By Bren O'Brien
Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) has put forward his case to be considered as a leading contender for next month's Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast with an impressive win in the Listed Wyong Magic Millions Classic.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained colt sat outside the early leader Time For Peace (Time For War) and Tim Clark controlled the race from that point, putting paid to the leader quickly on straightening and then seeing off the challenge of the easing favourite Every Rose (Choisir) to win by 1.14l
The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Remorseless (Written Tycoon) filled third place, nearly 3l further back.
Farnan, bred by Phoenix Thoroughbreds and raced in partnership with Aquis Farm, becomes the fifth winner for trainer Gai Waterhouse in the Wyong race, with her and Adrian Bott having won the race with Unite And Conquer (Hinchinbrook), last year.
Having emulated his sire, Not A Single Doubt, who won the Wyong race in 2003, he will now look to become the fourth horse in the past 10 years to claim both this event and the $2 million Gold Coast feature and the first since Capitalist (Written Tycoon) in 2016.
"We took him down to Canberra there with plenty of improvement in him and he showed that," Bott said of his 5l maiden win. "Again today his attitude is what won him the race. His professionalism. He began brilliantly and put himself right in the race and switched off nicely.
"When Tim asked him to he showed a good turn of foot. Like all those good young colts, he's got a good attitude."
"When Tim asked him to he showed a good turn of foot. Like all those good young colts, he's got a good attitude." - Adrian Bott
"He's a lovely physical type and he's a nice strong individual, so that will take him a long way."
Bott said with over four weeks to the Gold Coast race, he wasn't sure whether to give Farnan another run heading in.
"It's a good long while until we have to go to the Gold Coast. We need to work out if we are going to have another run yet or not. We will plan that after today."
Farnan was a $550,000 purchase for Aquis and Phoenix from the Vinery draft at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale. He is out of the Group 3 winning Street Cry (Ire) mare Tallow, making him a half-brother to dual Listed winner Sandbar (Snitzel).
Farnan as a yearling
G3 Gimcrack S. winner Every Rose had every chance to run the winner down but will no doubt benefit from the run. She led all the way in her debut success back in October, but was unable to muster on Thursday, instead having to take the sit behind the leader.
Trainer Mark Newnham will undoubtedly take some heart that last year's runner-up Exhilarates (Snitzel) was able to then go on and win the Gold Coast race the following month.
Every Rose stayed at $6 for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic, with Farnan now into outright favouritism at $5.
Thunder rolls towards Coast
Earlier, Newnham's Diamond Thunder (Dawn Approach {Ire}) took a giant leap up in betting for the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas with a strong win in the Magic Millions 3YO & 4YO S.
Things weren't looking great for the 3-year-old mid-race as he and Josh Parr drifted back worse than midfield, but he produced a strong late burst to claim Hightail (Written Tycoon) and win by 0.25l with Leviathan (Zoustar) in third.
He is now second favourite behind Alligator Blood (All Too Hard) at $6.50 in betting for the Gold Coast 1400 metre race on January 11.
“He didn’t seem to begin as well as he normally does and he was just run off his feet,” Newnham said. “Josh (Parr) did the right thing, let him gather himself, balance.
“He’s just got a good will to win so once he started to come I was confident he’d get over the top of them.
“What he showed today is once he steps up to 1400 metres in Queensland, he’s going to be suited. Good job horse and jockey and north we go.”
Mark Newnham
Diamond Thunder, now a winner of $325,000, has proven an excellent pick-up from the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale, where PL Bloodstock paid $135,000 for him from the Oaklands Stud draft.
A dual Listed winner already, he is out of Kwinana (Lonhro), a three-quarter sister to both Group 3 winner Trim (Lonhro) and Stubborn (Lonhro), the dam of Group 1 winner Gatting (Hard Spun {USA}).
