classic. And amongst Shalaa’s four Stakes winning juveniles in Australia is Shaquero who won the Magic Million 2YO Classic. “A very strong, robust filly with an excellent temperament. This mare always throws a type and she hasn’t disappointed with this filly,” Trent explained.

Turning to the quartet of Book 1 colts the pick just has to be lot 955, the Exceed And Excel - Ichihara half to Empire Of Japan. Trent said of him “A really nice colt and my pick of the draft. Not just because of what Empire Of Japan did on debut, but because he is just a stunning colt with a good walk on him and everything about him just looks fast. He also comes with a good temperament to boot.” A Gr2 winner at two, Ichihara (General Nediym) is a sister to the Stakes winners Au Chocolat and Isurava, later the dam of Menari.

Another impressive youngster is the Capitalist colt out of the four time winning Hinchinbrook mare Lilith which will sell as Lot 65. Trent has taken a shine to him saying “He just looks and acts like Capitalist, has a really good

walk about him with a nice shoulder and I think he can make it as a two year-old.” His grandam Loveday was a half-sister to both True Jewels and Wager who was placed in three juvenile Gr1 races.

Lot 608 is a Pride Of Dubai colt out of Anatola a Listed winning daughter of More Than Ready and the previously mentioned Wager. “This mare normally throws a smaller, more compact sort of horse, whereas this fellow has quite a bit of range about him. I think he will prep up really well.” He is offered for sale at a time when Pride Of Dubai is enjoying a hot streak thanks to the likes of Bella Nipotina’s Gr1 Manikato Stakes success and Sirileo Miss winning the Gr3 Ladies Day Vase for the second time.

The final colt to mention is Lot 796 a ‘boutique’ son of Menari out of Divinity by Sepoy from the family of Charge Forward. “A very nice colt that has been stamped by his father. Big and strong, everything about him from his walk to his presence is excellent. Whoever buys him will have some fun, that’s for sure,” Trent enthused.

Corumbene will also offer three lots through Book 2, a pair of Headwater colts Trent says have been well and truly stamped by their sire, and a Too Darn Hot filly who has impressed as she has grown.

When a farm with a track record for excellence like Corumbene sends what could be their best ever draft to the Gold Coast, buyers would be well advised to take their time perusing the quality on offer.

Words / Renée Geelen

Cressfield

Cressfield’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduates have been in the winner’s circle lately with Gr2 winner Jamaea (Headwater) winning the 2021 Gr2 Furious Stakes and Gr2 Percy Sykes Stakes, while fouryear-old mare Hellfest (Fastnet Rock) won the 2022 Gr.3 Typhoon Tracy Stakes. Group placed winner Aquagirl is still racing, and won the 2021 Magic Millions Ballarat 3YO & 4YO Classic, as well as placing in the Gr.3 Quezette Stakes earlier in her career.

Bluebloods spoke to Cressfield’s General Manager Wayne Bedggood.

What is the best horse you have sold through Magic Millions?

I think that Egyptian Symbol wins out here although technically she was not sold – so perhaps it is actually Missrock! Anyway, both were pretty handy race mares and are now making a name as broodmares.

When assessing breeding which influences/key horses do you mainly look for?

The broodmare sire is very important to me, as are line breeding and in breeding crosses; but I am more swayed by the dam’s overall pedigree and the strength in her maternal lines.

Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?

Absolutely, especially when the expectations are extremely high! I’ll probably give the game away when I don’t get nervous anymore.

What makes Magic Millions at the Gold Coast such a success?

It’s a combination of factors that include but are not limited to;

- The Summer Holidays which encourages people to bring their families for a vacation whilst incorporating the ‘work’ of sales, - The generally beautiful weather where a swim in the ocean or walk on the beach can be had before and after sales days,

- Most forms of entertainment, feasting and recreation can be found within minutes of the complex,

- And of course, an incredible and very lucrative racing carnival and sale that cement it all together.

The 2023 draft from Cressfield is an opportunity for breeders to buy into some incredible families, with only four colts among the draft of twelve yearlings. The headline act, on paper, is the second foal of Gr1 Robert Sangster Stakes winning sprinter Spright (Hinchinbrook), and this colt, Lot 417, is by Australia’s hottest stallion I Am Invincible, making him a three-quarter brother to group placed two year-old winner Mine Two (I Am Invincible). Spright’s first foal is a two year-old colt by Zoustar.

An All Too Hard filly, Lot 288, from Gr1 winner Regimental Gal has huge residual value, especially given that this yearling is a half-sister to Gr.3 winner Lilliburlero and stakes placed winner Vimy, who is the dam of Gr2 Pago Pago Stakes winner Souchez. Lilliburlero has a colt by first season sire Pierata in this draft, and he is Lot 66 and a half-brother to stakes placed winner Regimental Band.

Selected by Aquis Farm’s Jon Davis as the best of the Pieratas in this sale, Lot 274 is a filly who is the second foal out of Gr2 winner Quilista. Quilista won nine races, four at black type level, and is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Red Can Man, with both being out of early maturing stakes placed winner Brocky’s Ace. Gr2 winner Wild Rain won eight races, four at stakes level, as well as placing in the Gr1 AJ Moir Stakes. Her Snitzel filly, Lot 55, is her fourth foal, and she is from the family of Northerly and current group winning sprinter Overpass.

Cressfield bred Headwater and have done well with his progeny including Magic Millions graduates Jamaea and Aquagirl. Lot 890 is a Headwater filly from Gr.3 winner Galapagos Girl, who is the dam of Listed winner Villami (Foxwedge) and group placed winner Aquagirl (Headwater), as well as six other winners.

A pair of Merchant Navy yearlings will go through the ring only a few lots apart, with the filly from Listed winner Shoboard being Lot 381, followed by the colt from Listed placed winner Shrill (Shamardal) as Lot 384. Shoboard won the Listed Keith Mackay Stakes at two and is from the family of Star Satire, Satin Shoes, Zarzuela, and Serious Satire, and at stud, she has left five winners including Listed winner Granny Red Shoes (Not a Single Doubt). Shrill raced in England, winning twice at two, and placing in the Listed Tipperary Stakes. Her Merchant Navy three year-old, Calico Jack, is a recent winner. Other sires represented are Brutal (Lot 1079), Deep Field (Lot 578), Extreme Choice (Lot 69), and Press Statement (Lot 1030).

Where is the most unusual place you’ve visited?

There are so many places that spring to mind but one that stands out was when my wife, Michelle, and I visited the Zenko-ji Temple in the Nagano Prefecture in Japan. Michelle is very claustrophobic and detests dark, tight and confined spaces but somehow I talked her into walking with me through the passageway which runs below the ‘Hibutsu Buddha’, enclosed within the temple. There are other people in the space with you so you can’t push forward and you can’t go back. Once you are in the tunnel it is absolute darkness and you lose all sense of direction and spatial awareness. Shuffling along this very narrow passageway, face pressed up against the wall feeling for the allegedly ‘hidden door and secret key’ contained within while trying to move the immovable object that was my wife beside me, was quite an experience - and never has a 20 metre excursion seemed so endless!

What’s the coldest you’ve ever been?

I remember getting off a heavy-mouthed race-horse (a bad puller) at Kilmore race track one winters’ morning around 4.00 am and just sitting on the stable passageway in tears as my hands thawed out and the pins and needles replaced the numbness in my fingers from the extreme cold!

Do you prefer fishing or football, details please?

What an evil question – no-one should have to make a choice like this! These are two my favourite recreational pastimes and I am

practising both as often as possible in readiness for retirement. To be clear, I am an ardent supporter of footy nowadays – not a participant.

What’s one thing your dogs could say that would completely ruin your image if they could talk?

If my dog could say, “It was him!” then I am guessing that I wouldn’t get away with saying, “Don’t look at me, it was the dog!”

Edinburgh STUD

When talking to Ian one gets a sense of personal satisfaction with the work done to present this draft for sale. “This is the best draft we have assembled on page, types and by sires. We’ve got the sires right, the types right and they are going to the right sale. The majority look to be fast, early types that would be ideal for the 2024 Magic Millions 2YO Classic and there is no reason there aren’t some diamonds amongst the draft.”

The sire power in the draft is most impressive, the now well and truly established Zoustar being an example. It’s fair to say his stock are on fire and Ian has a trio of yearlings by the son of Northern Meteor. The first is Lot 7, a filly out of the twice winning Fastnet Rock mare Jazette, a half-sister to the Gr2 winner Cluster. “She’s a typical Zoustar, good looking with a nice head and oozing quality.”

Words / Glenn Latham

Ian particularly likes the Zoustar colt out of Our Crown Mistress that will sell as Lot 208 and comes from the same family as recent Gr2 Tristarc Stakes winner Chain Of Lightning. “The mare’s first foal made $800,000 and this colt is probably a better type than that model. The mare was tough (she did win four races on the trot and twice at Listed level) and this guy looks tough and ready to run early. The mare looks like she is throwing diamonds.”

The remaining Zoustar hails from the Darling Alice family that Smith has successfully nurtured for so long now. Selling as Lot 590, he is out of Alice’s Smart, dam of the Stakes placed Miss Wonderland and Spencer, and a half-sister to the dams of Gr2 Bill Stutt Stakes winner Glenfiddich and Magic Millions’ pinup boy Eleven Eleven. “Alice’s Smart always produces quality types and this colt has a lot of similarities with the Zoustar – Quiet Kitten colt we sold last year. Now with John McArdle and named Regal Zeus, his trainer is on record as saying he is the best colt in his barn.”

Anyone who might have missed out on that colt last year will be pleased to know Quiet Kitten will be represented here by a smashing filly by Written Tycoon to sell as Lot 273. Runner-up at Grade 3 level in the States, this daughter of Kitten’s Joy is a half-sister to four Stakes winners. “Again it is on the way up and we are excited about what this mare is producing.”

The Written Tycoon filly to go through as Lot 354 will surely prove popular. Her dam Serena Bay won the Golden Gift, was third in the Gr2 Percy Sykes Stakes that season and her first two foals have shown promise. Her daughter Summer Loving started favourite in the Golden Gift on debut where many thought she was unlucky when running third. “The mare has been bred up to the hilt having a Snitzel filly on her, was bred back to Exceed And Excel and looks like she could be the real deal.”

The last Written Tycoon off the farm is a stunning colt out of the five-time winning Commands mare Awasita whose first foal, Boomsita, was city placed recently. “When Magic Millions turned up and saw him they thought he was a replica of Capitalist he’s such a ripping type! If you go into his paddock he demands attention and he’ll do the same thing every time he walks out of his sales box.”

Sun Valley, another Commands mare, is the dam of Lot 443, a So You Think colt from the outstanding Skating family. Sun Valley is a half-sister to the Gr2 winning juvenile Tenley and to Biscayne Bay who was a Gr3 winner at two before a third in the Gr1 VRC Oaks. “He’s from a great family that keeps on throwing Stakes winners and he’s as nice a So You Think colt as I have brought to a sale.”

And if you are on the lookout for a So You Think filly with black type to burn then Lot 882 out of General Nediym’s daughter Fortune Of War is worthy of consideration. Stakes placed at two, and a half sister to the Group winners Sertorius, Pretty Brazen, Dollar For Dollar, Pretty Amazing and Clifton Red, Fortune Of War is already the dam of the multiple Stakes placed Spoils. In Ian’s opinion this filly is “A quality, leggy, beautifully bodied So You Think and if you like the family you will love the filly.”

No quality draft would be complete without at least one Exceed And Excel and Edinburgh Park have a belter in Lot 190. Another likely to add to the rich success of the Darling Alice family, the colt is a three-quarter brother to Glenfiddich, who, besides his Stutt Stakes win was Gr1 placed at two in the Champagne Stakes and third at weight-for-age in the Gr1 Memsie Stakes. The page tells the story so Ian was concise when describing this athlete

as; “All quality, exactly what you want to see, and will be a standout lot.”

According to Ian “You would not want to see a better first foal” when asked about Lot 530, the colt by Pierro out of the Exceed And Excel mare Vivi Valentina. City placed Vivi Valentina is a half-sister to the dam of the five time Group race winner in New Zealand Need I Say More. “We have a very good strike rate with first foals and we are excited to present this colt.”

Lot 78 is another from the Darling Alice family, but this filly is by Dundeel out of Glenfiddich’s half-sister Ludicrous Mode by Snitzel. A first foal, Ian described her as “A nice, neat foal, typical of Dundeel and she’s a three year-old type which is what you would expect. This is a family that keeps on growing and I think she would be an ideal filly for someone looking for pedigree and type.”

Fans of Toronado should inspect the farm’s filly out of Quiet Show by Al Maher. Selling as Lot 615 the filly is a half-sister to the four time winner and Listed placed Score while her dam is a half-sister to the dual Gr1 winning sprinter-miler Scales Of Justice.

As Lot 954 the Deep Field colt out of Iceland Turf Belle will be the final horse of the draft, but it will pay to keep a few dollars back for this grandson of the good mare Viking Turf Belle. Of course the Asian market have a penchant for the Deep Fields and Ian feels they won’t be disappointed when he walks out of the box. “He’s a big, strong physical type that looks like he will run early, there’s no reason not to like this colt.”

Sprinkled amongst the draft are a quartet of yearlings by first and second season sires that will not disappoint.

Leading off will be Lot 359 by former Champion Colt The Autumn Sun out of the city winner Seventhchic. As the ink on the catalogues was drying Seventhchic’s first foal Royal Merchant was hacking up at a Canterbury night meeting and looks to have a very bright future. “The mare throws exceptional types and has produced a quality individual in this fellow.”

The Gold Coast offers buyers the first opportunity to secure the produce of Champion European Sprinter Blue Point and Edinburgh Park have a terrific filly out of the five time winner, Listed placed Turnstiles, who is a daughter of another European speedster in Anabaa. Turnstiles has done the job at stud producing the Stakes performers Revolving Door and Golden Spin and as Ian explained, “This mare continually throws nice types but this is the nicest we have brought to a sale. She’s the only Blue Point we bred but definitely amongst the nicest we had in the paddocks this year. The page is nice, she is a type and I think she will be very well received.”

The Edinburgh Park van will arrive at the Gold Coast with a brace of yearlings by the Gr1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Exceedance and Ian is very happy with what he has. “Everyone who has seen our two Exceedence yearlings have been rapt in them.”

The first through will be a filly out of Tzu Hsi, dam of the Gr2 Shannon Stakes winner and Gr1 placed Rock Sturdy. This is a strong Gooree family with Tzu Hsi a half-sister to the speedy multiple Gr3 winners Swift Alliance and Sultry Feeling. It is a happening family as Sultry Feeling is the dam of impressive Listed Debutant Stakes winner King’s Gambit.

The remaining Exceedance is a colt out of the classy mare Dublin Lass. With a pair of Listed wins amongst a career tally of seven in total the daughter of the outstanding

broodmare sire O’Reilly certainly had a turn of foot. Ian thinks “It wouldn’t surprise me if he isn’t the nicest Exceedance at the sale. If you like Exceedance then you will love this guy, he is the real deal.”

Lot

Sex/Col Sire Dam

www.edinburghpark.com.au Ian Smith: 0419 637 892 ian@edinburghpark.com.au Wingham, NSW

183

draft

Emirates PARK

Words / Glen Latham

Solid reputations in the breeding industry aren’t just built on selling expensive horses, they rely on getting a return on investment for the buyer, and the sooner the better. As Emirates Park’s General Manager Bryan Carlson said, “sale results will tell us one thing but ultimately we want to be judged on the track,” and from the way Charm Stone has come out running, Emirates’ reputation is secure.

Charm Stone is just another example why Emirates Park are amongst the top echelon of vendors in Australia. At the last Gold Coast Sale agent Sheamus Mills and his clients had to go to $1.55 million to snare the full sister to the Stakes winner Najmaty, but even as early as Melbourne Cup day, that looked a wise investment. Ensconced in the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr barn, Charm Stone won the Gr3 Ottawa Stakes and it’s not a stretch

of the imagination to say her market value at this stage might already match her purchase price.

While other large scale farms might have decided to retain a long term broodmare prospect like Charm Stone, Bryan emphasised that wasn’t the way Emirates operated saying, “We have never wanted a reputation for just selling our leftovers, and that at each of the past two Gold Coast sales we have sold a pair of seven figure yearlings is testimony to that.”

Buyers will have a good indication of the state of the market by the time the first of the Emirates draft walks through as Lot 101 with the Brazen Beau colt coming from a successful family the Murrurundi farm have nurtured for four generations. He is the first foal of Mayaaseh, Exceed And Excel’s daughter who was sharp enough to run third in the season opening Gr3 Gimcrack Stakes at two, before

winning three times in her career. Emirates began the family with the Gr1 Yorkshire Oaks placed Bineyah, by the incomparable Sadler’s Wells, and from whom the Group winners Te Akau Coup and Alzora, dam of the tough stayer Sacramento, hail. Bryan explained “The Brazen Beau –Exceed And Excel cross has proven successful in the past and we think Brazen Beau punches above his weight given his smaller crops. The young stallion Tassort was bred on that cross.”

Bryan was bullish when describing Lot 153 as “one of the highlight colts of the sale.” Even that statement might be underselling the colt as he is a result of the mating of a Golden Slipper winner in Mossfun with the current Champion Sire in I Am Invincible. “He’s a very nice, good sized type with a great hip and shoulder, very athletic and there will be a lot of interested parties on him come sale time.”

Mossfun has shown she can get a good runner as the dam of the Stakes placed Dajraan, a horse for whom we might have to wait until he strikes a good track to see his best. And this colt’s full sister Mashkhoora is showing promise (given a very easy time when second in a recent Randwick trial) and should start on a path to the Golden Slipper in January.

If buyers don’t land that colt then they have another opportunity to tap into the family with Lot 504, an I Am Invincible colt from Tumooh who is the first foal of Mossfun and by Fastnet Rock. “This is the first foal out of the mare, and again he is a quality colt. A very attractive, leggy sort and will be another one on everybody’s radar,” said Bryan. On behalf of Merricks Station in Victoria, Emirates will offer Lot 162, a son of Shalaa and Murtle Turtle who was twice Gr3 placed at two. The mare is three for three winners to runners and throws a type, this fellow’s Extreme Choice half-brother making $775,000 when bought by James Harron last season. It is interesting that Shalaa’s four Australian Stakes winners all earned their black type as two year-olds.

Next to sell will be Lot 173, a daughter of Capitalist and the second foal of the winning Snitzel mare Nahab. Bryan told us “As a three-quarter sister to Sweet Idea and the multiple Gr2 winning young sire Showtime, Nahab comes from a very good family. She is a nice, athletic, compact filly, very much an early running two year-old type.”

Another Capitalist, and one where the pedigree jumps off the page is Lot 373, a colt out of the Sebring mare Sheikha. A winner and placed third in the Gr3 Kindergarten Stakes at two, Sheikha is out of the excellent broodmare Solar Charged making her a half-sister to the three-time Gr1 winner and darling of the turf Sunlight, and to Sisstar whose six career wins included the Gr3 Red Roses Stakes down the Flemington straight. Dam of six winners in all from seven foals to race Solar Charged, by Charge Forward, was a handy juvenile herself winning a pair of Gr3s at two. “Buyers will find he is a quite athletic colt with the family to back it up. We expect he will sell well”, Bryan said.

Another colt with the Charge Forward connection is Lot 434, a son of Spirit Of Boom and Stylemaker, a three time winning daughter of the noted broodmare sire. “We bought him out of the National Weanling Sale, as he was such a good type,” Bryan mentioned. After a terrific 2021/22 season headlined by the Gr1 Manikato Stakes win of Jonker, Spirit Of Boom looks likely to take things to another level this season with horses like the exciting two year-old Miss Coota and undefeated Chinny Boom reminding the market what he is capable of siring. The foal market took a distinct liking to the first stock on offer by the Gr2 winner Dubious, and Bryan expects everyone will be impressed once they have inspected Lot 638. The filly is out of the Dream Ahead mare Azyaan whose oldest foal, a three year-old, is a winner while her dam Zyoon is an Al Maher half sister to Encosta De Lago making her from the same family as the influential sire and Golden Slipper winner Flying Spur. “This filly looks to be an early two year-old type and very attractive.”

