Written by Richard Edmunds
Hundreds of newcomers to racing ownership are set for an unforgettable day at the races at the Gold Coast on Saturday.
Undefeated filly Dusty Tycoon (Written Tycoon) will carry the colours of the miRunners Racing No. 1 syndicate when she lines up in the $2 million The Star Magic Millions 2YO Classic.
“It’s a unique and exciting concept,” trainer Robert Heathcote said. “Ownership of the horse is split up into 1000 units. This filly has 750 different owners, of which 450 are completely new to racing and ownership. It’s a great story and very exciting.
“The Gold Coast will be putting on a marquee for miRunners on Saturday, and hundreds of them are going to be there. It should be an amazing day for them.”
The brainchild of Steve Brown and Chris Ryan, miRunners is a new player on the Australian racing scene and purchased their first horses at the 2017 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
That initial purchase, Saganaki (Real Saga), was a $165,000 purchase, split up into 1000 units at $165 apiece. Monthly upkeep was charged at $16 per month for a single unit, plus $5 for any subsequent units in the same horse.
That same model has been applied to all subsequent purchases, taking more than 2,800 individual owners on a racing ride they may never otherwise have had.
Dusty Tycoon as a yearling
Now Dusty Tycoon will fly their flag on one of Australia’s richest racedays.
Bought for $160,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, she is by Written Tycoon out of the Redoute’s Choice mare Sponsored, who is a winning half-sister to the stakes winners Order of the Sun (Encosta de Lago), Beauty (Smart Missile) and Get to Work (Snippets).
Dusty Tycoon won on debut at the Sunshine Coast on November 16, then repeated that result at Doomben two weeks later in her only other start. She warmed up for Saturday’s race with an easy trial win at Doomben on New Year’s Eve.
“I’ve been really happy with her build-up to this race,” Heathcote said. “I had several different options for getting her here. But because of this great story around miRunners, I thought it was absolutely essential for me to give her every chance of getting to this race. As a result, I took quite a conservative path with those two races early on. But she trialled beautifully the other day and I’m very happy with her.
“She was very good in both of her wins. It’s quite an interesting Magic Millions this year, with a whole range of form lines converging on this Grand Final. It’s going to be exciting.
"It’s quite an interesting Magic Millions this year, with a whole range of form lines converging on this Grand Final. It’s going to be exciting." - Robert Heathcote
“But I was really disappointed when I saw the tile turn over and we had gate 15. It forces our hand a little bit. We have no choice but to come out hot from the gate and go forward. We’ll just have to hope she jumps well and then travels nicely from there.
“There should be a bit of speed on – I think Farnan and Every Rose are both likely to go forward. Hopefully they don’t overcook things in front.”
