Cover image courtesy of Tattersalls

Speaking from Australia on Wednesday, Yulong’s Chief Operating Officer Sam Fairgray confirmed to TDN AusNZ the four-time Group 1 winner had been bought in a partnership and would join the stable of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, with a potential shot at the $15 million The Everest, for which Yulong own a slot, a definite possibility.

“If everything fell into place she would definitely take her place for us in The Everest and given her race record I think she would be very competitive. She is going into training with Gai (Waterhouse) and Adrian (Bott) so it is going to be really interesting to see how she will perform over here,” said Fairgray.

“It is fantastic. She is a very exciting mare and she is obviously high-class and it is great for the industry that she is coming down to race here against the Australian competition, but then she will have a great career as a broodmare as well. It is what Mr Zhang is about and trying to achieve and to have her race on is a bonus as well.

“There is no limit to the options for any of the mares he buys. He has a very broad mind and he is very passionate about racing.

“It is a nice thing to be able to inter-change some of these mares between hemispheres and obviously with Lucky Vega he is going to get supported with some fantastic mares in his second year, it’s really very good for him.”

Widely tipped to be the headline act of the week, Jeff Smith's Alcohol Free duly shone brightest in a galaxy of stars on display at Park Paddocks and the figure she realised is the second-highest price ever recorded at a European auction.

Yulong has flexed some serious fiscal muscle at the breeding stock sales both home and abroad and they dug deep to secure this rare offering, outlasting Coolmore who stand her sire, No Nay Never (USA).

Alcohol Free will race in a partnership in Yulong’s familiar green and white silks and Donohoe believes she will suit the Australian conditions.

“She vetted extremely well for a filly who has plenty of miles on the clock, her reports were exemplary. The partners already have horses in training and breeding interests in Australia and obviously she'll make a fantastic broodmare at the end of her racing career,” he said.

“I think there's 87 races in Australia next year worth a million-plus, so the prizemoney on offer there is big, and she's that type of filly. She's won the July Cup over six furlongs then she stays a mile too so there'll be a lot of options for her. Fair play to Andrew Balding and the guys, they did a great job with her.”

This is not the first time Yulong have invested in the mare’s family having secured her dam, Plying (USA) (Hard Spun {USA}), for €825,000 (AU$1,272,100) at last year’s Goffs Ireland November Breeding Stock Sale.

“I bought the dam last year for Yulong Investments at Goffs and she's got a lovely Lope De Vega foal at foot and she's back in foal to Lucky Vega,” said Donohoe.

“It's impossible to value those blue-chip fillies off the track, they're collector’s items because they don't come on the market very often. They're like Picassos, they're a rare commodity. I had a figure in my head though and I was bidding pretty strongly, so that might've indicated I had some petrol left in the tank.”

Bred by Churchtown House Stud, Alcohol Free was a rare non-homebred to race in the famous colours of Jeff Smith of Littleton Stud, who has campaigned such great names as Lochsong (GB) (Song {GB}), Arabian Queen (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Persian Punch (Ire) (Persian Heights {GB}) during his long association with the turf.

Littleton Stud manager David Bowe selected the 4-year-old at the Goffs November Sale of 2018, signing for her at €40,000 (AU$61,800).

He said, “It's the end of a wonderful, wonderful journey that we have been on, a wonderful dream.

“She walked in and looked beautiful. If it had been five years earlier with Jeff we might not have brought her to the sale ring. We have enough broodmares, she was not bred by us, but it is really to do with the timescale. She will make a beautiful mare in time and it is time for someone else.

“We have had so much luck. Everyone involved with her, the team at home on the farm, the Gaffneys whom we bought her from, all of her jockeys. I can't thank everyone enough.

“It has been emotional. Jeff is not here tonight, but it is all down to him: he let us buy her, let us all get involved in the whole dream. I am absolutely delighted, it is a beautiful end to our chapter, and we wish her new connections all the luck.”

Gan Teorainn to join Waller

Gan Teorainn (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) was the first filly to break the million gns-mark (AU$1,871,500) and, like Alcohol Free, was snapped up by the BBA Ireland and will head into training with Chris Waller.

The G1 Prix Marcel Boussac runner-up was trained by Jim Bolger and consigned by his granddaughter Clare Manning of Boherguy Stud.

Donohoe, who purchased over 30 fillies and mares this week, described the catalogue as being exceptionally strong as well as explaining why he feels Gan Teorainn is a good fit for racing in Australia.

“Gan Teorainn is going to Australia as well. She's a big 2-year-old and what she did this year is extraordinary for a big filly. Again, she vetted exceptionally well and we'll give her a little bit of time to acclimatise in Australia. We'll decide on a trainer after that and she's for the same syndicate of people who bought Alcohol Free,” he said.

“Saxon Warrior has the makings of becoming a top-class Classic-type sire. He had a lot of maiden winners towards the back end of the season and they are hard to win. She is going to be a lovely miler, maybe even a mile-and-a-quarter filly in time, and she has a lovely pedigree as well so she should make a broodmare. We're delighted to get her as well. It's been an exceptional catalogue. It's rare that you get a catalogue so strong.”

Kia Ora come to the table

A few lots later, Kia Ora Stud came to the fore when they snapped up G2 Sapphire S. winner Mooneista (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) for 850,000gns (AU$1,590,750).

Kia Ora Stud have been a familiar name on the buyers’ sheets at breeding stock sales overseas this year, having purchased Listed-winning juvenile mare Toby’s Heart (USA) (Jack Milton {USA}) for US$450,000 (AU$695,600) at the Keeneland November Sale last month.