The final Book 1 lot carries hip number 923 and is a son of Pride Of Dubai out of Harbour Fun, a Harbour Watch half-sister to the dam of Mossfun and the Champion Sprinter in Singapore Aramco. “He’s an attractive colt and I think this pedigree is on the way up,” Bryan explained. Besides the Mossfun factor Harbour Fun is a half-sister to Cat d’Antibes who won the Ken Russell Classic when it was a Listed event and ran third in the Gr2 QTC Sires’ Produce Stakes.

Emirates also have two very interesting offerings in Book Two, led off by Lot 1036, a daughter of Press Statement and the Bernardini mare Bondini. “This is a filly we bought as a weanling as we like Press Statement. He can be relied upon to get a good horse every season, Roots for Chris Waller at the moment being an example. Whoever buys this filly will get more horse for their money than usual.”

Bryan explained how Lot 1260, a Pride Of Dubai colt out of Speedy Kitty, came to be in the draft. “We bought the Street Boss filly out of the mare last year and we backed up buying this colt as a weanling. He’s a lovely type and with the likes of recent Stakes winners Bella Nipotina and Sirileo Miss showing what Pride Of Dubai can do, he should be popular.” His dam Speedy Kitty is an Exceed And Excel mare from a strong American family, her dam Ashley’s Kitty was a Grade 3 winner in the States from the family of the promising young sire over there in Cupid.

From discussing the draft with Bryan, two things become apparent. The first is just how diverse the Emirates offerings are, and the second, how strong the potential is that another Charm Stone lies waiting to be found at every level.

C/Br. Brazen Beau Mayaaseh

C/B. I Am Invincible Mossfun

C/B. Shalaa (IRE) Murtle Turtle

F/Ch. Capitalist Nahab

C/B. Capitalist Sheikha

C/B. or Br. Spirit of Boom Stylemaker

C/B. I Am Invincible Tumooh

F/B. or Br. Dubious Azyaan

C/Ch. Pride of Dubai Harbour Fun

F/Br. Press Statement Bondini

C/Ch. Pride of Dubai Speedy Kitty

Murrurundi NSW 2338 www.emiratespark.com.au Bryan Carlson: 0415 275 885 e: bryan@emiratespark.com.au

/ Mossfun

/ Charm Stone

Eureka STUD

Words / Rénee Geelen

Eureka Stud at Cambooya, owned and operated by the McAlpine family, is ideally situated on the black fertile soils of Queensland’s fabled Darling Downs which have produced some of the great champions of the Australian turf. The home of Spirit of Boom and Encryption has produced 21 individual Stakes Winners over the past five years including the 2022 Gr1 Kingsford-Smith Cup winner Apache Chase is one of their many Magic Millions yearlings who have gone on to racetrack success. Among their current three year-old Magic Millions graduates is Gr2 winner Tijuana, and group placed winner Hard To Say, while the four year-olds include Gr3 winner Finance Tycoon, and stakes placed Cochrane and Teranga. Other Gr1 winners from the farm recently include Pippie, Tinto, Temple of Boom, Spirit

of Boom, Picaday, Scenic Peak, and Just Now. Bluebloods had an enjoyable chat with Eureka Stud’s Harry McAlpine. In 2023, Eureka Stud will present a large draft of 25 yearlings at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale with ten by their successful sire Spirit of Boom, and another six by Encryption. Beautifully bred, Encryption was a group winner at two and three, and is out of boom two year-old Guelph. His first crop have just turned two and sold into the leading stables around Australia at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

From the family of Spirit of Boom and Temple of Boom comes an Encryption colt, Lot 260, who is the first live foal for six-race winner Prue’s Angel (Sequalo). Two very closely related Encryption fillies are Lot 849 who is a half-sister to Listed winner Simply Fly, out of Gr2 Queensland Guineas winner Express Air, while Lot 462 is a filly out of a young

half-sister to Express Air. This is the family of Prince of Boom and Incentivise.

Lot 1041 is an Encryption half-brother to group placed winner Aeecee Tong De from a half-sister to stakes winners Golden Pistols and Keep the Faith; while Lot 1202 is a daughter of Listed winner Pardon, who has already left stakes placed winner Excused, and is herself a daughter of Gr1 winner Furlough.

The Spirit of Boom yearlings will be highly sought after thanks to his progeny like Jonker, Boomsara, and Outback Barbie among his 18 stakes winners. Eureka Stud will offer ten yearlings by their resident sire including Lot 604, a halfsister to Gr3 winner and multiple Gr1 placed She’s Ideel as well as Gr1 placed winner Elusive Treasure, out of two year-old winner Ana’s Mail.

/ Apache Chase

A full sister to Outback Barbie (Spirit of Boom) is Lot 261. Four of Outback Barbie’s wins have been in Listed races, and her dam was also a Listed winner of five races, as well as being a half-sister to stakes winner Global Warming. A full sister to Listed winner Miami Fleiss (also sold at this sale), is Lot 86, and is out of two year-old winning mare Madame Fly, who is a half-sister to Gr3 winner Chapter and Verse and is closely related to $1.7million earner and group winner Boomsara (Spirit of Boom).

Gr1 Queensland Oaks winner Tinto has started her stud career well with stakes placed winner Teranga (Sebring) and her third live foal is Lot 492, a Spirit of Boom filly. The first foal of Listed winner Notonyourlife (Sebring), Lot 191, is a colt whose third dam is Gr1 Newmarket Handicap winner Ruffles; while Lot 239 is a filly out of half-sister to Gr1 winner Apache Chase and group winner Churchill Downs.

Lot 677 is a full brother to two stakes placed winners in Boomtown Lass and Tick Tock Boom, and this colt’s dam is a winner from the family of dual Gr1 winner Zavite; while Lot 823 is a filly who is the second foal of winning daughter of Listed winner Golden Pedigree.

The half-brother to Listed winner Peacock, Lot 974, is from a winning half-sister to Gr1 winners Absolute Champion and Wylie Hall, while Listed Gimcrack Stakes winner Defiant Dame’s colt, Lot 1073, is a half-brother to the very tough winner of 20 races Grand Cross. His dam is a half-sister to group winner Hidden Warrior from the family of Gr1 winner Red Tracer and Shellscrape.

A full brother to Gr3 winner of over $1million Wisdom of Water (Headwater) is Lot 1225 and his dam is a halfsister to Listed winner of nine races, Tierqualo. A filly by Microphone, Lot 572, is the first live foal of a winning half-sister to Firenza, dam of Tuscan Sling with recent two year-old winner I’mlovin’ya from this family.

Listed winner In His Stride (Rothesay) from the family of Star Shiraz, Savatiano, Vilana, and Athiri.

Other sires represented include Headwater (Lot 874), Nicconi (Lot 1105), Territories (Lot 1244), Toronado (Lot 25), and Zousain (Lot 176).

What is the best horse you have sold through Magic Millions?

SPIRIT OF BOOM would be the best having won two Gr1 sprints and placing 19 times at Group level in his career before going on to become a successful stallion. Other recent Eureka graduates include: APACHE CHASE, TIJUANA, FINANCE TYCOON, PRINCE OF BOOM, WISDOM OF WATER, OUTBACK BARBIE, BOOMSARA etc

When assessing breeding which influences/key horses do you mainly look for?

Tough racehorses who have the physical constitution to back it up.

What makes Magic Millions at the Gold Coast such a success?

It is a compilation of very forward types of horses which are largely ready to race early. This coupled with its raceday and the inordinate amount of prizemoney on offer successfully builds the excitement each year.

What would you do if you sold a yearling for $10 million?

Whatever the buyer told me to do!

What’s the most expensive thing you’ve broken?

My arm.

C/B. Toronado (IRE) Karmic (NZ)

F/B. Spirit of Boom Madame Fly

C/B. Zousain Nakedindaspa

C/Br. Spirit of Boom Notonyourlife

F/B. Spirit of Boom Pimlico Girl

C/B. Encryption Prue’s Angel

F/B. Spirit of Boom Pure Purrfection

F/Br. Encryption Tarffeite

F/Br. Spirit of Boom Tinto

F/B. Microphone Zoom By

F/B. Spirit of Boom Ana’s Mail

C/B. Spirit of Boom Boomalicious

F/Br. Spirit of Boom Elusive Meteor

F/B. or Br. Encryption Express Air

F/B. Headwater Fly Buy Fly

C/Br. Spirit of Boom Iridescente

C/Br. Encryption Brandish

F/Br. Encryption Dark Brown Sugar

C/B. Spirit of Boom Defiant Dame

F/Gr. Puissance de Lune (IRE) Excellent Lady

C/B. Nicconi Gentle Spirit

C/B. Rothesay In Her Shoes

F/Ch. Encryption Pardon (USA)

C/Gr. Headwater Regal Tier

F/Gr. Territories (IRE) Shamardani

A half-sister to group winner Petits Filous, Lot 1090, is a Puissance de Lune filly with plenty of residual value, with her dam being a half-sister to Gr1 winner La Bella Dama (dam of group winner La Rocket); while Lot 1126 is a full brother to

Words / Rénee Geelen

Fernrigg FARM

Good two year-olds come from Fernrigg Farm and their Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale drafts. Last year, they sold Mach Ten for $1.2million and the Exceed and Excel colt has had one start as a two-year-old this season, running second in the Gr3 Breeders Plate. With black type achieved at his only start to date, Mach Ten now has sire potential. In 2020, Fernrigg Farm sold Shaquero (Shalaa) who won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic at his fourth start and went on to win the Gr3 Pago Pago Stakes in the autumn. Three year-old filly Penthouse (Capitalist) who was Listed placed on debut is from the 2021 Fernrigg Farm Magic Millions draft, and since her debut she has won, and recently ran third in the Listed Woodlands Stakes behind Gr1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winner In Secret and 3rd in the Magic Millions Ballarat Classic. Another Fernrigg graduate from this sale is Listed Hong Kong Classic Cup winner Excellent Proposal. In 2023, Fernrigg will present a quality draft of twenty yearlings. Two colts in this draft are likely to be the most

inspected, as both are by top sires from Gr2 winning mares. Lot 107 is a Snitzel colt who is the fourth foal of Gr2 Johannesburg Spring Fillies and Mares Challenge winner Mella Maria (Star Witness), whose three year-old Miss Passion has placed in all of her five starts to date. By I Am Invincible, Lot 621, is out of Gr2 Doomben Roses winner Arabian Gold (Dubawi) who won nine races, five at stakes level, and was placed in the Gr1 Queensland Oaks, and this colt is her third live foal. Her first foal is a city winner in Sydney over 1200m.

A half-sister by Street Boss to Gr2 HKJC Sprint Cup winner Amazing Star (Darci Brahma) is Lot 685, and her dam, Bright Abyss, was a stakes placed winner in America, and is out of a winning half-sister to Champion 3YO Colt and six-time Gr1 winner Snow Chief.

The first foal of city winner and multiple times Gr2 placed Platinum Angel (Snitzel) is a filly, Lot 244, by Deep Field, and this is the family of Gr1 winner Hellbent. Another first foal is Lot 929, a colt by Fastnet Rock from Listed

Queen Adelaide Stakes winner Heaven’s Deal (Spirit of Boom) who is from the family of Incentivise, Ardrossan, Diamondsondinside, Cheyenne Warrior, and Prince of Boom (Spirit of Boom). Spirit of Boom has a colt in this draft, Lot 686, who is the first foal of winning mare Brigid of Kildare (Street Cry) from the family of Bonanova, Kakakakatie, Stroll, and many others. This is the legendary Eight Carat family, best in The Stud Book.

Two colts by second season sire Written By will create plenty of interest for the draft, with Lot 1 to open the entire sale. The colt is the first foal of Jackpot Telephone (Dream Ahead) who is a half-sister to Champion 3YO Miler in Singapore, Given Vision, from the family of Gr2 Karrakatta Plate winner Lucky Street. The other Written By colt is Lot 165, is the third foal of My Michelle (Nicconi) a winning full sister to Gr3 Vain Stakes winner Tony Nicconi (Nicconi).

Second season sire Harry Angel has two lots in the Fernrigg Farm draft, led by Lot 227, a colt whose two-year-old sister,

/ Mach Ten ran second in the Gr3 Breeders Plate.

Live To Tell (Territories) ran second on debut recently. This is the family of four-time Gr1 winner Divine Madonna (dam of Maternal). The other Harry Angel is Lot 1265, a colt out of a half-sister to Gr3 winner Ammirata.

Pierro colt, Lot 111, is out of Metza, a winning half-sister to Gr1 winner Linton, and to the dam of group winner and Gr1 placed Heatherly.

The other stallions represented in this draft are: Capitalist (Lot 1209), Heroic Valour (Lot 1271), Pariah (Lot 1086), Pride of Dubai (Lot 991), Russian Revolution (Lot 1049), Star Witness (Lot 1048), Tassort (Lot 517), and Zousain (Lot 993).

Fernrigg’s Rae-Louise Kelly is confident, “There’s sure to be more early stakes winners in this draft and I’m looking forward to presenting them to potential buyers in January.”

What is the best horse you have sold through Magic Millions?

We have been fortunate to sell some nice yearlings in our short time as consignors and even before that as Pinhookers. In 2016 we found a little athletic filly with a lot of attitude in the Chester Barn who we just had to have. That filly turned into Group 1 winning KRONE, one of the toughest mares of her time.

Excellent Proposal came out of our very first draft in 2018, he has won at Group One level in HK and has amassed $2,958,853 in career earnings. He was born and raised at Fernrigg and was always a standout being by our favourite stallion.

I do think the best is yet to come though, MACH TEN came out of our 2022 Magic Million draft and made his debut in the Gr3 Breeders Plate where he finished a gallant second place so we are all very hopeful he could surpass them all. When assessing breeding which influences/key horses do you mainly look for?

Australia is all about speed, so I like to see double Mr. Prospector, especially if its in the first 4 dams. The same goes for Nureyev, it adds a bit of class to the pedigree.

Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?

Absolutely! They are my babies. Fernrigg is a small boutique farm so everyone is very much hands on with the yearlings from the day they are born. I become very attached to them and their individual personalities very early on, and I think it becomes obvious who my favourites are. When they enter the sale ring, it’s not about how much money they make but more importantly that they go to the very best home where they will be given every chance. When each yearling returns back to its stable I say goodbye and tell them all they have to do is try their best and run their fastest.

What makes Magic Millions at the Gold Coast such a success?

There are so many things that contribute to thte success of the Magic Millions. The team do a fantastic job of making sure the very best trainers and agents from around the

world turn up and everyone is always so excited about the first yearling sale of the year, especially in the sunshine. The women’s bonus and race series has most definitely been a huge driving force in recent success. It’s fantastic to see more women around the sale complex getting excited about buying yearlings and in the owners enclosure at the races. I actually became part of a women’s syndicate two years ago and made so many new girlfriends who just love horses and champagne.

Do you prefer fishing or football?

Oh, I am from Newcastle Upon Tyne, home of some of the greatest football legends of all time - Allan Shearer, Peter Beardsley, Jackie Milburn and Bobby Robson to name a few, so it has to be football, I am also terrified of fish!

What would you do if you sold a yearling for $10 million?

Firstly, we would throw a huge party for Team Fernrigg. It takes an entire farm to raise a yearling, especially one worth 10 million. I would buy a beach house, to make memorable holidays with our precious daughter and then build a fancy arena to enoy with my OTT jumpers and then most likely invest in more broodmares at the Magic Millions in May. (haha)

Lot

1 C/Ch. Written By Jackpot Telephone 107 C/B. Snitzel Mella Maria 111 C/B. or Br. Pierro Metza 165 C/B. Written By My Michelle 227 C/B. or Br. Harry Angel (IRE) Pellicle 244 F/Gr. Deep Field Platinum Angel 517 F/B. or Br. Tassort Vernier 621 C/Gr. I Am Invincible Arabian Gold 685 F/B. Street Boss (USA) Bright Abyss (USA) 686 C/B. Spirit of Boom Brigid of Kildare 929 C/B. Fastnet Rock Heaven’s Deal 991 C/Ch. Pride of Dubai Typecast 993 C/B. Zousain Verkko 1048 F/B. Star Witness Carusmatic 1049 C/B. Russian Revolution Catalina Miss 1086 C/B. Pariah Essence of Success 1109 C/Ch. Deep Field Glorious Red 1209 C/Br. Capitalist Petit Cheval 1265 C/B. Harry Angel (IRE) Striking Meteor 1271 C/B. Heroic Valour Sun Deck

www.fernriggfarm.com Rae-Louise: 0452 531 561 rae-louise@fernriggfarm.com Denman, NSW

/ Lot 910 (Mach Ten) sold for $1.2m at Magic Millions last year.

Goodwood FARM

In 2023, Goodwood Farm will offer seven yearlings by seven exciting stallions. With their Gr1 record, this is a must-inspect draft, especially the Extreme Choice colt who has only forty-one live foals in this crop of yearlings.

Murrurundi’s Goodwood Farm has fashioned a strong record of quality graduates over the years with the likes of Private Eye, Flying Artie, and Manawanui all coming from their paddocks. The biggest return has to go to Gr1 Epsom winner Private Eye was a $62,500 Magic Millions graduate, and has gone on to win over $6.2million from his ten wins to date, most recently running second in the 2022 The Everest and winning the 2022 Nature Strip Stakes. Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduate The Astrologist has earnings over $1.2million and is a group winner and multiple time Gr1 placed. Goodwood Farm sold him in 2018 for $150,000, a strong return for his breeder and for his racing owners.

In 2023, Goodwood Farm will offer seven yearlings by seven exciting stallions. With their Gr1 record, this

Words / Rénee Geelen

is a must-inspect draft, especially the Extreme Choice colt who has only forty-one live foals in this crop of yearlings. Extreme Choice has been a sensation with Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside, and Gr1 winner She’s Extreme from very few foals. His colt, Lot 500, is the first foal of winning mare Trestrail (Sebring) who is out of a half-sister to Gr1 winner Desert Eagle who was rated both Horse of the Year and the Champion Sprinter in Hong Kong with many of the races he won in Hong Kong now upgraded to Gr1 level.

Tough race mare and Gr3 Rotorua Cup winner Fromelles (Savabeel) has a Merchant Navy colt, Lot 1100, in this draft. Fromelles has left two winners, and she is a daughter of Gr1 placed winner Unearthed, from the family of Japanese Gr1 winner Chrysoberyl and Marialite.

A Deep Field colt, Lot 67, is out of winning mare Lindy Lou (Fastnet Rock) whose first foal is a winning full brother to this yearling, and her second foal was placed recently at three. Lindy Lou is a half-sister to Listed Gosford Guineas winner Cent Per Cent, who won eight races and ran fourth in the Gr1 TJ Smith Classic, and to stakes placed winner Minnie Mah.

Gr1 winner Vadeni’s sire Churchill is represented by a colt, Lot 1015, who is the first foal of winning mare Araucaria (Hinchinbrook), who is a half-sister to Listed winner Calchris, dam of Listed winner Calcatta, dam of stakes winners Tanker and Lady Naturaliste.

Like most Golden Slipper winners Capitalist has been an excellent stallion with Gr1 winner Captivant in his first crop. His filly, Lot 1135, is the first foal of a half-sister to Listed winner Ever The Same, from the Redoute’s Choice family.

First season sire and tough Gr1 winning racehorse Pierata is represented by Lot 925, a colt, whose winning dam

Harlem Shuffle is a half-sister to two year-old Listed winner Harlem River, the dam of stakes placed two year-old winner Lady Harlem. Harlem Shuffle has left two winners to date including Harlem Groove who won on debut as a two year-old.

Headwater colt, Lot 1263, is out of a young Lonhro mare, Still Cool, who is a three-quarter sister to group winner Renaissance and Sessions (also third in the Gr1 Manikato Stakes) and Listed winner Haunted. This is a similar to cross to Headwater’s stakes winner Starlight (who is out of a Zabeel mare)

What is the best horse you have sold through Magic Millions?

Dance Hero and Private Eye.

When assessing breeding which influences/key horses do you mainly look for?

Conformation.

Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?

No. I never have. I get a lot of satisfaction if a horse ends up with the right person, someone who will suit the yearling. What songs take you back to your teen years?

Rock around the clock, by Bill Haley and His Comets

What makes Magic Millions at the Gold Coast such a success?

Everyone is in holiday mode. It’s the first sale of the season. Hopefully buyers have a pocketful of money. Everyone is feeling good, it’s a happy sale.

/ The Astrologist Winner of over $1.2 million is an outstanding Magic Millions graduate for Goodwood Farm.

/ Private Eye Recent Nature Strip winner of over $6.2m is a Goodwood Farm graduate.

