Other Winners and Graduates

Magic Millions have proved to be the source of not only precocious youngsters, this season some of the best classic milers and distance horses have begun their journey to racetrack stardom from the humble Magic Millions sales-ring.

Renowned for selling high quality yearlings at great value prices, the Magic Millions sales around the country have a first class record for producing gallopers of the highest calibre.

The 2009/10 racing season has been no different with a swag of feature race winners – 156 stakes winners in Australia – more than any other sale company.

Racing is about winning and Magic Millions graduates make a habit of winning. Over the past 12 months well over 5000 races in Australia alone were won by graduates of a Magic Millions sale ring.

The revelation of the past 12 months has been the High Chaparral gelding Shoot Out. Right from the time he was first unveiled at the track by John Wallace racegoers knew that Shoot Out was a star. A $15,000 bargain buy for Graham and Linda Huddy, Shoot Out won his first start at the Gold Coast in easy fashion before taking the massive step to the Group Two QTC Sires’ Produce Stakes when he turned in an outstanding performance to swoop home and win. During the Sydney autumn carnival earlier in the year Shoot Out won first up in the Gold Sovereign Stakes before training on to capture two Group Ones – the Randwick Guineas and the AJC Derby.

Australia’s most famous and richest race, the $5 million Melbourne Cup hadn’t been won by an Australian bred sales graduate since Gold Coast purchase Subzero raced to glory in 1992. But that all changed late last year when Mark Kavanagh trained Shocking to win the two mile feature at Flemington. A son of Street Cry, Shocking was sold twice by Magic Millions. Bred by George and Felicity Fraser’s Ilala Stud in New South Wales, Shocking was originally sold at the QTIS 600 Yearling Sale for $45,000. He was purchased at the sale by the Thomas family’s Washpool Lodge operation and they resold him at the National Horses in Training Sale to Laurence Eales for $64,000.

The star three-year-old filly of the 2009/10 racing season was unquestionably Melito – a Redoute’s Choice filly who was sold for $600,000 at the Gold Coast as a yearling. One of the most valuable gallopers in Australia at the present time, Melito did what no other three-year-old in the country could – win twice at Group One level against open age rivals.

Grand Sydney campaigner Theseo continued on his merry way for his Star Thoroughbreds syndicate notching another couple of Group One wins. A $140,000 purchase, Theseo is by Danewin and was bred and sold by the farm that stands Danewin, Emirates Park. Theseo’s stablemate Rock Kingdom provided champion horsewoman Gai Waterhouse with yet another big race mile winner in Sydney when he captured the Epsom Handicap.

Clang gelding Black Piranha continued his love affair with the state of his purchase by connections when he made it back to back wins in the Stradbroke Handicap in June. Purchased for $41,000 by Tony Karakatsanis and trained by his son, former jockey, Con, Black Piranha edged out Melito in the $1 million feature at Eagle Farm at double figure odds.

Melbourne’s premier two-year-old contest each season is the Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield and this year it was the sole Magic Millions runner Star Witness who was successful. A $150,000 Gold Coast purchase for his trainer Danny O’Brien, Star Witness made history in becoming the first Group One winner for exciting young sire Starcraft when he produced an incredible burst to win.

While Shoot Out, who cost $15,000, won the AJC Derby, the story was much the same in the other Sydney classic – the AJC Oaks. Here it was the Gai Waterhouse trained Once Were Wild who was successful. A $50,000 buy for European agent Amanda Skiffington, the daughter of Johannesburg turned in a dashing performance to score. The Classic wins weren’t just restricted to the Eastern States.

David Hayes, won the Emirates Stakes with All American, cheered home Chartreux in the WATC Derby at Ascot. Albert the Fat, a $40,000 Gold Coast bargain, elevated his trainer Eden Petrie to the Group One winning list when he led home a Magic Millions trifecta in the BTC Cup. The son of Magic Albert led home Melito and Latin News in the feature sprint in the clean sweep result for Gold Coast graduates.

As well as in Australia, Magic Millions starred around the globe during the same period with stakes winners in New Zealand, Singapore, Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau, Hong Kong, Germany, South Africa and France. Buyers serious about buying their next racetrack star at the best value prices in the world will ensure they attend the Magic Millions Yearling Sales around Australia in 2011.