Slipper Magic Rolls On


Pierro continued an outstanding run for Magic Millions graduates in the world’s richest juvenile race at Rosehill on Saturday.

A colt by Lonhro, Pierro added to an illustrious group of winners of the $3.5 million Golden Slipper and in doing so emerged as one of the most valuable young colts in the world.

Twice sold by Magic Millions – once as a weanling for $115,000 and then for twice that figure as a Gold Coast yearling – Pierro continued a winning trend for graduates of the popular Australian based sales company.

Of the last 10 Golden Slipper winners sold at auction – eight of them were sold by Magic Millions through the famous Bundall sale ring on the Gold Coast.

“It’s a phenomenal record,” Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox noted.

“Eight from ten is a brilliant strike rate and with the quaity running style graduates Magic Millions is renowned for, this will only continue into the future.”

The remarkable Magic Millions winning streak kicked away in 2000 when Belle Du Jour scored the most remarkable Slipper win in history.

Twelve months later Gai Waterhouse scored her first win in the feature juvenile contest when Ha Ha led home a stable trifecta.

National Yearling Sale bargain buy Polar Success proved the best in 2003 when she won for the Graeme Rogerson stable.

A year later and Dance Hero followed on from a Magic Millions Classic win with a record breaking success over Charge Forward, Alinghi and Fastnet Rock.

Dance Hero’s winning time remains the fastest in Slipper history and the record books will confirm his status as one of the country’s greatest ever two-year-olds after completing the Triple Crown.

A year later Stratum emerged as a hot stallion in the making when he backed up to win for Paul Perry in 2005. Now based at Widden Stud, Stratum added another record to his Slipper books when he sired 2010 homebred winner Crystal Lily.

In 2008 Gai Waterhouse won her third Golden Slipper when More Than Ready colt Sebring scored a thrilling win in the Rosehill feature.

Twelve months on and Queensland trained gelding Phelan Ready did a Dance Hero when he won the Slipper after earlier in the same year winning the Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

After two years of success for homebreds – Sepoy and Crystal Lily – success for Magic Millions graduates returned today when Pierro scored an impressive win.

A Darley bred colt by Lonhro, Pierro was originally sold at the 2010 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale for $115,000 – purchased there by Victorian based breeder David Kobritz.

Kobritz and the team from Musk Creek Farm, headed by manager Dearne Gess-Jones, prepared Pierro for last year’s Gold Coast Yearling Sale and he made twice his weanling price, $230,000.

On that occasion it was Gai Waterhouse who was the buyer. He was the pick of the sale for Sydney clients Greg and Donna Kolivos and as they say – the rest is history.

Now one of the world’s most valuable young colts, Pierro is unbeaten in four runs and he lived up to his trainers debut declaration.

“He’ll win the Golden Slipper,” Waterhouse beamed after the exciting youngster won the listed Breeders Plate last year.

A couple of group race wins in recent weeks had Pierro spot on for his main mission in the Slipper.