STUD

Highgrove

Ron and Debbie Gilbert’s Highrove on Queensland’s fertile Darling Downs has become well established as one of Australia’s leading boutique broodmare farms, with spectacular results in both the sales ring and on the racetrack. With a high quality draft of five youngsters heading to the 2023 Ron outlined the farm’s approach, “Highgrove is always aiming to present yearlings that the market wants. I try to use a range of the most successful sires available and the best new prospects. Having always been a keen pedigree student I spend quite a lot of time designing matings that will work and some decent successes along the way have encouraged me to maintain this approach. On top of that, in order to give our stock every possible opportunity, much effort goes into the facilities on the farm and to the way everyone contributes to rearing the young horses and prepping them for the various sales.”

Words / Andrew Reichard

Highgrove is always aiming to present yearlings that the market wants. I try to use a range of the most successful sires available and the best new prospects.

“Over the years we have invested in quality broodmares and have even bought back as broodmares fillies we sold earlier because we believe in the pedigrees. “Buyers have come to know that we always prefer to sell, our business model is to rear quality yearlings, which is not an inexpensive process, so we stick to the programme and sell. Occasionally Debbie makes a strong case for keeping a prize filly, but we are commercial vendors first and foremost, so I usually win the day and we sell. Even if I suspect deep down she is right.”

“Among our broodmare band I’ve been fortunate to acquire three descendants of the great Troy mare Helen Street who is the dam of Street Cry and grandam of Shamardal. One of them, Helena’s Secret has already produced four high quality horses, Thronum, Rule Of Law, Cythera and Verne, the latter going amiss after defeating In The Congo at level weights at his third and final start. Sadly we lost Helena’s Secret but her winning Sebring daughter is now in our band and she’s an exciting prospect.”

Highgrove is a picturesque 90 acre property near the outskirts of “The Garden City” Toowoomba, with the recent abundant rain ensuring that the thousands of trees planted over the years are now nearing magnificent maturity. “We’ve just had our best season ever,” Ron added. Highgrove’s record in producing stock such as Thronum, Rule Of Law, Summer Passage, Wanted, Noire, Attention, Shrapnel, Global Quest and Jet Spur has put the farm on everybody’s “must view” list. And for those who take the trouble to visit the farm to inspect yearlings there is a nice surprise. If Ron Gilbert hadn’t become a thoroughbred breeder he could easily have turned his hand to being a chef, he’s no mean cook, my wife Margaret is a big fan.

The 2023 Highrove MM yearlings will enter the ring in the following order, with Ron’s comments as a guide:

Lot 124 bay colt, Pierata – Miss Delveen by Encosta De Lago

By an exciting Gr1 winning freshman sire whose stock are being much admired.

Half-brother to two winners, out of a Gr3 placed mare by multiple champion sire Encosta De Lago, second dam is Gr1 winner Calveen by Canny Lad.

“A quality, muscular yearling who is reminiscent of his broodmare sire Encosta de Lago, with a deep girth and a big backside for driving power.”

Lot 249 chestnut colt, Deep Field – Pomposity by Stratum

By proven Gr1 sire Deep Field leading 5th crop sire, a leader by wins, SW and prizemoney every previous season.

Second foal of a full sister to Gr2 winner Attention, Family of Pasikatera and Tempest Morn.

“This colt is very much in the Deep Field mould with good bone, a strong shoulder and hip. He looks a real sprinter-miler type.”

Lot 459 brown colt, Capitalist – Taliqua by Charge Forward

By Golden Slipper winner and exciting young Gr1 sire Capitalist.

Third foal of winning daughter of top broodmare sire Charge Forward. Grandam is SW and stakes producer Anacarde.

“This colt has thrown to Charge Forward, his broodmare sire. He’s by the Golden Slipper winner out of a mare by the first colt home in his year in the Slipper and that’s how he looks, short back, long underneath, a ready made two year-old.”

Lot 901 black or brown colt, Pierata – Global Dream by Fastnet Rock

By an exciting Gr1 winning freshman sire whose stock are being much admired.

Half- brother to Gr3 Breeders Plate winner Global Quest and SP Minks Star. Dam is half-sister to Gr2 winner Noire. La Troienne family, best in the Stud Book.

“Very much in the mould of Pierata physically. Although members of this family often look as though they will need time, this colt’s half-brother won the Breeders Plate and several others have shown precocity.”

Lot 939 chestnut colt, Capitalist – Hollywood Mistress by All American

By Golden Slipper winner and exciting young Gr1 sire Capitalist

Third foal of a winning mare from Highgrove’s Gr1 winning “Summer Passage” family. Inbred to Best In Show via Last Tycoon and Redoute’s Choice, one of the most successful nicks in Australia.

“Very much like his sire Capitalist, a cracking colt, strong, mature, very correct, with a beautiful temperament. A ready made Magic Millions colt.” Ron Gilbert was kind enough to answer a few questions for Bluebloods.

Where is the most unusual place you’ve visited?

“The Blackcomb glacier near Whistler in Canada is absolutely stunning. It’s hundreds of thousands of years old, the colours inside while water rushes through are spectacular.”

Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?

“Yes and a rumbling tummy. It can be quite stressful even if you have a yearling with several interested buyers. It’s a cross between excitement, anticipation and trepidation.”

What makes Magic Millions at the Gold Coast such a success?

“Katie Page-Harvey. Her enthusiasm and passion for the sales company and the excitement that builds around it makes it a very special place to be in January.”

2023 draft

Lot Sex/Col Sire Dam

124 C/B. Pierata Miss Delveen 249 C/Ch. Deep Field Pomposity 459 C/Br. Capitalist Taliqua 901 C/Br. or Blk. Pierata Global Dream 939 C/Ch. Capitalist Hollywood Mistress

www.highgrovestud.com.au

Ron Gilbert: 0418 700 007

Westbrook, Darling Downs, Queensland

KBL

Thoroughbreds

In a few years, Kandice Pritchard’s KBL Thoroughbreds has emerged as a serious vendor of yearlings. In 2023, they will present their sixth draft of yearlings at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and they’ve grown substantially from that inaugural draft of six yearlings, which included Listed placed city winner Dream Circle, who has earned nearly half a million in his six wins, more than four times his purchase price.

During their first five years of operation, they’ve sold a million-dollar yearling (now a city winner of four races who is about to make his Hong Kong debut), and several group winners, including exciting three year-old Twin Stars who won on debut at two in March 2022, then followed that up with a win in the Gr3 SAJC Sires’ Produce Stakes and second in the Gr2 SAJC Breeders’ Stakes.

This year is a much smaller draft than we’ve offered in the past. We have cut back our numbers to focus on quality over quantity, which is something buyers at this sale appreciate

/ Twin Stars

Words / Rénee Geelen

“This year is a much smaller draft than we’ve offered in the past. We have cut back our numbers to focus on quality over quantity, which is something buyers at this sale appreciate,” said Pritchard. “The draft are all athletic horses with strong pedigrees and families to back up their type, and we specifically targeted this sale for these horses as we think they suit the market at the Gold Coast. When we started six years ago, we had a five year plan which we’ve achieved, and now we are entering into the next phase of establishing the KBL Thoroughbreds brand and product. Going forward, starting with this sale, we are putting more focus on each individual horse to ensure they get a good head start with plenty of one-on-one attention. That’s not to say that we haven’t sold a lot of good horses before this. Cumberbatch recently won in Macau again to take his record to seven wins, and there is, of course, Twin Stars, and the unbeaten two year-old Mishani Renegade.”

From KBL Thoroughbreds 2022 Magic Millions graduates, who have only just turned two, they’ve already produced three winners including Mishani Renegade (Top Echelon) who is unbeaten in three starts this spring all in Brisbane, Harleen (Written Tycoon) who won on debut in October 2022, and Mishani Maverick (Performer) who placed in Brisbane on debut then won his second start.

KBL Thoroughbreds will present a select draft of eight yearlings at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale with an even split between proven and unproven stallions.

A half-brother to KBL Thoroughbreds’ graduate Gr3 SAJC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Twin Stars is Lot 224, a colt by Shalaa out of Listed winner Pearl Star, from the family of Gr1 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Spectatorial. Beautifully credentialled filly, Lot 415, is a half-sister to Gr2 winner Prospective, Listed winner Josie, and to the dam of Gr1 winner Kalypso, out of imported American Listed winner Spiritied Away (Awesome Again). This filly is by first season sire Omaha Beach (War Front).

Yes Yes Yes was a boom two year-old before winning The Everest at three, and his progeny should run early, especially with pedigrees like Lot 48, as this yearling colt is out of sprint winning mare Laugh a Little (Lonhro) whose three year-old filly A Little Deep won on debut and whose two year-old ran fifth on debut recently. Laugh a Little is a half-sister to Crack Me Up who won six races, all at black type level including the Gr2 Villiers Stakes, and to Hoofit who won stakes races in both USA and New Zealand, while Laugh a Little’s dam is Listed winner Chuckle who also ran second in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic behind Lovely Jubly.

The second foal of stakes placed winner Dreams of Paris is a Merchant Navy filly, Lot 807, and her dam won four races including one at Caulfield over a mile. Her first foal is an American Pharoah two year-old colt. Dreams of Paris is a half-sister to Gr2 winner and multiple times Gr1 placed Benzini, who won eleven races, from the family of sprint star, Gr1 winner, and $1.3million earner Hot Snitzel. Dundeel’s five Gr1 winners are all colts or geldings, and his yearling colt, Lot 639, is out of stakes placed city winner Babel (Lonhro) who has left two winners so far, and is from the family of Gr1 winner Littorio and dual Gr1 winner Seascay.

A half-sister, by All Too Hard, to group placed winner of four races is Lot 932, and her winning dam, Help (Savabeel) has also left consistent gelding Super Helpful who has won five of his 16 starts and is currently racing. This is the family of Gr1 winners Honor Babe and Kiwi Golfer.

Leading First Season Sire in 2021/22, Russian Revolution, is the sire of Lot 694, a colt whose half-sister won three races, and his dam, Calzini Bianchi is a half-sister to Champion 3YO in Singapore, Top Knight (Zoustar). First season sire and Gr1 Doncaster winner Brutal is represented in the KBL Thoroughbreds draft by Lot 541, a colt out of young winning mare We’s Done (Commands) who is a half-sister to group winner Dynamic Love who

won seven races, four as a two year-old, and to Listed winner Key Bar Nights (dam of Listed winner Barbed).

Kandice is looking forward to parading their draft in January, she is quietly confident that the KBL quality will shine through.

Kenmore LODGE

Words / Glen Latham

Afew years back Cameron and Kellie Bond of the family owned, boutique farm Kenmore Lodge, made the decision to expand and invest in better quality mares. It was a venture that looks certain to be rewarded starting on the Gold Coast in January.

Cameron, Kellie and the Kenmore team will arrive at Magic Millions with a sizeable offering of 31 yearlings, the produce of a broad spectrum of stallions. But what is striking is that the catalogue pages look just that much better this year. Discussing the youngsters with Kellie she said “It’s a good draft of horses, a nice spread of stallions,

a few first foals, others from mares with proven records and plenty with recent pedigree updates. We started buying a better class of mare a few years ago and the early results are the yearlings we’ll take to Bundall in January.” Interestingly, partially by design and the rest by fate, the top end of the draft has a distinct flavour of The Everest running through it.

When asked to pinpoint her favourite colt Kellie didn’t hesitate to nominate Lot 598, a son of first crop sire Yes Yes Yes, winner of The Everest, out of the Not A Single Doubt mare Alnaas. Kellie explained “He just looks an early runner carrying plenty of Not A Single Doubt, a good mover with

a good attitude and a big forearm. He looks precocious and is the perfect horse for the sale.”

Alnaas won four times up to a mile including a two length success at Warwick Farm and comes from a tough family with seven time Gr1 winner Grand Armee not that far down the page. It also helps that the last horse on the page can gallop a bit, Anamoe.

So here’s where The Everest connection begins. That colt, along with a filly out of the six time winner Berrimilla that sells as Lot 658, are both by Yes Yes Yes.

It is fair to say only the true believers could have expected Giga Kick to win The Everest. However, when he reeled

/ Giga Kick, sensational winner of The Everest. Kenmore offers a colt by multiple Gr1 winning first season sire Castelvecchio out of Giga Kick’s three quarter-sister as Lot 290.

in Private Eye and Nature Strip, Kenmore’s Lot 290 got a massive pedigree update and suddenly came on the radar of a few more prospective buyers.

By another first season sire in Castelvecchio, this colt is out of the unraced Redoute’s Choice mare Rekindled Glow, a three-quarter sister not only to Giga Kick, but also to the Gr1 C F Orr Stakes winner and sire Alabama Express. Rekindled Glow is the dam of the winning three year-old Monastery which David Payne thought enough of to run in a Gr2 recently behind the Caulfield Guineas winner Golden Mile. Kellie was taken with the horse even before Giga Kick scored at the elite level. “He’s a nice size horse, not overly big with a nice length of rein on him and an uncomplicated mover.”

The connection with Randwick mid-October continued when discussing Kenmore’s better fillies and Kellie mentioned Lot 827. By Champion First Season Sire Russian Revolution out of Empress Matilda, a Charge Forward full sister to the Gr1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Headway, this filly has another “The Everest” pedigree. Empress Matilda is also a half-sister to Gr1 Doomben 10,000 winner and The Everest third Mazu (Maurice). “She’s by a stallion that has started off tremendously well and is an athletic filly that I really like.” Of course Charge Forward is still recognised as an excellent broodmare sire which just ticks another box for the filly. It doesn’t hurt either that Mazu is already locked in to run in The Everest again in 2023 so there is plenty of upside for whoever takes her home. Cameron and Kellie will offer that filly on behalf of Stuart and John Ramsey of Turangga Farm, recent breeders of the Gr2 winner Chain Of Lightning.

Interestingly, when asked for her pick of the fillies Kellie plumped for a daughter of the first crop sire Dubious, this one out of Rambla de Flores by Encosta de Lago. In Kellie’s

opinion she is a “Neat, mature, balanced, early running filly that looks really in the mould of Not A Single Doubt. She is well-muscled with a great temperament and if she’s typical of the Dubious yearlings then they will be ready to contest the early two year-old races next season. Once raced, Rambla de Flores is a half-sister to the Listed placed Angelus out of Great Anna, a Listed winning daughter of Anabaa who was also third in the Gr1 Australasian Oaks. There is plenty of stamina on the page to go with the speed of Dubious as the third dam of this filly, the Sir Tristram mare Great Vintage, won the Gr2 Herbert Power Handicap and was fourth to Vintage Crop in the Melbourne Cup.

Looking at fillies by proven stallions, they don’t come much more proven than Extreme Choice, Kenmore will take his daughter Lot 914 through on the Saturday night session with high expectations. Out of Green Mirage, a daughter of Green Desert, Kellie said of the filly “She’s a nice big filly by a stallion who has an incredible record of runners to Stakes horses. She’ll be a valuable commodity, a well grown half-sister to a Stakes performer.” The Stakes performer Kellie referred to is Lone Eagle, one of seven winners from eight foals to race for Green Mirage. This is also a family with a little bit happening on the page with recent Listed Alinghi Stakes winner A Very Fine Red (Deep Field) to run for the successful bidder.

Looking through the draft there are a few more opportunities for a quick update to a pedigree, amongst them Lot 112, a Territories half-brother to the Listed winner Ranch Hand. Yearlings by other sires at the top of their game include Lot 378, a Capitalist filly out of Shining Eagle, a daughter of dual Gr1 winner Dashing Eagle. There is also a filly by Anamoe’s sire Street Boss out of the well-related Lonhro mare All Joy that sells as Lot 592, and in Book Two a Capitalist filly out of the four time winner Reef Knot,

a half-sister to Spanish Reef who saluted four times at Group level.

It should be remembered it doesn’t cost the earth to get a Magic Millions 2YO Classic runner from a Kenmore draft. In January 2021 Peter and Will Hulbert paid just $50,000 for a Book Two son of Heroic Valour, and as Heroic Son he comfortably won on debut and earned enough prizemoney to get into the 2022 Classic.

The 2023 Gold Coast Yearling Sales draft off of Kenmore Lodge is easily the best Cameron and Kellie have taken to the sale in the few short years they have been selling. It’s now time for buyers to reap the benefits from the Bond’s extensive investment.

112 C/B. Territories (IRE) Mezulla (NZ) 275 C/B. Spirit of Boom Quizzed (GB)

F/B. Dubious Rambla de Flores

C/B. Castelvecchio Rekindled Glow

F/Ch. Capitalist Shining Eagle

C/Ch. Zousain Special Bid (NZ)

F/Ch. Street Boss (USA) All Joy

C/B. Yes Yes Yes Alnaas

F/Br. Merchant Navy Aneesa

F/Ch. Yes Yes Yes Berrimilla

C/Ch. Written By Break Every Rule

C/Br. Cosmic Force Crimson Rush

F/B. or Br. Russian Revolution Empress Matilda

F/Ch. Extreme Choice Green Mirage

F/B. or Br. Brutal (NZ) Temptress

F/Br. Santos The Look of Love

C/B. Cosmic Force Al Nova

C/Gr. Divine Prophet Blue Carlou

C/B. Zousain Campagna

C/B. So You Think (NZ) Choix de Maia (NZ)

F/Ch. Dubious I’m Rosie

C/Ch. Dubious Jeddah Aheadah

F/Br. Territories (IRE) Latvian Amber

C/B. Dubious Licorice Stick

F/B. Rothesay Magic Ivy (NZ)

/ Cameron and Kellie Bond

Kingstar FARM

They say you should fish where the fish are, and Kingstar Farm is the farm that sold Gr1 Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside (Extreme Choice). They will offer more of the same in 2023 with three rare yearlings by Extreme Choice in their draft. Extreme Choice needs no introduction as his tiny crops have yielded Gr1 winners Stay Inside and She’s Extreme, as well six other stakes winners (from only 87 named foals to date). There aren’t many of them, but they sure can run!

Kingstar Farm will present a draft of 21 yearlings at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, led by the three Extreme Choice yearlings. Lot 28 is a half-sister to Listed Wyong Magic Millions 2YO Classic placegetter Remorseless, out of winning mare Killcareless from the family of Redoute’s Choice. A filly, Lot 858, is the second live foal of Fashion Model, a winner of four races from the family of Gr1 placed

group winner Cornwall Queen, and Lot 449, a potential stallion prospect, is a magnificent the first foal of Sweet Bouquet, a winning half-sister to group winner Santos and Melagrana, from the family of Gr1 winner Fat Al.

Six yearlings by Kingstar Farm’s first season sire and boom two year-old, Unite and Conquer, will suit buyers who come to this sale looking for early maturing types. Trained by Gai Waterhouse, Unite and Conquer won two early Listed two year-old races before being injured in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

A half-brother to Listed winner and Gr1 placed Ever Loyal is Lot 1174 and this Unite and Conquer colt is out of winning mare Miss Lucille, who dam is out of triple Gr1 winning sprinter Special (dam of two stakes winners and the dams of four other stakes winners).

Unite and Conquer colt, Lot 482, is out of winning mare Think Aloud, whose first foal has won four races, and she is a half-sister to Listed winner Ever the Same from

half-sister Makarova.

Stakes placed winner Abba has already left three winners from as many to race, and her Unite and Conquer colt, Lot 1001, is from the family of Black Caviar, All Too Hard, Ole Kirk, and Magnus, while the first foal of stakes placed winner Shamurt is Lot 1245.

The first foal of stakes placed 2YO Boomstress, Lot 1038, is an Unite and Conquer filly from the family of recent group winner Metallic Crown and Listed winner Snitzepeg, while the filly, Lot 1154, is out of a half-sister to dual Gr2 winner Tally who also placed in the Gr1 Australian Derby and Gr1 Turnbull Stakes.

Two Written Tycoon colts will appeal to most buyers, with Lot 432 being a full brother to Listed two yearold winner Tyresa (Written Tycoon) out of a half-sister to Gr1 Golden Slipper winner Capitalist (Written Tycoon) from the Bold Promise family. Lot 585 is a three-quarter

Words / Renee Geleen

the Redoute’s Choice family via Umatilla and Hurricane Sky’s stakes placed winning

/ Allira and Adam Cook with Layne and Roxy

brother to Axe (Written Tycoon) out of young winning mare from the Flying Spur family.

