Flemington Winners Boost National Sale

Black and Bent and Leica Larrikan provided great pointers for the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale when they scored impressive wins at Flemington today.

Versatile stayer Black and Bent won his fifth straight race when he cruised away with the $100,000 Banjo Patterson (2500m).

The Black Hawk gelding, who mixes his racing these days both on the flat and over jumps, is in career best form.

Of his past five wins – four have been on the flat – the other in the feature Galleywood Hurdle at Warrnambool.

The gelding was purchased by Blue Sky Thoroughbreds for Rick McIntosh for $25,000 at the 2007 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale.

A half brother to established jumps star Some Are Bent, Black and Bent was bred and sold by Rob and Maureen McBryde’s Summerset Park Stud.

With just 31 starts under his belt, the four-year-old gelding has already earned over $391,000.

Meanwhile, Leica Larrikan extended his winning run to three when he scored a determined victory in $101,500 David Bourke Provincial Plate (1600m).

Trained at Corowa by Richard Freyer, Leica Larrikan came with a perfectly timed run under Michael Cahill to get up and scored an exciting win.

Leica Larrikan has raced on just 14 occasions and notched five wins and earned over $200,000.

The Nothin’ Leica Dane gelding is a full brother to the Group Two winner and Melbourne Cup fourth placegetter Leica Falcon.

The win was a timely one for the team from Southern Cross Breeders who have the full sister to Leica Falcon and Leica Larrikan set to go under the hammer at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale which commences tomorrow.

The filly, who’s by the same sire as last weekend’s Doomben 10,000 winner Hot Danish, is catalogued as lot number 1738 – and she will be up for sale in the early stages of tomorrow’s first session.

The first session of the sale commences at 11am (Qld time) and continues on Monday and Tuesday.