A $1600 outlay for a weanling filly at the 2006 Scone Thoroughbred Mixed Sale by keen industry participant Peter Killen, has since paid excellent dividends as well as providing happy results for the Mid North Coast breeder.
Purchased for his owner/breeder interests, Peter - along with his enthusiastic partner Sue Oldfield - later raced the filly named Firefly Magic, and while proving "troublesome" when in training, did win one race.
However, it has been Firefly Magic's first three foals - all fillies - that have been a bonanza for the couple, with each winning multiple races.
According to Peter, Firefly Magic was not well presented at the sale and she had a cold when he purchased the young filly, however he liked her pedigree.
"She (Firefly Magic) had no Danehill (in her breeding), and had a good colonial pedigree with her dam by Luskin Star and her second dam by Sir Tristram," he said.
"I also liked the stallion, Magic Albert (sire of Firefly Magic) who is by Zeditave. At the time we were racing a horse called Pardao Joe who was from the same Summoned family as Zeditave."
Racing into open class events, Pardao Joe was by the US bred Northern Fred, a grandson of the great Northern Dancer.
"He (Pardao Joe) won eight races for us and is the reason we bought the farm for his retirement home (on the Mid North Coast)."
Pardao Joe did retire to the couple's farm, "Yowie Yards", with the gelding now buried on the property. But the property also allowed space for Peter and Sue to breed from the now producing broodmare (Firefly Magic).
"When she was finally retired Peter decided he wanted to breed one foal," Sue said.
However, like any Thoroughbred enthusiast, how can you stop at one foal.
The farm influence paved the way for the emergence of Firefly Magic's three winners Capital Magic, Magic Arli and Malea Magic, all bred and reared by Peter and Sue at their Krambach property.
These horses were all bred via the successful and long running annual Australian Thoroughbred Breeders Club (ATBC) Tender Stallion Scheme.
By the little used Royal Academy stallion Recapitalize, the six-year-old Capital Magic won five races and almost $100,000 and is likely to go to stud later this year.
Magic Arli and Malea Magic are two years apart sisters being by the Tamalee Stud, Tamworth, based Red Ransom stallion Arlington.
All trained at Taree by Bob Milligan and son Glenn, Magic Arli has won three races and almost $100,000, while the younger Malea Magic has also won three races, had one second and two fourths from eight starts.
While finishing fourth in Sydney, three-year-old Malea Magic then ran a close fourth in the $150,000 Mid North Coast Country Championships Qualifier at Port Macquarie in February, before winning over 1200 metres at Newcastle.
Recently returning to the racing stable after a spell, Malea Magic is raced by Sue and Peter together in partnership of friends, many of them first time owners. These include Gordon Morrison, Sue Donohue and Neryl Grehan of Tea Gardens, Allan Edwards of Wingham, Des Ralston of Tuncurry, Joel Minett of Manilla, Geoff Keohane of Port Macquarie, Rod and Joanne Hansen of Krambach, Graham and Nicole Killen and Justin Ferris of Bonnells Bay, Garry and Kelli Manderson of Adamstown, and Allan Devine of Sydney.
Raced in a similar partnership, Magic Arli is also continuing her race career and will have a start shortly.
Peter and Sue also look forward to racing Firefly Magic's next born offspring, a yearling gelding by former Emirates Park, Murrurundi sire Mulaazem, another product via the ATBC's Stallion Tender Scheme. A Group two winning son of Kingmambo's Dubai Destination, Mulaazem is a half-brother to Godolphin's champion racehorse Sepoy, a sire of five stakes winners including current star and $2.2m race-earning mare Alizee.
Currently Firefly Magic is in foal to racing sparkler Stratum Star. By Golden Slipper winner Stratum, Stratum Star has been labelled "The Millions Maker" by his home residence at Widden Stud, and did indeed win more than $2.5 million, taking Group 1 races on the east and western Australian seaboards. The tough and durable racehorse won eight races (six at stakes level) and had 15 placings.
Serving 193 mares at his first two seasons, Stratum Star is represented with his first weanlings.