By Toronado, Lot 781, is a colt out of a winning daughter of Champion racemare Makybe Diva (seven Gr1 wins and twice Horse of the Year). Imported Gr2 winner Doremifasollatido is the dam of Lot 799, a filly by Russian Revolution, who is the third Australian born foal for her dam who left three winners from as many live foals in the USA.

A half-brother, by first season sire Brutal, to Listed winner Lady War Machine, is Lot 178, and his dam is imported Gr3 winner Native Bombshell (War Front), who is related to local stakes winners California Dane (sire of Rebel Dane), Gr1 winner Warhorse, and Zee Falls.

The first foal of Listed winner Champagne Boom is a Deep Field colt, Lot 1053, and Champagne Boom’s winning dam is a half-sister to group winner Scenic Warrior and Listed winner Stanzaic.

Other sires represented are Capitalist (Lot 264), Cosmic Force (Lot 161), Microphone (Lot 55), Rothesay (Lot 1165), Tassort (Lot 158), and Yes Yes Yes (Lot 121).

What is the best horse you have sold through Magic Millions?

Golden Slipper winner, Stay Inside.

Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?

Butterflies? Absolutely, yes!

What makes Magic Millions at the Gold Coast such a success?

The timing and location. Magic Millions is more than a great sale, it’s a gathering and celebration of the industry. A great carnival.

When assessing breeding which influences/key horses do you mainly look for?

You have to look at everything, the type, the pedigree and current market trends. When we are buying it is simpler, we just have to find something fast for ourselves but when presenting yearlings to others we have to cater for the level of market at which we are selling and in many cases present a yearling that is able to be rapidly onsold by trainers and syndicators.

What’s the coldest you’ve ever been?

Boxing Day in Kentucky whilst shuttling stallions. It is a big change to our summer!

What songs take you back to your teen years?

Anything by Guns ‘n’ Roses and Nirvana.

Do you prefer fishing or football, details please.

Football – I played a bit and I don’t really enjoy sitting around waiting for a fish not to bite.

Do you play an instrument?

I play a mean Air Guitar.

What’s one thing your dogs could say that would completely ruin your image if they could talk?

Our English Bulldogs are extremely well cared for, so they’d better not say anything too controversial!

What would you do if you sold a yearling for $10 million?

Wake myself up.

Adam Cook; adam@kingstarfarm.com.au 0427 901 201

Conor Phelan; conor@kingstarfarm.com.au 0437 842 852

2023 Kingstar will offer three rare yearlings by Extreme Choice in their draft.

Newhaven PARK

Newhaven Park Boorowa has had an exceptional year by even its high standards. Studmaster John Kelly told Bluebloods “Not only did our sale graduate In The Congo win the Gr1 Golden Rose, but our young stallion Xtravagant finished the season as 2nd placed sire in the nation behind Extreme Choice as leading sire of stakes winners to runners, which is a key statistic in our industry”.

Xtravagant found himself among the sires with 100k and 200k service fees in the SW/R department with 7.27% SW/R an outstanding feat for a young sire with less runners and off a much lower service fee base than those behind him, and as he is by Pentire it would not be unreasonable to expect his stock to do even better with maturity.

“We tried hard to convince breeders to support Xtravagant and those who did were appreciated. It was a struggle in 2021 but we have been swamped this year and he will cover his biggest ever book at his highest fee so there are some nice mares there and he looks to be on his way. We

Newhaven Park has 37 yearlings catalogued for the 2023 MM and to highlight just how worthwhile it will be to inspect these babies, you have only to look at the recent Newhaven sale graduates.

Words / Andrew Reichard.

are taking six of his yearlings to the 2023 Magic Millions and they are a cracking bunch.”

“The first into the ring should light up the board as she’s a filly and a full sister to millionaire Inglis Millennium winner Xtravagant Star and to SW He’s Exceptional. From the family of current star 2yo Buenos Noches, this is a filly we can recommend to everybody.”

The other five Xtravagant yearlings are: Lot 431 a full brother to the winner Xtra Gear from the family of Calming, Timeless Prince and War Artist; Lot 934 a full brother to the winner Polly Plum from the exceptional family of Trichelle, Sovereign Red and Gurner’s Lane; Lot 1093 a half-sister to three winners from the family of Blue Diamond winner True Jewels and current rising star Shalstar; Lot 1112 a half-brother to three winners (mare is 3/3) out of SP Greytfilly from the family of Bring Me Roses, Face Value and Diamond Earth and Lot 1218 a filly who is the first foal of a Moonee Valley winning 2yo by Exceed And Excel from The family of unbeaten 2yo Amelia’s Dream.

Newhaven Park has 37 yearlings catalogued for the 2023 MM and to highlight just how worthwhile it will be to inspect these babies, you have only to look at the recent Newhaven sale graduates. These Include current Gr1 star In The Congo, Gr2 winner Lavish Girl, the stakes winning siblings He’s Exceptional and Xtravagant Star, Gr1 placed Brosnan plus the Gr1 quinella of Odeum and Shout The Bar. John Kelly continued, “That was yesterday, we’re looking forward to parading them to buyers. We will be offering yearlings by Zoustar, Written By, Exceed And Excel, Spirit Of Boom, So You Think, Trapeze Artist, Capitalist, Blue Point, Lean Mean Machine, Brutal, Microphone, Pride Of Dubai to name a few and there should be a nice yearling to suit buyers in all price ranges among them.”

“A couple of standouts would include: Lot 40 a filly by Royal Meeting who is the first foal of talented SP Lady Of Crebilly from the family of Jade Robbery; Lot 108 the Zoustar halfsister to multiple Gr2 winner Pure Elation (667k); Lot 155 the Capitalist half-sister to Gr1 1000Gns winner Odeum from the family of Gytrash: Lot 594 the Exceed And Excel filly from a multiple winning stakes producing half-sister to Gr1 winner Inspirational Girl and Lot 802 the Blue Point colt out of a multiple winning winner producing close relation of Gr1 winner Super Seth.”

“We’ve had an incredible season at Boorowa, after the devastating drought which lasted for seven years we have now had just about too much rainfall, something I never dreamt of saying, but we are dry land farmers, not tropical gardeners. If you live on the land you have this constant struggle with the climate. But regardless, we’ve put together one of our best ever drafts for the 2023 MM and I look forward to parading them for buyers and to catching up with our clients and old friends.”

Q: What’s the most expensive thing you’ve broken?

A: My mother’s car when I was 17 it was an expensive mistake.

Q: What songs take you back to your teen years?

A: Sweet Caroline, any AC/DC.

Q: Do you prefer fishing or football? Details please.

A: Football. I need to be able to change the result not sit there waiting for a bite!!!!

Q: What is the best horse you have sold through Magic Millions?

A: Unencumbered, Shout The Bar and Odeum.

Q: When assessing breeding which influences/key horses do you mainly look for?

A: Danehill, Snippets, Redoute’s Choice and Vain.

Q: Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?

A: Every time, if it ever stops I will retire.

Q: What makes Magic Millions at the Gold Coast such a success?

A: It’s the festive season on the Gold Coast, great horses, great racing and great people what more do you need?

C/B. Magna Grecia (IRE) Jacquetta

F/Br. Nicconi Judicial Rock

F/B. Royal Meeting (IRE) Lady of Crebilly

C/B. or Br. Trapeze Artist Little Gypsy

F/B. Star Witness Love Spy

F/B. Zoustar Members Joy

F/B. or Br. Capitalist Movie

C/Br. Brutal (NZ) Orchestral Lass

C/B. Brutal (NZ) Refer

F/B. Xtravagant (NZ) She’s a Danica

C/B. Microphone South of France (USA)

F/B. Written By Sparkle

C/B. Xtravagant (NZ) Stregheria

C/Ch. Nicconi Testa Secret

F/B. Exceed and Excel Allez Bien (NZ)

F/B. So You Think (NZ) Aware

C/B. Dubious Camena (USA)

C/B. Pierata Classic Charlotte (USA)

Deep Field Discreet

or Br. Nicconi Divine Choice

Blue Point (IRE) Down the Hatch

F/B. Pride of Dubai Emphatically

C/Ch. Written By Estate

or Br. Brazen Beau Friday Hussy

Nicconi Gleams

Xtravagant (NZ) Herstory

F/B. Brutal (NZ) Hittite

Magna Grecia (IRE) Mrs Kipling (IRE)

/ In The Congo

/ Lavish Girl

Raheen STUD

Four generation Queensland farm Raheen Stud continues to produce brilliant racehorses with Magic Millions graduates highlighted by Gr1 winner Seasons Bloom, Gr2 winner Oak Door, Listed winner Sylpheed, and the recently retired Sweet Dolly, who Raheen Stud sold as a weanling for only $1,500, and went on to win four of her five starts including the Listed Calaway Gal Stakes at two. The Raheen Stud graduates are good value buying with most of them winning races, with lists of city winners being churned out at every draft.

“We always look forward to this sale. It’s the pinnacle of our business,” said Raheen Stud’s Basil Nolan. “We’ve had a wonderful season. The farm looks enormous at the moment, especially when you look back at 2019 and the drought. I believe that a farm is only as good as your last winner, and we hope to breed many more like Sweet Dolly, who was unbeaten as a two year-old.”

Raheen Stud’s 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast draft has begun with a bang with graduate Miss Coota (Spirit of Boom) being unbeaten in two starts at two this spring.

The 2023 Raheen Stud draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale consists of 20 yearlings with seven by their resident Gr1 winning sire Heroic Valour.

Hot young sire Zoustar has five Gr1 winners among his 33 stakes winners, and his yearling colt, Lot 553, is the second foal of winning Snitzel mare Wisdom Tree, herself a halfsister to group winner Missrock, and Listed winner Passive Aggressive, with both being out of group winner Miss Judgement, one of four stakes winners for her dam. “He’s going to end up a big strong colt. A nice horse, well put together, and extremely well bred. A good blend of Zoustar and Snitzel, bigger than Snitzel but with his athleticism.”

Raheen Stud will also offer two yearlings by Zoustar’s first season sire Zousain; Lot 895 is a filly out of stakes placed winner Germayne Lass, who has already left three winners,

and is a half-sister to Listed winner Throssell; while Lot 1141 is a Zousain colt who is the first foal of winning mare King’s Lady (Not A Single Doubt). “The King’s Lady is quite a well grown foal for a first foal, with a running pedigree.”

Queensland’s Spirit of Boom has been a revelation –a tough racehorse who has thrived at stud leaving 18 stakes winners to date, and his colt, Lot 1091, is out of winning Redoute’s Choice mare Exquisite Art, who has left four winners, and is out of Champion 2YO Filly Victory Vein, whose granddaughter Gr3 winner Sookie recently left dual Gr1 winner Shadow Hero.

Gr3 Quezette Stakes winner Kiss A Rose’s half-brother by Better Than Ready, Lot 945, is out of stakes placed winner Hurl, with second dam being Listed winner Quarante Love, and tracing back to Gr1 winner Accomplice.

A full sister to Listed winner Too Good To Refuse (Rothesay) is Lot 1008. Too Good To Refuse won five races and was multiple times group and listed placed with earnings over

Words / Rénee Geelen

$500,000. Both Too Good To Refuse and this yearling filly are out of winning mare Alyssa Jean, who is a half-sister to Listed winners Royal Delight, who ran third in the Gr1 Hong Kong Sprint, and Conquered Dream.

Two yearlings by Nature Strip’s sire Nicconi include a halfsister to Listed winner Sylpheed, Lot 1077, has five siblings who have won races. Sylpheed has three wins, while Golden Dice won thirteen races, including eight in succession. Their dam, Domitilla was a winner, and is a half-sister to Gr2 Champagne Classic winner Free Wheeling. Lot 302, a colt, is a half-brother to Raheen Stud’s current unbeaten two year-old graduate Miss Coota, out of Fastnet Rock mare Rock Garden, who is from the family of Gr1 winner Furlough. “The Rock Garden is a typical Nicconi with a lot of Fastnet Rock about him too. A lovely horse who should run like his sister Miss Coota.”

A Brutal half-sister to stakes placed winner Flower in the Wind (Sebring) is Lot 102, and this filly is out of winning mare Meadow (Redoute’s Choice) who is out of Listed winner Strawberry Field, who also left group placed winner Superare, and the dam of Gr3 winner Mimi’s Award. “A lovely walking filly with a great attitude and perhaps the nicest filly in our draft.”

A filly by first season sire Pierata, Lot 720, is out of Chickletta, a young Redoute’s Choice half-sister to group winner Oak Door, and this filly’s second dam is Listed winner of five races, Beyonce’s Star who has a Heroic Valour filly in this draft. “A nice black filly who is a real up and run type.”

A Gr1 winner at two in New Zealand, Heroic Valour (Fastnet Rock) had eight winners of eleven races with his first crop last season when they were two, and now as early three year-olds, he has expanded his record to 13 winners of 19 races.

“Heroic Valour has started his career very well. He’s great value and throws a good type of horse. He gets a lot of city

winners for the price he stands at, and trainers tell us that they are sound horses to work with.”

A half-sister to Gr2 Autumn Stakes winner Oak Door is Lot 1029, and this Heroic Valour filly is out of stakes winner Beyonce’s Star. “One of the stand-outs in the draft. She is a very nice horse.”

The second foal, a colt, of winning mare Heart of a Rebel, Lot 1116, is out of a half-sister to Gr2 winner Sharks Bay and to the dam of Gr1 HKJC Stewards’ Cup winner Seasons Bloom. “An outstanding colt and from the family of Seasons Bloom who is probably one of the best horses we’ve sold recently.”

Lot 1236, a filly out of winning mare Sandrelli (Street Cry) is a half-sister to two winners; Never Sober has won three races, including a city race in Perth two starts ago in October 2022 and Michelotti won twice as a two year-old last season. “She’s a real two year-old type like her brother.”

Lot 1071 is a half-brother to stakes placed winner of ten races, Grey Missile, being from a full sister to Gr1 winner Lovely Jubly (dam of Chautauqua and group winner London Lolly). A colt, Lot 1159, is a half-brother to ten race winner Cabalo Escuro, and three other winners, and is out of a winning half-sister to Champion 3YO Filly and dual Gr1 winner Heavenly Glow. A full sister to two year-old winner Heroic Angel, Lot 1255, is out of winning mare Sonador Angel, who is a half-sister to Sweet Dolly.

Other sires represented in the Raheen Stud draft are All Too Hard (996), Puissance de Lune (1206), and Written By (1003).

Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?

Of course I do. I’ve been doing this for a long time but still love it. You aren’t trying hard enough if you don’t get butterflies!

Zousain King’s Lady

F/Ch. Heroic Valour Sandrelli

F/B. Heroic Valour Sonador Angel

F/B. Heroic Valour Sop

C/Br. Heroic Valour Lucia

C/Ch. or Gr. Puissance de Lune (IRE) Pentimento

F/Ch.Ch. Heroic Valour Sandrelli

F/B.B. Heroic Valour Sonador Angel

F/B.B. Heroic Valour Sop

/ Miss Coota

/ Sweet Dolly

Ridgmont FARM

Words / Rénee Geelen

Horse racing loves fresh, exciting new things, and Ridgmont Farm fits all those brackets while bringing together strong industry knowledge and experience under their umbrella. The team at Ridgmont Farm, run by proprietor Andrew Dunneman, purchased a property in Australia’s renowned horse country, the Hunter Valley, and have given it a complete makeover to upgrade all the facilities with the aim of building Ridgmont Farm into a property focused on a quality racing product. They will present their eagerly awaited inaugural draft of yearlings at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Dunemann began his sporting career young, making his NRL debut at seventeen, then moved into coaching after a fifteen season playing career. For the past eight years, Dunemann has been working in various aspects of horse racing to broaden his knowledge base, and together with an established property, and an experienced team, Ridgmont Farms looks like a farm going places.

Ridgmont Farm’s inaugural Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft will feature thirteen yearlings with nine of them in book one and each yearling represents the investment Ridgmont Farm have put into upgrading both the property and their broodmare band.

The draft presented by Ridgmont Farm is headed by two colts by two of the best stallions to ever stand in Australia. Exceed and Excel continues to fire as a prolific winner of two year-old stakes races whilst Lonhro, the sire of the winners of 17 individual Gr1 races, continues to be well sought after in his twilight.

Not many yearlings by Champion Sire Lonhro end up in the marketplace, and his colt, Lot 61, is the first foal of group placed winner Light Up The Room (So You Think), with a strong colonial family behind his pedigree. He has the credentials to be on everyone’s final list.

Lot 513 is no different, with this Exceed and Excel colt’s dam Urban Rocket being a three-quarter sister

to eight-time stakes winner, including the Gr1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp, Maarek. Urban Rocket is out of Ruby Rocket, who won five races including two Listed races and this colt hails from a great European family. Importantly, Urban Rocket’s siblings are doing it in the breeding barn.

Grey like her third dam Emancipation, Lot 634 is a Deep Field filly whose dam is the seven-time stakes winner, and Gr1 runner up Avenue (Anabaa), a sister to Gr1 winner Virage de Fortune (dam of group placed winner Subedar). Virage De Fortune is proven to be an exceptional granddam as well. The great Emancipation has been responsible through her deeds of leaving high class Gr2 winner and Gr1 placed Royal Pardon, as well as the dams of Railings and Magneto. Avenue’s five foals to race are all winners.

Gr1 winning sprinter Pierata was a tough racehorse over several seasons, and his first crop yearling filly, Lot 349, is the second foal of the multiple winning mare See Me

Rock (Sepoy) including a six-length maiden win at her third start, and is a daughter of Listed winner and Gr1 placed Born To Rock.

Proven international sire Night of Thunder’s yearling colt, Lot 113, is the first foal of Mia Diva (Exceed and Excel) who was a winner at two, and is a full sister to group winner Queen of Bermuda and a half-sister to the progressive Gr3 placegetter, Crazyland.

Dunemann’s Gr1 winner and now successful sire Spirit of Boom is represented by a colt, Lot 892, who is a threequarter sibling to Gr1 winner Jonker (Spirit of Boom), being out of Jonker’s winning half-sister Gandiva (Magic Albert). This is the family of Commands, Fair Trade, Fiscal Fantasy, and further back to Eight Carat.

The Dundeel colt, Lot 363, is the second foal of multiple winning Track Record holder mare Shantou (Sepoy), a daughter of group winner and Gr1 placed Shanzero, making her a half-sister to group placed winner Hill Spy. This Dundeel colt is from the Danestorm family.

An American Pharoah colt, Lot 564, is out of the four-time Sydney metropolitan winning mare Yuma Desert (Not a Single Doubt) whose full brother won his first two races at two, then placed in the Listed Singapore Juvenile Championship at his third start and is now the winner of six races. She is also a half-sister to the Melbourne stakes placed Sandy Prince.

American Gr1 winner Frosted (Tapit) shares a sire with 2022’s best racehorse, Flightline, and Frosted’s yearling colt, Lot 853, is from a winning family with his dam and granddam both being multiple winners. This colt’s dam Face Forward is a multiple Flemington straight course victor and showed serious ability on the racetrack.

Ridgmont Farm will also present four yearlings in book two by Alabama Express, Calyx, and Menari.

What is the best horse you have sold through Magic Millions?

I sold Finance Tycoon who earnt $961,000 and is now at stud. Boomtown Lass who earnt $783,150. My main

focus since coming into the industry has been buying yearlings and broodmares and have been involved in selling only around eight yearlings at Magic Millions. I’m looking forward to adding to that in the upcoming years with our first draft for Ridgmont Farm.

When assessing breeding which influences/key horses do you mainly look for?

I am a big believer in the progeny of an exceptional mare being the one who does it at stud. I also will not buy a mare who is placed only, nor her progeny. There are exceptions to every rule and one will make a fool of you but the stats don’t lie. I do buy unraced mares. The background information becomes very important and in fact I think being unraced can be a major positive.

Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?

I think when the butterflies go, much like in sport, it is time to probably give it away.

What makes Magic Millions at the Gold Coast such a success?

It is what racing is all about… The experience. Nobody does that better than the Magic Millions carnival fortnight. Racing for most people is not about dollars and cents, it’s about the experience and use of their disposable income.

Where is the most unusual place you’ve visited?

Port Moresby, it is very different to Australia yet so close. I’ve seen some things there you would never see anywhere else including a blind man who had a pet 5m crocodile he would sit on and even put his head in its mouth. What’s the coldest you’ve ever been?

