WHILE they may not need the prizemoney or prestige to boost their Australian racing stable, world Thoroughbred conglomerate, Godolphin, joined the hopeful lookers for the first time last year to try to find and buy the winner of the $2 million Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic, with its 2019 edition being run at the Gold Coast last Saturday.
This feat they did when Godolphin’s purchase of Exhilarates – which cost them $600,000 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, did just that win, and in outstanding style coming from near last on the home turn.
Godolphin has been more known for racing their mammoth home-bred stock in different countries world-wide, Australia being no different, its numerous operations each providing massive employment.
Like the majority of runners at the Magic Millions most prestigious January annual race meeting, the runner’s of each of the program’s races must be a Magic Millions sales’ graduate.
Sold via Vinery Stud, Scone, Exhilarates is destined to become a valuable Godolphin broodmare, being a daughter of Arrowfield Stud’s champion Australian sire Snitzel, and produced from dual Group 1 winner Samaready.
Queensland scored a memorable victory when home-bred Boomsara lasted to win the $2m Magic Millions Guineas for three-year-olds, the other major event on the program.
Trained by former champion jockey Chris Munce, Boomsara is raced by a large group of owners including the gelding’s breeders the McAlpine family of Eureka Stud.
Breeding and racing horses for more than 60 years, Eureka is also home to Boomsara’s promising young sire Spirit Of Boom, yet another success story for the Darling Downs property.
“It’s been a long time between drinks from our first (Magic Millions) win, being Sea Cabin back in 1988, but that was when the only (Magic Millions) race was for two-year-olds,” Scott McAlpine said after Boomsara’s win.
While tragically dying in 2016, Widden Stud’s champion sire Stratum continued to make his presence felt when Egyptian Symbol won the $1m It’s Live in Queensland Magic Millions Snippets. Prepared by Warwick Farm’s Bjorn Baker, Egyptian Symbol is a six-year-old daughter of Stratum.
This sprint race was named in honour of the inaugural 1987 Magic Millions race winner, Snippets.
Chris Waller’s popular mare Invincibella won the $1m Moet & Chandon Magic Millions Fillies and Mares race for her second successive year.
Millions spent
Buyers splurged a record $169.5 million at the glitzy and glamorous Magic Millions Yearling Sale book one at the Gold Coast which ended on Saturday night.
A total of 11 yearlings sold for $1m or more, while the average for the 684 sold lots for book one was $239,809.
“It was a sensational sale from start to finish, with a rise of about $14m on the gross from last year’s sale,” Magic Millions Bloodstock’s managing director Barry Bowditch said.
Barry said there was a very solid international buying bench with all the key players purchasing horses.
“The commercial buyers are coming to the Gold Coast and having a great time, and they love racing horses in Australia and they are really engaging in the industry,” he said.
Yarraman Park’s headlining stallion I Am Invincible continued to boost his strength on the racetrack as well as for breeders fortunate to be selling his progeny. The stallion was represented with four youngsters selling for $1m or more, including the sale topping colt from Snitzel stakes winner Oakleigh Girl, going to Caulfield’s Lloyd Kennewell for a group of investors.
Yarraman Park sold another of his colts for $1.3m, from Tai Tai Tess, and a $1m filly, from Rose Of Choice, selling to Yulong Investments.
Progeny of champion Australian sire Redoute’s Choice had admirers with deep pockets with three $1m plus yearlings, including the second top of the sale at $1.6m, for a colt from Purely Spectacular, selling from Bhima Thoroughbreds, Scone, to Tony Fung’s Aquis Farm operations, in conjunction with Phoenix Thoroughbreds.
Third sale top was $1.4m for another colt by Redoute’s Choice, from Breakfast In Bed, sold by Segenhoe Stud, Scone, to Sydney based bloodstock agent James Harron.