I’ve lived in England, Canberra and Scone and grew up in Toowoomba. They can be as bad as each other at times.

What songs take you back to your teen years?

Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston were my go to songs as pump-up music before footy games along with Eye Of The Tiger.

What drives you nuts about social media?

Keyboard Warriors. Tough on social media, most weak as you know what when not behind the keyboard.

61 C/Br. Lonhro Light Up the Room

C/Ch. Night of Thunder (IRE) Mia Diva (GB)

Pharoah (USA)

(GB)

/ Finance Tycoon 1st VRC Maribyrnong P-Gr3 on 23/9/20 or 17/4/21

Riversdale

With the recent announcement that Nick and Jas Hodges of Riversdale Farm have purchased Ashleigh from Senga Bissett and Ivan Woodford-Smith to expand their operations, the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft from Riversdale Farm forms part of this exciting new development for the farm. Riversdale Farm have previously sold Gr1 winners Nettoyer, Samadoubt and Behemoth among many other top class graduates. “We are really excited for the future and we see the purchase of Ashleigh Farm as the beginning of a new chapter for Riversdale,” said Nick Hodges. “I worked up

there for Senga when she first developed the property, and to be in a position where we were able to purchase the property from Senga and Ivan is great. Being able to continue the outstanding work they’ve done is a big thrill and a big challenge.”

With thirteen yearlings by thirteen different stallions, this is a draft with something for everyone. One of the best looking stallions at stud, and a proven sire of Gr1 winners, So You Think has a filly, Lot 534, who is a full sister to recent winner Street Gossip, and this yearling filly is the fourth foal of five-race city winner Wahng Wah, who is a three-quarter sister to stakes placed winner Warranty,

as well as being out of a half-sister to Gr1 winner Gathering, group winner Florentina (dam of dual Gr1 winner In Italian), and Listed winner California Turbo. This is the Redoute’s Choice family.

Anamoe’s sire Street Boss has a colt, Lot 787, who is the third foal of a winning half-sister to Listed winners Golden Pistols and Keep the Faith who won twelve races between them, including four at Listed level. Recent two year-old stakes winner Lord Cosmos is also from this strong American family.

Among the young, exciting sires is a Spieth colt, Lot 1230, who is out of a half-sister to triple Gr1 winner Sea Siren

Words / Rénee Geelen

(dam of stakes placed winner Celestial Object), Lady Dehere, Oratorio, and Discorsi. Winning mare We Can Dance has an Impending colt, Lot 997, and his dam is a half-sister to the dam of four-time Gr1 winner Appearance and Listed winner Mascareri. Invader’s filly, Lot 1185, is out of four race winning mare from the family of Silent Surround, dam of Silent Sovereign and Silent Command.

Those looking for Magic Millions speed and precocity should inspect Lot 982, a Zousain colt out of a half-sister to Listed winner Instalment, from the family of Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Mirror Mirror, dam of Listed winner and Gr1 placed No Looking Back. Another sprint pedigree is the Showtime colt, Lot 1017, whose dam, Aunt Liberty was a winner at two and is out of Gr1 winner Macedon Lady, making her a half-sister to the dam of Japanese group winner Shonan Bardi. A Gr1 winner at two and three Magna Grecia is represented in the Riversdale draft by a colt, Lot 396, who is the second live foal for Slippers (Zabeel) who is a three-quarter sister to Listed winner Enzed Beer (Zed) from the family of Gr1 winner Agent Double and Gr1 winner Air De Cour. Australia speedster Microphone has a colt, Lot 1155, who is out of a half-sister to triple Gr1 winning sprinter Bentley Biscuit and the dam of group winner San Fermin, and the winning dam of dual Listed winner Usmanov.

From the family of sires Duramente and Rulership comes a Pariah filly, Lot 1059, is out of Japanese mare Classic Curl, whose first foal won eleven races in Japan, and who is a half-sister to the dam of group winner and Gr1 placed I’m Yours.

A Pride of Dubai colt, Lot 1237, is out of Savabella Rose (Savabeel), a winning three-quarter sister to Gr1 Queensland Derby winner Brambles (Savabeel), group winner Lincoln Blue (Savabeel) and Listed winner Lopov (Savabeel), as well as being a half-sister to Listed winner Legsman. Savabella Rose’s first live foal has won three races, while her next two have been placed this season. Emancipationist, a winning full sister to group placed winner Emotional Circus has a Shalaa colt, Lot 1085. His dam is also a half-sister Gr3 Widden Stakes placed Twirl, and to the dams of Gr2 VRC Sires’ Produce winner Lightsaber, and Listed Singapore Derby winner Sun Marshal. Emancipationist has left three winners to date.

Super One colt, Lot 1037, is out of Bonjour (Exceed and Excel) who is a full sister to group placed two year-old winner Sampeah, and is a half-sister to two other stakes horses, while being out of Listed winner Greeting. Bonjour has left two winners at stud including a full brother to this yearling, Hello Jack, who won at Canberra recently and has a win and four placings from seven starts.

What do you enjoy most about Magic Millions at the Gold Coast?

It’s the first opportunity you get to catch up with industry participants after a long breeding season.

Rosemont STUD

We win together. That’s the philosophy at Rosemont Stud. The beautiful riverside yearling paddocks at the Victorian property have been used to grow out a host of GR1 stars such as Magic Millions graduates Krone and Mr Quickie, as well as Bella Nipotina, Starspangledbanner, Santa Ana Lane, and Ruthven. Recent Magic Millions Gold Coast drafts have yielded horses such as this season’s Gr2 winning three year-old North Star Lass, and three year-old Listed placed Rampant Lion, as well as Gr3 winner Chica Fuerte, Gr3 winner Rimraam, group placed winners Butter Blonde, Marsannay, Return With Honour, and Wanalirri. Rosemont Stud’s Ryan McEvoy had a chat about their 2023 Magic Millions draft.

Rosemont Stud will present a draft of 17 yearlings at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, led by their resident sire Shamus Award who has two yearlings on offer. Lot 330 is the fifth foal of winning mare Sardaaj, who almost won the Gr1 Levin Classic, from the family of Gr1 winner Begood Toya Mother. Sardaaj is a daughter of stakes placed winner Sardonyx, and her first foal, Starosa has won five races. A Shamus Award colt, Lot 529,

is out of winning mare Vivacity, who is a half-sister to stakes placed winner O’Malley, from the family of recent good two year-old Kinky Boom.

A pair of I Am Invincible colts are bound to be popular with buyers, given how hot their sire is, and the half-brother to two stakes winners, Lot 289, is only the fifth foal for winning mare Reign. Her first three foals are winners, including Listed winner of seven races Gold Tail, and Listed winner of three races Sopran Ival. Reign is herself a halfsister to group winner Brooklyn Hustle, out of Listed winner Joint Aspiration. The other colt, Lot 503, is the second foal of group placed winner True Excelsior, who ran fourth in the Gr1 Robert Sangster Stakes, is a half-sister to three other stakes horses and this colt is from the stallion making Diamond Lover/Eight Carat family.

Rosemont Stud sold North Star Lass (Zoustar) and they present her three-quarter-sister, Lot 374, by first season sire Zousain (Zoustar), and both are out of group placed winner of five races, Sheila’s Star (Snitzel), who is a halfsister to Listed winner Jacqueline Rouge, a daughter of Gr3 Blue Diamond Preview winner Northeast Sheila.

Beauty Generation was recently twice Horse of the Year in Hong Kong, and winner of eight Gr1 races among his 20 wins. His half-sister by Exceed and Excel, Lot 435, is out of a half-sister to stakes winners Victory Trump and Savage Attack.

The first foal of Bim Bam Boom, a half-sister to Gr1 winner Albany Reunion, and Listed winner Fast Dragon, is a filly, Lot 664, by first season sire Exceedance. Giannis, a winner last season in the Listed Dulcify Stakes and previously second in the Gr1 JJ Atkins Plate is out of Bim Bam Boom’s stakes placed winning half-sister.

Pierro filly, Lot 142, is a granddaughter of Champion race mare and four-time Gr1 winner Princess Coup, who has been an excellent broodmare, leaving group winners Argentia and Thewizardofoz, as well as the winning dam of group placed winner Key. This filly is the first foal of her dam, Mistress Oz (Snitzel).

Need a colt from a stallion’s family? Lot 654 is by So You Think, and his dam Bellwether is a half-sister to Gr1 winner Mirage Dancer and Listed winner Ironclad, out of dual Gr1 winner Heat Haze. Heat Haze is one of seven stakes winners

Words / Rénee Geelen

/ Brooklyn Hustle

for her Listed winning dam, including Champion Sire Dansili, Gr1 winner Banks Hill (dam of two stakes winners), Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Intercontinental, Gr1 winner Cacique, and Horse of the Year in Canada Champs Elysees. Bellwether has already left two winners of six races. A half-brother, by Brazen Beau, to Gr3 Blue Diamond Prelude placed Unstoppabelle, Lot 769, is out of winning mare Darcibelle, who is a half-sister to Gr2 VRC Sires’ Produce winner Twilight Royale. Capitalist’s colt, Lot 294, is the second foal of winning mare Riddling Miss who is a half-sister to Japanese stakes winner Admire Hokuto, from the Typhoon Tracy family. Anamoe’s sire Street Boss has a nicely bred colt, Lot 653, and he is the first foal of six-race winning mare Belle Danseuse, who is a half-sister to Gr2 Blue Diamond Prelude winner Letzbeglam and stakes placed winner Snazz ‘n’ Charm from the family of Gr1 winner Tout Charmant. The first foal of five-race winner Filibuster, Lot 865, is a Calyx filly, and Filibuster is a full sister to Listed

Other sires represented are Deep Field (Lot 946), Pierata (Lot 549), Starspangledbanner (Lot 209), and Yes Yes Yes (Lot 460).

What is the best horse you have sold through Magic Millions?

Rosemont have enjoyed great success with our Magic Millions draft and Dual Gr1 winner MR QUICKIE (Shamus Award) would have to be our best performed graduate. Bought by Wylie Dalziel Syndications for $115,000, he won the Gr1 Queensland Derby and came back as a four yearold to win the Gr1 Toorak Hcp in dominant fashion.

When assessing breeding which influences/key horses do you mainly look for?

Principally, sticking to the fundamentals. Start with a good physical mare preferably with race performance.

Make a shortlist of stallions that suit her from a physical and pedigree perspective. Ultimately, if you breed a good quality physical with high class race performance on the pedigree page, it is as good a start as any.

Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?

Absolutely. When a yearling walks into a sales ring, for a breeder, that is the culmination of almost three years of planning. Planning the mating, foaling down the mare, raising the foal, determining a sale, preparing for sale etc. It’s a big deal regardless of what level one is selling at.

Where is the most unusual place you’ve visited?

Kathmandu. And whilst not ‘unusual’ these days, hoping to trek the Kokoda Trail sometime in the next twelve months.

Do you prefer fishing or football, details please.

Having grown up in a football town and playing it, would have to say footy for now but ask me again in ten years time - suspect the answer may be different!

What would you do if you sold a yearling for $10 million?

Invest in more yearlings…naturally!

F/Br. Shamus Award Jaykay Roller

F/B. Hellbent Loiret

C/Ch. Star Turn Meiji

F/B. Pierro Mistress Oz

Starspangledbanner Our Secret Sister

I Am Invincible Reign (IRE)

Capitalist Riddling Miss

C/Br. Shamus Award Sardaaj (NZ)

Zousain Sheila’s Star

(NZ)

Street Boss (USA) Belle Danseuse (USA)

So You Think (NZ) Bellwether (GB)

Exceedance Bim Bam Boom

Brazen Beau Darcibelle (NZ)

F/Br. or Blk. Calyx (GB) Filibuster

winner Moonlover from the family of Champion 3YO Miler in Germany, Emerald Commander.

/ Beauty Generation

/ North Star Lass

Words / Glen Lathan

Segenhoe

Anyone who has had the joy of witnessing the birth of a foal or watching a yearling grow out, will know the processes behind delivering outstanding individuals for the track are anything but production line.

However, from the metronomic manner with which Segenhoe Stud produces Stakes performers, a novice could be forgiven for thinking otherwise.

Consistent excellence over many a year has led to Segenhoe becoming the ‘go-to’ farm to buy a Stakes winner. As General Manager Peter O’Brien explained “The benchmark for sale drafts was Segenhoe’s 2019 Gold Coast offerings from which came a stunning 6 Group winners, (that’s a mere 26% of the draft) including dual Gr1 winning two year-old King’s Legacy and recent Gr1 Epsom Handicap winner Ellsberg. Segenhoe is the leading farm in the country for percentage of Stakes performers to go through the ring at 16%.” Here is one of those occasions where the indisputable numbers point to unchallenged excellence. Amongst those 16%, and an example of the quality that grazes the pasture on the Aberdeen property, is the girl of the moment,

In Secret. The daughter of I Am Invincible was such a commanding winner of the Gr1 Coolmore Stud Stakes, the world is very much her oyster. And she was there for all to buy had anyone wanted to top Godolphin’s A$900,000 bid out of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale of 2021. “Off the farm we had eight Stakes performing two year-olds last season, led off by In Secret and Amelia’s Jewel, which is a lot for 70 yearlings each year. Besides those fillies and Ellsberg our recent Stakes performers include As Time Goes By, Rocketing By, Dynasties, Holyfield, Poland and Let’srollthdice along with the unbeaten Airman who looks Stakes class. And now from Segenhoe’s 2022 draft have come two runners both of which have started in Stakes races including the Rubick filly Rubicon Crossing who was a winner on debut and is now Stakes placed.

“Potential buyers will need to set aside a little more time to inspect the Segenhoe draft this January, for as a result of the farm’s continued success at Bundall, Segenhoe will present its largest January draft ever. It has always been a very successful sale for us not only in the ring, but subsequently on the racetrack. On the back of that success we have chosen to send a bigger

draft of 31 yearlings up there this year, but it is still the best draft we have ever had.”

With a draft of such quality, to point out a single reason each lot would make appeal would make this a weighty tome, so Peter kindly gave us his thoughts on three fillies and three colts the market should clamber for.

Starting with the fillies Peter went straight to a lass bound to be on everyone’s inspection list, Lot 76. “The obvious standout is the Pierata filly out of Loving Gaby. She ticks all the boxes being out of a multiple Gr1 winner, but she has the looks to match. She is as good a first foal as you will ever see.”

Pierata will be one of a number of first season sires with stock on show on the Gold Coast and he has found a fan in the Segenhoe man. “We have a good few Pieratas on the farm and I couldn’t be more impressed with them. We have two other beautiful Pieratas going to the Gold Coast, one a colt out of a half-sister to Anamoe, Lot 603 out of the New Approach mare Amuletum, and another out of the multiple Group winner Oregon’s Day by Domesday

to sell as Lot 204. The Pieratas in our draft all have size and scope and importantly they have substance and are all very mature, precocious looking animals.”

Returning to the pick of the Segenhoe fillies Peter next opted for Lot 256. “We have a beautiful Zoustar filly out of the Stakes winner Pretty In Pink, which is a first foal. For me she is the right type of Zoustar, low-slung with a great action. And she’s got the inbreeding to Redoute’s Choice that seems to work so well with Zoustar. Pretty In Pink was good enough to cross the line first in a Gr2.”

Rounding out the fillies Peter fancied Lot 326. “Then there is the Exceed And Excel filly out of the Gr3 winner Samovare, a Savabeel half-sister to the Gr2 winner at two Tiger Of Malay and the Gr3 winner Samizdat. She’s just your typical beautiful Exceed filly, great head, very mature, lovely action from a very fast, sprinting family, and that’s what this filly looks like. She gives the impression she could run a race next month rather than in twelve months!”

When it came to the colts Peter didn’t mince words in naming his pick of the bunch. “The star of the draft will be the I Am Invincible colt out of Anaheed, a three-time Gr2 winning sprinting daughter

of Fastnet Rock that was also Gr1 placed. He’s another first foal that doesn’t look it - he’s a big, mature Vinnie but he exudes quality with a great action.” The colt will sell as Lot 606.

From the tone of Peter’s voice it was clear he also fancies Lot 910. “He’s by Deep Field out of the multiple Stakes winner Granny Red Shoes who we raced, and is as good a Deep Field as I’ve ever seen. A very mature, very correct, beautiful mover, I think he will test the record for a Deep Field at auction because he’s a real one.”

In a draft full of potential stars Peter made a colt by Snitzel out of Dissident’s half-sister Diana’s Star, Lot 789, his third pick of the boys. “For me, what you are looking for in a good Snitzel this fellow has, beautifully balanced, has quality and the perfect action. An earlier foal out of Diana’s Star was sold through the Hong Kong International Sale for good money and reports are he is well thought of, while her two year-old is with Tony Gollan who has a big opinion of her. To me the mare has her foot on the springboard and this is the best foal she has had.”

It must have been hard to leave out Lot 682, a Zoustar halfbrother to the Gr1 ATC Sires Produce and Gr1 Champagne Stakes’ winner King’s Legacy who sold out of this ring four years ago.

“Out of Breakfast In Bed he is typical of the family, strong, shortcoupled, great action and looks like a fast, early two year-old like most of his relations.”

So given the consistent success of Segenhoe as a vendor we asked Peter what buyers can expect come January. “To compare the 2023 draft, I honestly think this is the best balanced group of yearlings we have taken to a Magic Millions sale in that there won’t be any tail in the draft as far as I’m concerned. And while I’ve highlighted a few lots, picking standouts is incredibly difficult and I’d be happy to own any one of these yearlings, sentiments backed up by Magic Millions when they undertook their inspections. We will be going to the sale in a buoyant mood and full of confidence because we know we have the right horses. Not only are we getting results on and off the track with the Segenhoe mares but we are very fortunate to have a very strong client base who all aim for quality. It takes a while for those results to surface, but in the last few years the better quality mares off the track have started to filter through and it follows then that we are able to offer the best quality yearlings we have ever had.”

/ Ellsberg

54 C/B. or Br. So You Think (NZ) Lesley’s Choice 76 F/B. Pierata Loving Gaby 123 C/B. Trapeze Artist Miss Cosmetic 129 F/B. Too Darn Hot (GB) Miss Foxwood 204 F/Br. Pierata Oregon’s Day 217 C/B. Deep Field Panna Cotta 252 F/Br. Zoustar Precautions 255 C/B. Fastnet Rock Pretty Fast 256 F/B. Zoustar Pretty in Pink 272 F/B. Pride of Dubai Quick Feet 326 F/B. Exceed and Excel Samovare 351 C/B. or Br. Zoustar Sempre Libera 461 F/B. Deep Field Taraayef 495 C/Ch. Written Tycoon Total Attraction 502 C/B. Too Darn Hot (GB) Trieste 505 C/B. Blue Point (IRE) Turaathy 548 F/B. or Br. Too Darn Hot (GB) Whitehaven 583 C/Br. Toronado (IRE) Ain’t She Smart 603 C/B. Pierata Amuletum (GB) 606 C/B. I Am Invincible Anaheed 650 C/B. Hellbent Belhamage 678 F/B. Too Darn Hot (GB) Boorooj 682 C/B. Zoustar Breakfast in Bed 690 C/B. Blue Point (IRE) Bumbasina (IRE) 719 C/B. Starspangledbanner Chickadee 773 F/B. or Br. Snitzel Darling Point 784 F/Ch. Deep Field Devious Maid 789 C/Ch. Snitzel Diana’s Star 813 F/B. Zoustar Dynastic Lady 877 C/B. Blue Point (IRE) Flying Ice (SAF) 910 C/B. Deep Field Granny Red Shoes

www.segenhoegroup.com.au

Peter O’Brien: 0411 852 149 Brian Clarke: 0448 302 436 Dennis Gilmanov: 0488 716 339

SilverdaleFARM

Words / Andrew Reichard

Steve and Eliza Grant’s beautiful Silverdale Farm at Avoca in the fertile NSW Southern Highlands has achieved extraordinary results in its first few years as a sale vendor. The 2022 Golden Slipper winner Fireburn was born at Silverdale, as was Gr.3 winner Subterranean, while multiple Group placed 2yo Pantonario was a 2021 Silverdale Magic Millions graduate, selling to Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. The farm’s reputation is highlighted by being second leading vendor at Magic Millions 2021 in its first year of operation and leading vendor at Magic Millions 2022 when it was also leading vendor on average across all major sales. Silverdale yearlings have been eagerly sought after by the best judges in the industry.

Silverdale’s 2023 draft of seven youngsters underscores the farm’s commitment to excellence with yearlings by no less than three Champion Australian General sires represented, Exceed And Excel, Pierro and Written Tycoon, another three by Champion first and third crop sires Capitalist, Deep

Field and Extreme Choice, while the seventh is from the first crop of Caulfield Guineas Gr1 winner Super Seth to complete a super lineup.

Farm manager Rob Petith takes up the story, “Apart from the sire power in our draft, I’m delighted with the all important mare quality, these seven yearlings are out of young stakes mares and mares by fine broodmare sires. For instance we are presenting the first foal of Group winning and multiple Group placed Sweet Scandal, a colt by the Golden Slipper winner Pierro followed very next lot into the ring by the second foal of the flying Gr2 winner Sweet Sherry, a filly by crack 2yo sire Exceed And Excel. Two superb yearlings out of Group winning mares both by Champion Australian sires, the adrenaline will be pumping in the Silverdale team during those six or seven minutes, that’s for sure.”

The Southern Highlands of NSW has been “rediscovered” in recent years by leading thoroughbred breeders, although truth to tell, there have been some wonderful racehorses produced there over the years including Golden Slipper

winner Tierce. High quality boutique broodmare operations have now been established right throughout the Highlands, in Mittagong, Bowral, Burradoo, Berrima, Avoca, Wildes Meadow and Moss Vale, each one more picturesque than the next.

Steve and Eliza Grant have gone to great lengths to ensure that all the facilities at Silverdale are state of the art, and they have not forgotten the tried and trusted methods that have produced good horses over the years. Rob Petith commented that “Silverdale is designed in such a way as to give our horses every opportunity in life, from the best facilities, to education by top horsemen and women that will serve them well as yearlings, as racehorses and in their stud careers or retirement.”

Bluebloods asked Robert Petith to give us his comments on the 2023 MM draft in order of entry into the ring. His comments follow the description of each youngster.

LOT 122 bay colt

Super Seth – Miss Bling by Golan

From the first crop of Gr1 Caulfield Guineas winner Super Seth.

This colt is a half-brother Gr2 Wellington Guineas winner (My) Gold Bracelet from the family of Gr1 Goodwood H runnerup CZAR HERO.

Great shape, strong colt with an incredible action.

LOT 200 bay filly

Extreme Choice – On A Given Day by Fastnet Rock

By Champion Australian 1st season sire, the extraordinary Extreme Choice, sire of Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside and Flight S/VRC Oaks winner She’s Extreme from just 54 runners.

This filly is from a mare by outstanding broodmare sire Fastnet Rock and from the family of multiple Champion Australian sire SNITZEL.

A beautiful filly with a great action, great shape by a sire everyone wants a piece of.

LOT 207 bay colt

Capitalist – Ostentatious by Shamardal

By Golden Slipper winner Capitalist, leading Australian 1st crop sire by Winners and Stakes Winners. A leading sire by Winners and Stakes Winners in each of his first three seasons.

The mare’s first foal to race is a Sydney metro winner of four races and $138k. Dam is by the elite sire Shamardal whose young daughters have already produced 10 Gr1 winners including CONVERGE and IMPERATRIZ. Family of unbeaten Gr1 winning filly UNWORLDLY.

For me, my favourite colt from this crop.

LOT 451 bay colt

Pierro – Sweet Scandal by Sepoy

First foal of the outstanding mare Sweet Scandal, Gr3 winner, multiple Group placed winner of seven races and $493k.

By Golden Slipper winner and Champion Australian sire Pierro first four dams all stakes winners and/or stakes producers.

Unbelievable first foal, strength, shape, action.

LOT 452 bay filly

Exceed And Excel – Sweet Sherry by Bel Esprit

By Champion Australian sire Exceed And Excel, Australia’s leading influence for fast maturing high quality 2yo speed.

Second foal of a Gr2 winning half-sister to multiple Gr2 winner Arinosa. Sweet Sherry, winner of $658k was in front close home in the Golden Slipper, beaten just 3.7 lengths. She is by the sire of undefeated Black Caviar. No words, come see her, she was a star from the moment she was born.

LOT 764 bay colt

Written Tycoon – Cymbalism by Denman

By Champion Australian sire Written Tycoon, sire of crack colts, including outstanding 2yos Capitalist, Ole Kirk,

Written By etc.

First foal of a stakes placed winner of five races by Lonhro’s Gr1 winning son Denman from an iconic Woodlands family including Gr1 winners MICROPHONE and YELL.

Another great first foal, he has done nothing but improve. A lovely, quality colt.

LOT 831 bay or brown filly

Deep Field – Endean Rose by Savabeel

By current leading Australian 3rd crop sire by earnings and winners Deep Field, a leading sire of his crop both previous seasons.

Third foal of a Group 2 placed winner of seven races by perennial Champion NZ sire Savabeel whose young daughters include current star mare ICEBATH, Gr1 winner of over $5.2 million and Gr1 Flight S winner NEVER BEEN KISSED.

Family of Gr1 winners WESTMINSTER, SALE OF CENTURY and (KIWI) HERO. Ripper. Tough, forward, great action.

Action, action, action, every one of these horses just feel amazing on the lead. We are very proud of this draft. While it will be difficult to maintain our current trajectory, I can’t help but be optimistic.

122 C/B. Super Seth Miss Bling (NZ) 200 F/B. Extreme Choice On a Given Day 207 C/B. Capitalist Ostentatious 451 C/B. Pierro Sweet Scandal 452 F/B. Exceed and Excel Sweet Sherry 764 C/B. Written Tycoon Cymbalism 831 F/B. or Br. Deep Field Endean Rose (NZ)

1091 Sheepwash Road, Avoca NSW 2577 0410 464 345

rpetith@grantbloodstock.com.au silverdalefarm.com.au

Sullivan Bloodstock

Victoria’s Sullivan Bloodstock will present their second draft at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Experienced operator Sherah Sullivan’s first draft of five yearlings in 2022 was well received by the market with all five finding new homes and three of the five now two year-olds are already named.

With eleven yearlings by eleven different stallions in the 2023 Sullivan Bloodstock draft, the attention to detail and quality of care will shine through again.

A half-brother to Champ Elect who won on debut at two, then won the Listed Calaway Gal Stakes at her second

start, and four other winners is Lot 715 out of two year-old winner Champalou (Encosta de Lago) is a colt by young sire Harry Angel. Champalou is a daughter of Gr1 Queensland Oaks winner Vouvray, herself a daughter of group winner Real Success, making Vouvray a full sister to stakes winner Bolton. Gr1 winner A Touch of Ruby is also in this immediate family.

Capitalist is the sire of Lot 922, a colt who is the second foal of two year-old winning mare Haraka (Fastnet Rock) who is a half-sister to group winner Cat Junior, and two other stakes horses. Haraka is a daughter of Gr1 winner Luna Wells, a half-sister to successful sire Linamix.

Shamus Award has a filly, Lot 3, who is the second foal of winning mare Jade Fortune, a half-sister to Listed winner and Gr1 placed El Roca, from the family of dual The Everest winner Redzel.

Freshman sire Royal Meeting (Invincible Spirit) is represented by Lot 141, a colt out of Mistress McDowell (Canny Lad) whose first two foals are winners. This is the Hurricane Sky/Umatilla branch of the Redoute’s Choice family, and this colt’s dam is a half-sister to the dam of group winner Skye Diamonds.

There is plenty of early form around this Shalaa filly, Lot 172, who is the first foal of Mystical Moment (Snitzel),

Words / Rénee Geelen

/ Global Glamour Multiple Gr1 winner, whose full sister She’s Glamorous has a Lonhro filly as Lot 368 in Sullivan Bloodstock’s 2023 Magic Millions draft.

a half-sister to speedy two year-old Twilight Royale who won the Gr2 VRC Sires’ Produce and two Listed races at two. Twilight Royale is the dam of stakes placed winner of eight races Royal Hale (Snitzel), while their half-siblings Superhard and Chater d’Cat are also stakes placed winners.

Global Glamour (Star Witness) won both the Gr1 Flight Stakes and Gr1 MRC Thousand Guineas, and her full sister, She’s Glamourous (Star Witness) is represented in this draft with her first foal, a Lonhro filly, as Lot 368.

Toronado’s filly, Lot 368, is a half-sister to two recent winners in a pedigree that is on the move. This yearling filly is only the fourth foal of her dam, Single Princess (Not a Single Doubt) who is from the family of stakes winners Triarius, Sharp Noble, Ritzy A. P. and Bint Alnasr. Buyers who think they are good at naming horses will love the opportunities with Lot 546, a colt by Starspangledbanner from White House Lady (Commands). Starspangledbanner is an international champion racehorse and successful sire while White House Lady won three races and this colt is her second foal. White House Lady is a daughter of Listed winner Jacqueline Rouge, making her a half-sister to stakes placed winner Special Diva, while this is also the family of Northeast Shelia and this season’s good three-year-old North Star Lass.

Royal Ascot winner Merchant Navy’s first crop includes group placed Drisana, and his filly, Lot 741, is the second foal of Conclusive (Not a Single Doubt), a half-sister to two stakes placed winners, from the family of group winner Millennium, and Listed winners Mohave and Royal Med. Eventide (Dane Shadow) was a tough race mare winning seven times, and her first foal, Tidal Impact has already won three races. Lot 842 is her fourth foal, a colt by Flying Artie. Eventide is a half-sister to group placed winner Extreme Impact (Snitzel) and stakes placed winner Wine Night (Playing God) from the family of Blur and Shrewd Rhythm.

First season sire Cosmic Force has a colt, Lot 848, in the Sullivan Bloodstock draft, and he is the third foal

of four-race winner Exellas (Helmet), from the family of Gr1 winner Territories.

What is the best horse you have sold through Magic Millions?

Early days yet for Sullivan Bloodstock but the best horse sold through Magic’s so far is Frankly Savvy who we sold this year for $360,000 in foal to Maurice (2022 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale). Hopefully we can trump that in January!

When assessing breeding which influences/key horses do you mainly look for?

It’s a combination of a lot of things for me. Genetic makeups that I know work well, also what we are trying to achieve as the end result. I’m very big on type and making sure I mate the mares to appropriate stallions first and foremost on type. At the end of the day you need to be producing an athlete. Being a kiwi I love to see a bit of a Zabeel influence there somewhere and am also very partial to Not A Single Doubt.

Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?

It is always nerves coupled with a bit of excitement and anticipation whenever a horse steps into the ring. You never know until the hammer drops but it’s a good feeling when you know the horse has been well inspected and you can see your potential buyers start bidding away.

What makes Magic Millions at the Gold Coast such a success?

I love getting up to the Gold Coast in January. It’s such a great time of year. I love that it’s the first major sale and everyone is happy to be there. There’s a great vibe and it always fills you with confidence.

What’s the coldest you’ve ever been?

Without doubt sitting in a tack room at the Newmarket breeding stock sales under a pile of horse rugs. The result

was being rather crook and a long haul flight later, I was not well!

What would you do if you sold a yearling for $10 million?

Too be honest I’d probably keep doing what I’m doing. Maybe buy a really nice farm and a few more cows. It’s a passion. I love working with the yearlings and seeing how they come through the prep process.

Telemon Thoroughbreds

Telemon Stud’s land has a long history of producing top quality racehorses with the likes of Zoustar and Buffering being sold when it was under the Racetree banner, and Gold Edition when the farm traded as Noble Park Stud. The property is now owned by Dan and Rae Fletcher, who bred Sunlight in partnership with Widden Stud and Qatar Bloodstock, and has been renamed Telemon Stud. They will bring their second draft of yearlings to the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2023.

Telemon Stud will present eighteen yearlings including two by their resident sire, dual Gr1 winner Jungle Cat. The fastest son of sire of sires Iffraaj, his oldest progeny are

two year-olds and his first Northern Hemisphere crop has already resulted in two winners from his first two runners, while he is yet to have a runner here (at time of printing).

Telemon Stud will offer two yearlings fillies: Lot 555 is a half-sister to Gr2 Champagne Classic placed winner Czarson, out of Wobbly Boots (Show a Heart) who won five of her ten starts, from the family of Gr1 winners Mr Celebrity and Prince Salieri. Lot 688 is the first foal of stakes placed winner of five races, Brook Magic (Hinchinbrook), who comes from the family of Champion 3YO Colt and successful sire Shamus Award and Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Shaquero.

Considering Telemon is the birthplace of Zoustar, it will pay to inspect their Zoustar filly, Lot 783, is out

of stakes placed winner of four races, Denpurr, from the family of Joint Top Filly on the Australasian 2YO Classification, Elite Falls, as well as recent WA stakes winner Essential Spice.

Two yearlings whose siblings have already proven themselves on the track include a half-brother to Listed winner Wine Bush and group placed winner Wine Tales, Lot 526, is a Shalaa colt out of Flying Spur mare Vinavion, who is a half-sister to group placed winner My Only Hope from the family of Gr1 winner Love de Tor. A half-brother to Listed winner and group placed My Country is Lot 1027, and this Encryption colt has interesting linebreeding to Danehill.

/ Sunlight

Words / Rénee Geelen

Bred to run early is Lot 346, being by Spirit of Boom and is the first foal of Choisir mare, Secret Lady, who is a daughter of three-time Listed winner (of 10 races) For Your Eyes Only. Secret Lady was able to win the now $1M Golden Gift as a 2yo and was competitive in both the Magic Millions 2yo Classic and Golden Slipper of her year.

Two yearling colts by first season sire Pierata have exciting pedigrees, with Lot 195 being the second foal of Gr1 placed winner O’Rachael, while Lot 1018 is the second foal of six-race winner Awake the Stars (Redoute’s Choice), a daughter of Gr2 winner My Chicharita, from the family of Le Zagaletta, and recently good two year-old Magneto. First season sire Microphone is represented in the Telemon Stud draft by two yearlings with Lot 933 being the third foal of imported Listed winner Henny’s Princess, a half-sister to Listed winner Noblame; and Lot 1224 is a colt who is the first foal of Brazen Beau mare Regal Romance, who is a half-sister to Gr1 placed group winner Faraway Town, from the family of $1million earner Redwood Falls.

D’Argento’s first crop colt, Lot 367, is a half-brother to Empowerment who has won three of her fourteen starts recently and is out of a winning half-sister to Listed winner Storm Rolling In and Champion 2YO Colt in Macau Trust Me Bet.

Telemon also have two fillies by their Champion 2YO Colt and Champion First Season sire Sidestep. Sidestep, who sired Gr1 Golden Slipper winner Kiamichi in his first crop, has Lot 1051, a filly from Listed winning American mare Celestial Flight (A P Jet), who is a half-sister to stakes winner Halo Malone from the family of Gr1 winner Victory

Gallop, while Lot 1213 is a filly out of Gr1 placed winner of six races Playtime (Foreplay) who is a half-sister to two other stakes horses and comes from the same family as Gr1 winner Never Been Kissed.

Also in this draft are yearlings by Astern (1097), Churchill (1010), Cosmic Force (1126), Dubious (1177), and Tassort (1032).

What would you do if you sold a yearling for $10 million?

Spend $9million on mares and the rest on the farm. What is the best horse you have sold through Magic Millions?

Sunlight was above average.

When assessing breeding which influences/key horses do you mainly look for?

Always happy to see superior females replicated. I feel like we’re more relaxed about doubling up on Danehill than most but it has to be in the right place.

Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?

Definitely.

What makes Magic Millions at the Gold Coast such a success?

I think the sheer quality of the stock. I see a lot written about hospitality and the destination and where it fits on the calendar etc, but at the end of day the commercial appeal of the yearlings and their ultimate performance are the fundamental driver.

What’s the coldest you’ve ever been?

I remember being pretty cold last year foaling a mare down and watching frost form on my boots. Maybe not as cold as the heart that refused to bring me down a coffee from the house because, of course, “it’s too bloody cold and I’m not coming out”.

Do you prefer fishing or football, details please.

Definitely Football. It’s called “fishing”, not “catching fish”. I don’t mind the latter but don’t have the patience for the former and inevitably give up and retire to the Esky.

Do you play an instrument?

Poorly, so “no”. My mother was a wonderful musician but unfortunately, as with horse breeding, sometimes the progeny are disappointing.

What’s one thing your dogs could say that would completely ruin your image if they could talk?

I’m not too sure: I feel like my dogs would give me a pretty good wrap if they could talk. I’d be very disappointed if they complained about my car Karaoke since we usually call in for an ice-cream on those trips.

C/B. or Br. Pierata O’Rachael

C/Ch. Spirit of Boom Secret Lady

C/Gr. D’Argento She’s a Storm

C/B. Shalaa (IRE) Vinavion

F/B. Jungle Cat (IRE) Wobbly Boots

F/B. Jungle Cat (IRE) Brook Magic

F/Blk. Zoustar Denpurr

F/B. Microphone Henny’s Princess (USA)

F/Ch. Churchill (IRE) Amnesiac 1018 C/B. Pierata Awake the Stars 1027 C/Br. Encryption Bells Will Ring (IRE) 1032 C/Br. Tassort Black Mink 1051 F/B. Sidestep Celestial Flight (USA) 1097 C/B. Astern Flying 1177 F/B. Dubious Moment of Hope 1213 F/B. or Br. Sidestep Playtime 1224 C/B. or Br. Microphone Regal Romance 1226 F/B. Cosmic Force Reggae (IRE)

100 Oaky Creed Road, Innisplain Qld 4285 07 5544 1003 0455 559 412

/ Zoustar

The CHASE

Words / Glen Latham

This January Stable QD at Bundall will play host to a new vendor but one with plenty of pedigree to bring to the market. The Chase, China Horse Club’s beautiful property at Sutton Forest south of Sydney, will make its Gold Coast debut with 14 quality youngsters prepared in line with CHC’s philosophy for excellence.

As CHC’s Australasian Representative Michael Smith told us, “This is The Chase’s debut Magic Millions Gold Coast draft and will be the first of many going forward. China Horse Club, and by extension The Chase, aim for excellence as evidenced by CHC’s ten-year track record across the globe. We had an auspicious beginning when The Chase’s inaugural draft of CHC breds was presented at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale in March of 2022 where we were the leading vendor by average at just our first sale! Naturally, we don’t expect to do the same on the Gold Coast but I think buyers will be very pleased with the high quality hardy running stock we are bringing to market.”

The Southern Highlands has been a hotbed for producing equine talent and those green pastures are now the

home to CHC’s elite broodmare band and young stock. Michael explained “We have mares of the calibre of Perfect Persuasion, dam of this year’s Gimcrack Stakes runner up Perfect Proposal, along with Purcentage, the dam of Blue Diamond and Thousand Guineas runner up Revolutionary Miss, and a host of mares of similar quality. The 14 yearlings that make up The Chase’s 2023 Gold Coast draft have grown out on that same pasture under the program instigated by China Horse Club.

As might be expected all 14 youngsters are by stallions in which the CHC holds an interest. While three are by exciting first season sires Cosmic Force and Strasbourg, the remainder are all by stallions grabbing the headlines in Zoustar, Russian Revolution and Deep Field.

To give us a head start we asked The Chase’s Farm Manager Alex Kingston to provide an insight into the lots by each stallion that she felt would catch the buyer’s eye.

Prospective buyers will have to wait until the Saturday evening session to watch what could be The Chase’s best seller go through. Lot 912, a colt by the red-hot Zoustar out of Grasslands looks a readymade star with a pedigree

to match. Grasslands is a twice winning Snitzel full sister to the Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner and Gr1 Golden Slipper runner up Away Game and the Listed winner Modern Wonder. If just a fraction of Away Game’s tenacity has filtered through to this colt he is bound to be a star. Alex enthused “He’s very well balanced, well grown and prepping up beautifully for the sale. He oozes presence and quality with a very good walk and action. He’s a very good representation of Zoustar and a must see for anyone on the hunt for star colt with a stallion’s pedigree.”

The draft also contains a Zoustar colt out of the Gr3 winning sprinter No More Tears that sells as Lot 187. This is the family of Gr2 winning juvenile Hips Don’t Lie and her daughters Ennis Hill who was a Gr3 winner at two, Golden Slipper third Lake Geneva and the brilliantly fast Acrobat. In Alex’s opinion “He’s a neat colt, very well balanced and his full brother Ozzmosis came to hand so early he won at the Official Two year-old barrier trials at Randwick and would have been near enough to favourite for the Breeders’ Plate had he not been tipped out. This colt is built in the same mould and looks another sharp proposition.”

As the largest shareholder in Russian Revolution it’s no surprise that this CHC bred draft boasts 6 by the young gun Champion First Season sire. Add that to the fact that nearly half of his stakes horses wear the CHC brand makes it prudent for astute buyers to give this group a close look. Two fillies that Alex has plenty of time for are the daughters of Russian Revolution out of Nurse Kitchen and Atlantis Dream. “Both are well-grown fillies, precocious types, and they know their job and are very straight forward. They both have loads of quality but also the toughness to say they’d run through a brick wall if you asked them too.”

The Atlantis Dream will carry hip sticker number 632 with the dam a winner of six including the Gr2 Queen Of The South Stakes a race she also finished second in. This is a lovely family of the Gr1 VRC Oaks winner Bulla Borghese with speed shining through as well with recent Stakes winners from this line including Gr2 Danehill Stakes winner Kallos and the Gr3 Canonbury Stakes winner Zethus. As for Nurse Kitchen, the daughter of Savabeel was amongst the best of her age winning twice at two then taking the Gr2 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic over 1600 metres before running a gallant second in the Gr1 Storm Queen Stakes. This is the family of international star Helene Vitality. Asked to make a case for a Russian Revolution colt Alex couldn’t split two, one out of the Dubawi mare Bethsaida that sells as Lot 659, the other Lot 693 out of Medaglia d’Oro’s daughter Calvados. “Both are very, very good colts, both have rich, dark brown coats, and are very much in the mould of Russian Revolution. Both take your eye when you see them in the paddock and it will be the same at the sales. You only have to look at them to imagine them with a saddle on and back at the Gold Coast for the MM 2yo Classic in 12 months time” she said.

Of course Deep Field is a market favourite and Alex is pleased with The Chase’s pair of offerings by the Newgate

stallion. “For me, the two Deep Fields are very, very nice and both standouts for the sire,” she explained. Lot 700 is the Deep Field colt out of Caricature, a Gr3 placed daughter of Power who was a close up fourth in the Gr1 New Zealand Oaks. This is a strong New Zealand family his grandam Octapussy a Gr1 performer with her daughter’s including the Gr2 winner Pussy Willow and the Listed winner and Gr1 placed Pussy O’Reilly both excelling over trips from 1200 – 1400m. It’s a deep high quality family and Alex thinks he might come to hand quickly, “He’s a very precocious type and looks ready to be a two year-old. He’s well balanced with a lot of presence about him, has a great head, good body and a very strong hindquarter and forearm.”

As for the Deep Field filly out of Primavera to go through as Lot 257, Alex believes she is “A lovely quality filly, stacks of presence and is a precocious type that is going to prep up very well.” There is certainly plenty of speed in this family, with her dam a Redoute’s Choice threequarter sister to Gr1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Invader and a half to the dual Group winning sprinter Not Listenin’tome.

Pushed to single out one of the youngsters by a first crop sire Alex landed on the colt by Strasbourg out of Strykum, winner of the Listed Queen Adelaide Stakes at two and dam of a winner. This is the family of the Gr1 winner Rinky Dink. “He’s an extremely good representation of the stallion and he looks a two year-old type like his mum. The bone on him is extremely good, he’s short cannoned, has a great hindquarter and forearm and is a very well balanced colt. Strasbourg profiles very similarly to his own sire I Am Invincible and based on this colt I think he is a sire to be excited about.”

Nothing more than lack of space precluded us from describing the other five lots, a pair of colts by Cosmic

Force, another two sons of Russian Revolution and a Zoustar filly, all of which are worthy of their place in the sale and also inspection. All 14 lots will be proudly presented by The Chase, a name we will be hearing a lot more about in the coming years.

Tyreel STUD

Tyreel Stud continues to build on their impressive legacy with 2022 Gr1 Ranvet Stakes winner and Magic Millions graduate Montefilia. Montefilia’s draft also included Gr2 winner Every Rose, and Listed winner Snickerdoodledandy. Three stakes winners from ten yearlings offered that year. Outstanding. And it’s not a one-off occurrence with three year-old colt Perfect Thought coming from their 2021 draft, and has won two of his six starts to date, most recently in the 2022 Gr3 Carbine Club Stakes.

At the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Tyreel Stud will present a draft of fourteen yearlings. Snitzel colts are all the rage and Lot 757 is the second foal of group winner Crack the Code (I Am Invincible) who won four races, and is a half-sister to Gr1 winner Covertly (dam of Listed winner Detective (Snitze), Gr3 winner So Secret, and stakes winner Secret Link. “A colt who has striking resemblances to his sire. Great balance and a lovely strong action places him nicely in this sale.”

Champion sire Exceed and Excel has Lot 323, a filly who is the first foal of Sally’s Realm (More Than Ready), a winning full sister to upcoming sire Better Than Ready

and stakes placed winner Sally’s Day. “In a year where the farm has produced so many great first foals this filly could be the one. From a great family, her sharp looks and speedy action will lead everyone to shortlist her. Being by a sire with only limited offerings will only enhance her appeal.”

Dundeel colt, Lot 469, is out of Listed placed winner Tender, whose first foal is a winner and ran fourth in the Gr3 Gimcrack Stakes. “A striking colt who really takes the eye, show stopping looks combined with athletic movement.”

Deep Field filly, Lot 547, is the first foal of winning mare White Thyme, who is a full sister to Listed winner White Sage (Reset) and a half-sister to group winner of eight races White Moss (Mossman), with both being out of Champion 3YO Sprinter Pay My Bail. “An outstanding result for a first foal. Strength, power and clean conformation. This grey filly will draw buyers to her.”

Three colts by proven sire of 46 stakes winners So You Think include Lot 878, the first foal of group placed winner Folk Dress. “He has inherited great strength and power from this mating. He is an exciting prospect moving forward.”

Gr3 Chatham Stakes Reykjavik’s half-brother is Lot 897, making this colt also a half-brother to stakes placed winner

Tycoon Storm. “A quality, athletic colt who stands over ground.” The second foal of stakes placed winner Spanner Head is Lot 411 and this colt’s second dam was a stakes placed winner of eleven races. “A short-coupled colt who looks mature enough to be going early.”

Spirit of Boom’s colt, Lot 297, is the third foal of River Boss (Street Boss), a full sister to Listed winner Ploverset. “A lovely imposing colt, very mature minded and strong through his body. The type every trainer desires.”

The first yearlings for The Everest winner Yes Yes Yes include Tyreel’s colt, Lot 538, out of winning mare Wanted Diva (Wanted) who is a three-quarter sibling to Rockolicious (Fastnet Rock) from the Canny Lass family. “From the time this colt stepped off the truck he has always struck me as a sharp forward colt. He is constantly improving and it will be fascinating to watch him continue to grow and develop.” Yes Yes Yes filly, Lot 44, is out of winning mare Lanikai whose first two runners are winners, and comes from the family of Gr1 winner River Dove and Captivant. “Such an exciting prospect for this sale. A strong welldeveloped filly who moves with great purpose.”

Words / Rénee Geelen

A filly by first season sire Brutal, Lot 551, is out of Wildenstein, a winning half-sister to Listed Widden Stakes winner Superfly, who is out of Listed winner Allez France. “A very neat and attractive filly who is growing into a lovely balanced type.”

First season sire Zousain (Zoustar) has a Tyreel yearling filly, Lot 27, who is out of winning Exceed and Excel mare Keltara, who is a half-sister to Listed winner Missy Cummings, dam of Gr1 winner Mizzy (Zoustar), making this filly closely related to the Gr1 Canterbury Stakes winner. “First season sires are always a bit of an unknown quantity to us. However, if this filly is anything to go by, we are sold!! Great quality and strength.”

Brazen Beau’s colt, Lot 875, is the second foal of Fly By who won her only start as a two year-old, and is from the family of Gr1 Blue Diamond winner Midnight Fever. “A great Magic Millions prospect, one of the most powerful yearlings in our draft who has evolved into one of our standout colts.”

Lot 920 is a Harry Angel filly, who is the first foal of Happenings (Exceed and Excel), a half-sister to group placed horses Spiritual Pursuit and Bohemian Daisy, out of Listed winner Happy Hippy. “From the day she was born she has always taken the eye. With great flashy markings and a huge physique, she really will command attention.” Rob Sims was happy to share his thoughts on breeding and the Magic Millions Sale with Rénee.

What is the best horse you have

sold through Magic Millions?

We have been extremely fortunate to have sold Montefilia through our draft. A sensational filly born on our farm and one of our standout fillies for the year. Bred by one of our first clients to join our newly established farm, Geoff Russell and Bloodstock consultant Stephanie Grentell placed their great faith in our team and its farm and facilities and all parties enjoyed one of the most exciting rides of the

thoroughbred industry. The sad passing of Geoff Russell forced the sale of this filly as a weanling which could have been the end of this story for the farm. However, the team’s great pride and belief in this filly was seen by weanling purchaser Dean Harvey who offered to return the filly to Tyreel and have her prepped. A strong sale saw her in the hands of a great bunch of owners and legendary trainer David Payne and the rest can be said is history. A great story for the early days of the farm and a shining beacon of what was to come for future stock of the farm over the following years.

When assessing breeding which influences/key horses do you mainly look for?

We always like to see the influences of some of the great sires and mares down both male and female lines. The physical compatibility of the mating also plays a large part in putting together the jigsaw puzzle that is a mating plan..

Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?

Every horse gives you butterflies entering the ring as there is ‘never the sure thing’. It’s still one of the great unknowns as you enter the ring, with all the parades, vets and talk combine to give a result in the sales ring. When that buzz leaves you it’s time to retire!!

What makes Magic Millions at the Gold Coast such a success?

Seeing sales from all over the world it is safe to say this sale is truly unique. No other sale generates such media hype, such industry movement and such involvement. It has the ability to channel all the industry into one sale for 10 days in January. It still is amazing to be a part of and a “must” experience for all in the industry. Be there or be into stamp collecting!!

VinerySTUD

Words / Rénee Geelen

Farnan. Artorius. Exhilarates. Three incredible twoyear-olds, one farm.

Vinery’s record of selling good horses continues and buyers should make sure their yearlings are on their must-inspect list. As well as Magic Millions winner Exhilarates, Gr1 Blue Diamond winner Artorius, and Gr1 Golden Slipper winner Farnan, Vinery’s recent drafts include Listed winner Miss Hipstar, and group placed winner Karacasu as well as countless winners.

Vinery will present a draft of 27 yearlings at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, with eight from the first crop of Vinery’s exciting Gr1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Exceedance (Exceed and Excel).

“We are excited about getting the first crop of yearlings by Exceedance to the sales,” said Vinery’s Adam White.

“He was just a beautiful athletic looking yearling himself and his stock are very much in the same mould as their

sire. Being a son of Exceed And Excel, a two-year-old winner on debut, Group winner at just his third start and of course the winner of the stallion making Gr1 Coolmore Stud Stakes we feel his progeny are very much suited to a sale like Magic Millions. We have an exceptional group of eight in our draft and we can’t wait to show them off. We have a number from proven juvenile families and this will suit the Magic Millions sale. We have a nice colt from Arctic Success, the mare is a half-sister to Golden Slipper winner Polar Success. We have another colt from Hallowell Belle who was second in the Gr1 Blue Diamond Stakes as a two-year-old herself. Yearlings like this are going to be very well suited to this sale and it won’t be a surprise to see them contest the rich Magic Millions races in the future.”

As mentioned by White, Lot 919 is a colt from Gr2 winner and Gr1 placed Hallowell Belle (Starcraft), who is a halfsister to group winner Fuddle Dee Duddle (dam of Gr3

Maribyrnong Plate winner Brereton), and to the dam of Gr1 winner Bella Nipotina. This Exceedance colt is Hallowell Belle’s fourth foal, and she’s left two winners to date. The other mentioned by White, the half-brother to group placed winner Roots is Lot 622, a colt from a half-sister to Gr1 Golden Slipper winner Polar Success (dam of three stakes class horses including Listed winner Lillemor).

Other Exceedance yearlings of note in this draft include a half-sister to Champion Older Horse in Singapore What’s New is Lot 263, from Pussycat Dream, a two-year-old winning half-sister to Listed winner Tavy; while Lot 761 is an Exceedance colt who is the second foal of group placed winner Cristal Eyes from the impressive Bint Marscay family. Cristal Eyes is a half-sister to Gr3 winner Flying Evelyn. The first foal of Listed placed Meikas, Lot 105, is a colt from the family of Gr1 winners Greys Inn, Smart Call, and Zeditave.

With 19 yearlings by other stallions in the Vinery 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft, there are several whose pedigrees stand out led by the colt, Lot 595, by Dundeel from Gr1 winner Allez Wonder, who is the dam of two-year-old group winner Kooweerup and Gr2 Tulloch Stakes placed Prompt Prodigy. Allez Wonder is a half-sister to group winner Pretty Pins, as well as the winning dam of Gr1 winner Tivaci who has started his stud career well.

The third foal of Gr1 New Zealand One Thousand Guineas winner Risque, Lot 296, is a Written Tycoon filly, while the other Written Tycoon filly in this draft, Lot 763, is a halfsister to stakes placed winner of seven races Star Boy.

The half-sister to dual Gr1 winner Nettoyer (Sebring) is Lot 731, and this Exceed and Excel filly is out of Cleanup (Dehere) who was a two-year-old winner and a half-sister to group winner She’s Clean. Those looking for residual value will love Lot 979, a Snitzel filly from Ivory Rose (Green Desert) who is a half-sister to Gr1 winner Danceteria, from the family of Lope De Vega.

Lot 943 is a Russian Revolution half-brother to Gr2 winner Summer Sham and is from the Redoute’s Choice family, while Lot 828 is a Too Darn Hot filly who is the second foal of speedy two-year-old and Gr2 Blue Diamond Prelude (f) winner Enbihaar, who also ran second in the Gr1 Blue Diamond behind Written By.

Other stallions represented in this draft are All Too Hard (Lot 416), Castelvecchio (Lot 430), Deep Field (Lots 125 and 531), Fastnet Rock (Lot 87), Hellbent (Lot 499), Star Turn (Lot 15 and 645), Toronado (Lots 135, 414, 626) and Yes Yes Yes (Lot 387).

What is the best horse you have sold through Magic Millions?

We have been lucky to have sold some great horses through our Magic Millions drafts. Exhilarates, Farnan, Artorious in

recent years. But I would have to say the best horse would have to be Atlantic Jewel.

When assessing breeding which influences/key horses do you mainly look for?

Personally I like to see horses descending from a very good racemare or a mare that has created a terrific family. I think this gives you an increased chance of getting a good horse. But overall I just like to see good active families.

Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?

It’s more a case of keen anticipation, like pre-match tension. And it can certainly give you an adrenaline rush when you know you have a popular one coming in.

What makes Magic Millions at the Gold Coast such a success?

The whole carnival atmosphere plays a massive part. Most of us, buyers and vendors are also able to attend while having family there also which makes it very social

Where is the most unusual place you’ve visited?

I’d have to say Machu Picchu was quite unusual as well as being mind blowing. What the Incas did to build that city is extraordinary.

What songs take you back to your teen years?

Sweet Child O’Mine – Guns N Roses

Do you prefer fishing or football, details please.

Football (AFL). Playing it with mates and the comradery that comes with it is second to none.

F/Ch. Star Turn Joyful Journey

C/B. Fastnet Rock Madame Lily

C/B. Exceedance Meikas

C/B. Exceedance Meow

F/Gr. Deep Field Miss Dusty (NZ)

F/B. Toronado (IRE) Miss Robbie

F/Br. or Blk. Exceedance Pussycat Dream (GB)

F/Ch. Written Tycoon Risque (NZ)

C/B. Exceedance Sharpness

C/B. Yes Yes Yes Silent Rush

C/Ch. Toronado (IRE) Spectrolite

C/Ch. All Too Hard Spoils

F/B. Castelvecchio Street ‘em Sheila (USA)

C/B. Exceedance Tempting Delight

C/B. or Br. Hellbent Tremezzina

C/Ch. Deep Field Volga

C/B. Dundeel (NZ) Allez Wonder

C/B. Exceedance Arctic Success

F/B. Toronado (IRE) Artielicious

C/B. Star Turn Beechal

F/B. Exceed and Excel Cleanup

C/B. Exceedance Cristal Eyes

F/Ch. Written Tycoon Cubana Moss

F/B. Too Darn Hot (GB) Enbihaar

C/B. Exceedance Hallowell Belle

/ Vinery’s Gr1 star freshman Exceedance

Widden STUD

Words / Andrew Reichard

Rarely has a leading farm approached the first sale of the season with such well-founded optimism as Widden does in the lead up to the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

It has been a banner year for the legendary farm, which has established a thriving Victorian operation to complement their historic Upper Hunter home in the fabled Valley of Champions. Their flagship stallion Zoustar is shining over the racetrack and sale ring, with both the top priced Australian yearling and weanling in 2022 sired by the son of Widden’s prematurely deceased hero Northern Meteor. The 2023 Widden MM draft includes the Zoustar – Solar Charged full sister to 2022’s $3million Australian record priced yearling, and if that were not enough, this one is a full sister to the champion triple Gr1 winner, Sunlight in addition to the MM 3YO and stakes winner, Sisstar. She is bound to prove a real sale highlight.

Widden’s draft includes a number of yearlings by the mighty Zoustar, but Antony Thompson is understandbly just as excited

The dynasty continues with Zousain being the third generation of this fabulous sireline at Widden and he’s done us proud with his first crop to the sales.

about the debut crop of Zoustar’s multiple Gr1 performed son, Zousain.

“The dynasty continues with Zousain, the third generation of this fabulous sireline to stand at Widden, and he’s done us proud with his first crop to the sales,” Thompson said when asked about his draft.

“This sireline is known for its good looks and we have often described Zousain as a clone of his handsome father. Judging by his yearlings, the legacy is set to continue, they have good bone and excellent muscle, which they all seem to translate into fluid movement. I’m really looking forward to this sale.”

There is a long history of the best sons of leading sires following in their father’s footsteps and Zousain was certainly an elite performer on the track; his narrow defeat by champions in two of Australia’s top sire making Gr1 races, The Golden Rose (to The Autumn Sun) and The Coolmore Stud S (to Sunlight) among his highlights. Zousain looks set to replicate his sire’s illustrious career and the 2023 MM will provide the ideal opportunity to acquire his stock based on his initial fee.

Widden is justifiably proud of its record of stakes horses in its quality yearling drafts, with 25 stakes-performers having emerged already from its 2020 and 2021 offerings. These include Gr1 winner Zougotcha and no less than five Gr2 winners from the two most recent Magic Millions sales, Daisies, Swift Witness, Blue Army and Glistening. Current flying 2yo Buenos Noches, by Widden’s Supido, was the first colt home in the stallion-making Coolmore Classic, reminiscent of Zousain, while Gr3 winners Brereton and Biscayne Bay were also sold at Magic Millions. As buyers know, one of the biggest drawcards of this sale, besides the spectacular Gold Coast, is the unparalleled race series that graduates are eligible for, and Widden’s track record includes 14 Magic wins since 2011, 2YO winner Sunsource the latest to join the ranks.

Widden has 49 catalogued, 8 by the mighty Zoustar, 12 by his Gr1 son Zousain, 14 by their sprint champion Trapeze Artist, 3 by young gun Written By and an even dozen by some of the top commercial sires in the land including one by the evergreen Nicconi, sire of Nature Strip.

Antony Thompson summed up the draft, “Widden is represented by the Northern Meteor line, which has been

so good to us. Zoustar has lived up to his name, a star on the track and at stud. Zousain was the first colt home in the Coolmore Classic of his year, and I feel the sky is the limit for him; we are taking a very nice group by him to this sale. Zoustar, Zousain, Trapeze Artist, Written By and Nicconi, form the backbone of this draft, with lots by I Am Invincible, Exceed And Excel and Pierro as well, they will be well worth inspecting. Our team is looking forward to catching up with friends and clients and parading this group for inspection. The prizemoney on offer in Australia is incredible at the moment, win some with a Widden youngster.”

Q: What’s the coldest you’ve ever been?

A: Diving with the great white sharks in Cape Town in winter.

Q: What drives you nuts about social media?

A: Fake Accounts - cowards with a lot to say but not enough courage to put their name to it.

Q: What would you do if you sold a yearling for $10 million?

A: Have a great party with our team and turn up to work with a good hangover.

Q: What is the best horse you have sold through Magic Millions?

A: Sunlight – twice, once in January and once in May!

Q: When assessing breeding which influences/key horses do you mainly look for?

A: Speed influences – love seeing Vain in a pedigree.

Q: Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?

A: Yes - so much work and investment has gone into each yearling.

Q: What makes Magic Millions at the Gold Coast such a success?

A: MM’s great team, location, nice horses and results for buyer and vendors.

F/B. or Br. Zoustar Jolie Brise

C/B. Zoustar Lady Jivago 42 C/B. Epaulette Lake Como (NZ) 52 F/B. Zousain Leap Lively 71 C/B. Trapeze Artist Lone 79 F/B. Yes Yes Yes Luluoru 90 F/B. Zoustar Magnaflight 117 C/B. Shalaa (IRE) Miss Adequate 118 C/B. Zousain Miss Amber 151 C/Ch. Trapeze Artist More Than a Legend (USA) 185 F/Ch. Written By Ningbo 247 F/B. or Br. Hellbent Plover Lover 259 F/Ch. Trapeze Artist Princess Wildfire 266 C/Ch. Trapeze Artist Quality Coup 268 F/B. Zousain Queen for Ninedays (NZ) 270 C/B. Nicconi Quenya 282 F/Br. Zoustar Ready to Prophet 283 C/B. Zousain Rebel Lady 327 C/Ch. Zousain Sangiovese 347 C/Br. Trapeze Artist Secret Trail 399 F/B. Zoustar Solar Charged 404 F/B. Zousain Somnium 458 C/Br. Pierata Talented Miss

C/B. Zousain The Messina Nymph

C/Ch. Written By This Magic Moment

F/B. Zousain Thrill (NZ)

F/B. or Br. Zoustar Zebreez

C/B. Trapeze Artist Absolute Heaven

F/B. Trapeze Artist Another Coup (NZ)

C/B. Russian Revolution Arianne (NZ)

C/Br. I Am Invincible Bonny O’Reilly (NZ)

F/B. or Br. Trapeze Artist Coromandel

F/B. Zoustar Counterplay

F/B. or Br. Trapeze Artist Dare to Dance (NZ)

C/B. Harry Angel (IRE) Duenna

C/B. or Br. Zousain Dulverton

F/B. Trapeze Artist Earth Sky (NZ)

F/B. or Br. Zousain Fancy Liquor

C/B. Zousain Fastattack (NZ)

F/B. or Br. Zoustar Fox Swift

C/B. or Br. Blue Point (IRE) Full Sun (GB)

C/Ch. Written By Heartford

C/B. Pierro Hot Gossip

C/B. Trapeze Artist I Got Chills

C/B. Trapeze Artist Ilithyia

C/Br. Trapeze Artist Image

F/B. Zousain Improvise

C/B. Trapeze Artist Indie Rock (GB)

F/B. Exceed and Excel Intimate Moment (NZ)

Comerford: 0424 742 672

YarramalongPARK

Words / Renée Geelen

Yarramalong Park expanded and started upgrading their broodmare band from 2014, moving from breeding to race to a serious commercial business. Continual upgrading of broodmares resulting in high class graduates from the property reflects that investment. The purchase of the successful stallion Better Than Ready off the track and syndicating him to stand at Lyndhurst has been a big driver in Yarramalong’s growth and results.

Yarramalong Park’s Magic Millions 2021 graduate Steady Ready won on debut at two in March 2022, following that up with a strong second in the Listed Dalrello Stakes behind Exo Lady. Currently three year-olds, their 2021 draft already has five winners, while Yarramalong Park’s 2020 draft is headlined by Alpine Edge who won the Gr3 B J McLachlan Stakes, Listed Phelan Ready Stakes and was second in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic. Six of the nine horses, now four-year-olds, in that year’s draft are already

winners. Other graduates from their Magic Millions drafts include Listed winner Better Reflection, and stakes placed Electroplate Alloy who recently ran second in the Listed Macau Chairman’s Challenge Cup.

In 2023, Yarramalong Park will present a draft of 18 yearlings, with eleven by Better Than Ready, who has been a big factor in the farm’s recent successes.

The Better Than Ready yearlings are highlighted by a halfbrother to Gr3 winner Amangiri, and a three-quarter brother to recent Gr2 placed More Secrets. He is Lot 345, and is out of the winning mare Secret Indulgence (Fastnet Rock), who is a half-sister to Gr1 winner Amalfi. Quality race mare, Summer Glen, won twice and ran fourth in the Gr3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes. Her third foal, a colt, is Lot 1270, and this is the family of group winners Grey Song, Tonz More Fun, Dirty Thoughts and Hypnos.

Lot 1095 is a colt who is the second foal of imported winning mare Finishing Touch (Invincible Spirit) from the

family of Gr1 winner Fantastic Light. A filly, Lot 1110, is the second foal of Goldie River, a half-sister to Listed winner Ragged Rascal, from the Pedrille family. The second foal of Intensity (Snitzel) is a colt, Lot 1129, whose dam is a daughter of American two year-old Listed winner A Brilliant Idea; while the second foal, a filly, of winning mare Not A Single Woman (Not A Single Doubt) is Lot 189. This filly is from the family of group winner Inspire. Lot 182 is a colt out of New Wings (Choisir) who won at two and is a full sister to Religify, who won 13 races including three at Listed level.

Lot 1171 is a filly who is the second foal of Miller Avenue Snitzel), who is a half-sister to Listed winner Dublin Lass. Miller Avenue’s first foal is a winner at two. The second foal of Serial (Sepoy) is Lot 1243, and this filly’s second dam is Gr1 winner Regal Cheer, making her dam a half-sister to Listed winner and Gr1 placed Knoydart.

Headlining the other stallions with yearlings in the Yarramalong Park draft is So You Think whose colt,

Lot 1080, is the first foal of dual Listed, and sixtime winner, Dreamarcher, who also ran fourth in the Gr1 American Oaks. She is from a strong American family, carrying multiple lines of Buckpasser and the La Troienne family.

A Pierata filly, Lot 911, is out of Grasse, who is a young half-sister to Gr2 winner Tarquin and to the dam of Gr2 winner Character, from the family of Fantastic Light. A colt by Rubick, Lot 1246, is the first foal of imported American winner (of four races), Shanghai Tootsie, who is a half-sister to two stakes horses and whose second dam Irish Linnet won an impressive 19 races, 13 at stakes level, and perhaps more impressively, won the Listed Yaddo Stakes five times. Not many horses are sound enough to win the same race five times! Irish Linnet was equally as successful at stud, leaving two stakes winners among her seven winners.

Lot 1004, a colt by Cliff’s Edge, has had a recent pedigree upgrade, as his dam Across the Ditch is a half-sister to this season’s good three year-old North Star Lass, who won the Gr2 Furious Stakes and placed in the Gr1 Flight Stakes. This is the family of Gr1 winner Instant Celebrity and many others.

A Too Darn Hot filly, Lot 1076, is the second foal of Djiva (High Chaparral) who is from the family of European Horse of the Year Goldikova, which is a prolific family, and Goldikova has already left two stakes winners as a broodmare, so there is likely more to come.

Brave Smash, whose colt, Lot 893, is the second foal of imported winning mare Garter, a daughter of Gr3 winner Princess Iris, from the family of Wicklow Brave, Excelebration, and many others. Brutal’s filly, Lot 1228,

is a half-sister to two winners from the family of Gr1 winner Alverta, group winner Aerobatics, and Listed winner Revolte.

Yarramalong Park’s Richard Foster answered Bluebloods’ questions.

What is the best horse you have sold through Magic Millions?

Alpine Edge (sold for $160,000 at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale; winner of 3 of his 13 starts, including the Gr3 BJ McLachlan Stakes and over $720,000).

When assessing breeding which influences/key horses do you mainly look for?

Sound, stakes winning families including two year-old performers.

Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?

No, only the desire to see them going to successful owners and trainers.

What makes Magic Millions at the Gold Coast such a success?

The fabulous array of excited people and their ongoing success.

Where is the most unusual place you’ve visited?

Flying into a steaming volcano in Hawaii. What’s the coldest you’ve ever been?

Chicago in the record winter of 2000.

Yarraman PARK

Words / Andrew Reichard

The Mitchell family’s Yarraman Park Scone has had a year to remember with I Am Invincible taking out his and the farm’s first Australian Champion General Sire title. Arthur and Harry Mitchell however, are not resting on their laurels, but looking ahead to presenting an outstanding draft of some 27 youngsters at the 2023 Magic Millions on the Gold Coast in January.

Chuffed as they are with Vinnie’s exploits, they now have the added excitement of seeing Vinnie’s Gr1 winning son Hellbent, whom they also stand, emerging as one of the nation’s leading young sire prospects. Hellbent (I Am Invincible – Volkaspray by Volksraad) is, as we go to press, currently Australia’s leading second season sire by individual winners with 16 which include brilliant Fire Lane, the recent first start winner of the $150,000 Max Lees Classic at Newcastle.

Harry Mitchell described Yarraman’s 2023 MM draft as “a fine representation of the quality youngster we are able to offer the market with 14 catalogued by Vinnie

who is consistently one of the most sought after sires at major sales, four by his son Hellbent and others by Zoustar, Capitalist, Yes Yes Yes Yes, Night Of Thunder, Microphone, and Brazen Beau.”

“Vinnie has shown he can produce both elite colts and fillies, with the upside that his best sons are potentially commercial sire prospects. Brazen Beau got him off to a good start in that regard and it was pleasing for us to see Coolmore’s Tom Magnier rewarded for his $875k purchase of Home Affairs who is now a high profile first season sire. With Hellbent off to a fine start, we can’t wait to show vendors the next generation of Vinnie’s colts at MM. In Secret’s devastating win against a very strong Coolmore Stud S Gr1 field has reminded us all how good the Vinny fillies are, she looks a real gem for Darley at $900k, so I can put my hand on my heart and encourage buyers to compete for the best yearlings by I Am Invincible. As they say on TV, because he’s worth it.”

“We are committed sellers and there should be something to suit buyers at all levels of the market, not just the sale toppers. “

/ Fire Lane (inside lime green silks)

On overview of the Yarraman draft reveals many highlights including: lot 873 an I Am Invincible filly from the immediate family of Atlantic Jewel and current stars I Am Excited ($1.2m) and Flippant ($655k dam of this filly); lot 940 a Hellbent colt who is a three quarter-brother to SW Quantico (6 wins, $285K) and half-brother to Poetic Charmer (6 wins, $570K), out of the multiple SW mare Hoss Amor, a great running SW family; lot 63 a Hellbent filly who is the first foal of SW and multiple Group placed Like A Butterfly ($378k); lot 253 a bay filly by I Am Invincible from the multiple SW Precious Memories from the immediate family of Gr1 winners Maid Of Heaven and Castelvecchio; lot 661 an I Am Invincible colt out of the SW Not A Single Doubt mare Bidii Babe whose first foal to race is a Pink Cashmere, a full sister to this colt and winner at her only start and of course lot 464 by I Am Invincible out of Taste Of Heaven who is a winning full sister to Manhattan Rain, and thus a half-sister to Multiple Champion sire Redoute’s Choice, with the added bonus that from a mating with Curlin in USA this mare has already produced the Gr3 winner Heavenly Curlin. Stallion prospect anyone?

Harry Mitchell added that “Arthur and I have really appreciated the wonderful support we have received over the years from a wide range of loyal clients. We had our share of useful stallions such as Catbird, Magic Albert and Hinchinbrook, but to be standing the champion sire in Vinnie is the fulfilment of a dream, something that as a small family owned farm we thought we might never achieve. We’re looking forward to the future with Vinnie’s stock out of some of Australia’s best mares now coming through and to the next chapter in the Yarraman story with Hellbent.”

“It will be great to catch up with everyone at the Gold Coast and our hard working team will be there to parade the horses for prospective buyers. It’s a very busy time for Arthur and myself, as most people know we can be found in the parade walks between the yearling boxes walking up and down, ready to answer any queries.”

Harry Mitchell was kind enough to answer a few of Bluebloods serious and not so serious questions:

Q: Where is the most unusual place you’ve visited?

A: Great Wall of China.

Q: What drives you nuts about social media?

A: People constantly promoting mediocrity, boring and irritating. Mind you - I don’t subscribe to much of it anyway which is lucky!

Q: What’s one thing your dogs could say that would completely ruin your image if they could talk?

A: Not a lot of image to be ruined to be fair but the dog has my back - he’s an exercise in loyalty many of us could learn from in this game!!

Q: What would you do if you sold a yearling for $10 million?

A: Celebrate. Buy more mares.

Q: What is the best horse you have sold through Magic Millions?

A: Snitzel with an honourable mention to Houtzen, King Of Sparta and Amelia’s Dream.

Q: When assessing breeding which influences/key horses do you mainly look for?

A: Type, speed and sire line - particularly Green Desert.

Q: Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?

A: Depends on the horse but obviously adrenaline is a factor when certain horses enter the ring, this is the pointy end of our business so you’d be lying if you pretended it didn’t affect you.

Q: What makes Magic Millions at the Gold Coast such a success?

A: Obviously, January at the Gold Coast has an exciting atmosphere and location for vendors and buyers. But what is crucial is the presence of good horses and good buyers. If you’re in this game then you’re at the Gold Coast in January. That’s the way it is and that’s what Magic Millions have created.

F/B. Microphone Jive Dancing (GB)

F/B. Hellbent Like a Butterfly

C/Br. I Am Invincible Mark Two (NZ)

C/B. I Am Invincible Pierro Moss

F/B. I Am Invincible Precious Memories

F/B. or Br. I Am Invincible Pursuits

F/B. Toronado (IRE) Ribbons ‘n’ Roses (GB)

I Am Invincible Rose of Choice

Brazen Beau See Me Exceed

or Br. Hellbent Al’s Magic Miss

F/B. or Br. I Am Invincible Andromache (NZ)

C/B. I Am Invincible Aquamosa (NZ)

C/B. I Am Invincible Bidii Babe

C/B. Capitalist Bridle Lane

F/B. or Br. Capitalist Catwalk

C/B. I Am Invincible Danish Spy

C/B. I Am Invincible Dendee

/ I am Invincible

/ Hellbent

Yulong Stud arrived on the Australian breeding scene with a bang when they sold dual Gr1 winner Hungry Heart in their inaugural Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling draft in 2019. Since then, they’ve bred and sold a steadily growing list of quality graduates including this year’s three-year-old Sketched, who ran third in the Listed Foundation Plate at his second start and is now a winner. Authentic Jewel showed promise immediately, running fourth in the Gr3 Gimcrack Stakes on debut, and now has four wins and four placings from 16 starts including second in the Listed Gosford Guineas.

Yulong

In 2023, Yulong Stud will present a draft of thirty yearlings at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale with fifteen by their first season sire and Gr1 CF Orr Stakes winner Alabama Express, and another four by dual Gr1 winner Grunt whose oldest crop have just turned two.

The investment into quality broodmares is reflected in this draft with Lot 520, the first live foal, a filly by Champion Sire Snitzel, of brilliant Gr1 winning race mare Viddora (I Am Invincible). Viddora won the

Gr1 Winterbottom Stakes and the Gr1 AJ Moir Stakes, among her nine wins up to 1200m.

The first foal of dual Gr1 winning sprinter In Her Time is an I Am Invincible colt, Lot 965, and as well as her nine wins including the Gr1 Lightning Stakes and Gr1 Galaxy Handicap, In Her Time was six times Gr1 placed and ranked the Equal Leading Older Mare on the 2018 World Thoroughbred Rankings (Sprint). Out of a winning Zeditave mare, In Her Time is from the same family as The Everest winner Yes Yes Yes.

Written Tycoon’s rise from an initial fee of $8,250 and several different homes has defied the usual logic applied to stallion success, and his current fee

Bluebloods talked to Troy Stephens about the Yulong Stud Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.

/ Alabama Express

Words / Rénee Geelen

of $165,000 reflects his status as the Champion Sire in Australia in 2020/21 with 52 stakes winners. Yulong Stud will offer his yearling filly, Lot 457, who is the first foal of stakes placed winning Snitzel mare Talented, herself a daughter of Listed winner Exceptionally.

Extreme Choice yearling filly, Lot 497, is the second live foal of winning mare Trajectory, who is a half-sister to Gr1 winner Douro Valley and stakes winner Stellamac. First season sire and Gr1 winner Alabama Express (Redoute’s Choice) has five fillies and ten colts in this draft, with the half-sister to Gr1 Blue Diamond winner Lyre being the standout on pedigree, and her dam Erato is a daughter of dual Gr1 winner Mnemosyne, who also left dual Gr1 winner Impending, group winner Forget, and Listed winner Epidemic at stud.

A half-brother to Gr3 winner Irukandji, out of group placed winner Cerberus Gal, is Lot 707, from the family of Danzero. Cerberus Gal has left six winners from as many to race.

The third foal of stakes placed winner Pageantry (I Am Invincible), Lot 212, is a colt, and his second and third dam are both were awarded Champion 3YO Filly titles.

Another third foal from a good racemare is Lot 557, a colt, and his dam, Written Era, is a Gr3 placed winner of five races from the family of Shot of Thunder. Lot 1040 is the second foal, a colt, from stakes placed winner Bouquet de Flores, who is a half-sister to stakes winners Lazuli, and Inspiriter. Lot 524 is a colt from a half-sister to dual Gr1 winner In Italian, and two other stakes horses, and all are out of Gr3 Sunshine Coast Guineas winner Florentina, a half-sister to Gr1 winner Gathering.

A half-sister to stakes placed winner Sketched is Lot 701, and this filly is out of a half-sister to group winner City Style and to the dam of Listed winner

Universal Order. Lot 562 is out of a young winning half-sister to Gr1 Irish Derby winner Sovereign from the family of Trust in a Gust.

Grunt was a superior three-year-old winning the Gr1 Australian Guineas to make his record at that time four wins from five starts, and among his four second crop yearlings in the Yulong Stud draft are: Lot 154 who is the second foal of stakes placed winner Motown Lil, a full sister to Gr2 winner Daisies (Sebring) and a halfsister to Gr1 Golden Rose placed Zou Tiger, from the family of Horse of the Year Tycoon Lil; while Lot 841 is the first foal of two year-old winner Evening Slippers (Snitzel) who is a full sister to Gr1 winner Sweet Idea (Snitzel) and group winner Showtime (Snitzel), as well as a half-sister to Listed winner Rush.

Other sires represented in the Yulong Stud 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft are Blue Point (Lot 669), Capitalist (Lot 660), Dundeel (Lot 205), Exceed and Excel (Lot 32), Lope de Vega (Lot 64), Nicconi (Lot 120), and Pierata (Lot 324).

What is the best horse you have sold through Magic Millions?

Hungry Heart

When assessing breeding which influences/key horses do you mainly look for?

Broodmare sire is very important, and I like to see inbreeding to superior females.

Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?

It takes an enormous amount of work to get a yearling to the ring and so much has to go right so there are always a few nerves in hope that we achieve a positive result.

What makes Magic Millions at the Gold Coast such a success?

The prize money over the carnival is extraordinary. Magic Millions has such a unique atmosphere, it truly is a world class sale and proven source of Stakes winners.

What’s the coldest you’ve ever been?

Visiting Lexington, Kentucky.

What’s the most expensive thing you’ve broken?

I was fortunate enough to break in the $1,000,000 Fastnet Rock x Popsy colt who went on to become the Gr1 New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas winner Rock N Pop.

of the widely acclaimed national sires directory “STALLIONS” (publ. May each year). Each bi-monthly BLUEBLOODS presents a Personality Profile, a Stallion Profile and pedigree analysis, all written by a team of expert, authoritative journalists and contributors. It’s a must read if you want to stay fully informed about the breeding industry. Whether you are a newcomer, or a seasoned professional, you can increase your chances of success by subscribing to BLUEBLOODS.

GET YOUR HEART RACING

The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Carnival will be more exciting than ever. And The Star adds to the thrills with its award-winning restaurants, lively bars as well as the absolute luxury of The Star Grand and The Darling hotels. It’s all waiting for you at The Star Gold Coast.

THESTARGOLDCOAST.COM.AU

The Star practices the responsible service of alcohol. Guests must be 18 years or over to enter the Casino. BET WITH YOUR HEAD, NOT OVER IT. Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858 www.gamblinghelpqld.org.au. PARTG06309