The farm’s Bloodstock and Breeding Manager, Shane Wright, who chatted to TDN AusNZ from Scone on Wednesday, said options were open with the daughter of Dandy Man (Ire), who also finished fourth behind Nature Strip (Nicconi) in this year’s G1 King’s Stand S. at Royal Ascot.

“We are open at the moment. She was absolutely spotless on vetting so we do have the option to race her on. We are just going to give it a day or two and the team will have a chat about her to work out the next steps. We could bring her home straight away or we could give her another campaign, perhaps looking at Royal Ascot again next year.

“She ran a very good race there this year and has that form around Nature Strip, so we will have a think over the next couple of days,” he said.

Mooneista is out of the Group 3-winning Intikhab (USA) mare Moon Unit (Ire) and Wright said one of the most attractive aspects of the mare is that stallion options are endless for her.

“When you look the whole way through the sireline on both sides of her page, you’ve got Dandy Man, Intikhab, Danehill, Night Shift and Green Desert which is just an extraordinary lineup of sires the whole way through. We thought it was a pedigree that would very much suit down here and we thought there was a lot of speed through the family. Her pedigree is completely open and she can go to anyone we want her to.

“The market is very strong and that was at the top end of our budget, but we were very happy to get her when you look back through and have a look at what everything was making over the course of the day and at the sales throughout the year.”

'It defies logic'

Having purchased Darkest (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) for 125,000gns (AU$233,900) on the first day of the sale, Dean Hawthorne (BAFNZ) and Tom Pritchard-Gordon of Badgers Bloodstock made their presence felt again on Tuesday, buying two lots, headed by Listed-placed mare Elizabethofaragon (Ire), paying The Castlebridge Consignment 650,000gns (AU$1,216,450) for the daughter of Galileo (Ire).

Offered in foal to Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett (GB), having produced a colt by the same stallion earlier this year, the mare was bought for GSA and agent Dean Hawthorne told TDN AusNZ she would likely be kept in Europe for a few seasons before being relocated to Australia.

“She will probably stay here for a short period of time. Our plan is usually to take them home eventually, but when you are starting to pay over $1 million, you’ve got to think about trading in pounds for a year or two, which we will do and this market is very strong up here and it makes sense to be a part of it,” he said.

“We have made a few calls in the last hour or so and hope to get into a few high-profile horses here. We have got one or two in mind, we’ll see where we end up.”

The mare is out of Beltisaal (Fr) making her a sister to Group 1 winner Kingsbarns (Ire), while she is a half-sister to Sweeter Still (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), the dam of dual Group 1 winner and now Tweenhills-based sire Kameko (USA).

“She has a lovely, current page. We had to pay similar money for unraced sisters to good horses in the past and this one could run,” said Hawthorne.

“We’ve got half a dozen Galileo mares in Australia and they are leaving us good, athletic types and you can’t have enough of them. We thought that was one of the stronger pedigrees here and the fact that she is Group-placed at the second dam is very good.”

Hawthorne and Tom Pritchard-Gordon also struck earlier in the day, securing Beloved (Ire), a placed daughter of Frankel (GB), for 125,000gns (AU$223,900).

Offered in foal to Tally-Ho’s young-gun sire Starman (GB), Beloved will likely foal and then head to Australia with Monday’s purchase, Darkest, who was offered in carrying a positive to Starspanngledbanner.

Beloved is out of Group 3 winner Love And Bubbles (USA) (Loup Sauvage {USA}), making her a half-sister to Japanese Grade 1 winner Deep Brilliante (Jpn).

“She and the Dark Angel we bought on Monday will go south after having their foals and be mated in Australia. We have identified stallions that will suit those horses already. The Frankel mare is a half-sister to a Group 1 winner and some of her family have been mated quite well in Japan,” said Hawthorne.

“We thought she was good value. There were some other Frankels that we really liked, but they were a bit more expensive, so she fit the bill. Frankel is doing such a good job in Australia and because of that you would have to say there will be some commercial aspect to progeny out of his daughters.”

Of the market, Hawthorne commented, “It’s so crazy and it has just been so, so strong. The world is strong in bloodstock at the moment; it defies logic. America was a strong market, but this has been a crazy, crazy market.”

Show Of Stars to shine in Australia?

Jim Clarke of Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA) and Michael and Terry-Ann Sherrin of Sheralee Estate came away on Monday with Group 3-placed mare Romantic Rival (Ire) (Shamardal {USA}), who they purchased for 300,000gns (AU$561,450) and on Tuesday they returned to the well, paying the same figure for Show Of Stars (GB) (Showcasing {GB}).

However, unlike Monday’s purchase, Show Of Stars, who is a winner and is also Listed-placed, will race on in Australia with Clarke eyeing up some potentially lucrative prizes for the 3-year-old filly.

“Show Of Stars was the other mare we were most keen on out of the sale. She has a different profile to Romantic Rival because she was more of a racing prospect,” Clarke told TDN AusNZ.

“She is lightly raced and her form in Ireland is very good and there are quite a few mares in the sale with similar formlines. We are going to race on and the big part of the appeal is the fact that there is a great program for her in Australia.

“She gets off the plane as a 4-year-old and in the spring there are great stakes races for her, but also a race like The Five Diamonds worth $2 million and if we can get her to that grade, that would be great.”

The mare is the second foal out of the Raven’s Pass (USA) (Elusive Quality {USA}) mare Gloryette (GB), herself a three-quarter sister to Group 3 winner Elusive Pimpernel (USA) (Elusive Quality {USA}) and a half-sister to Group 3 winner Palavicini (USA) (Giant's Causeway {USA}).

“Again, she is a complete outcross to Danehill and we were very keen on the prospect that she is from the Oasis Dream sireline and Raven’s Pass is a very good broodmare sire. When she does go to stud we have unlimited options of what we can breed her to,” said Clarke.

The mare will join her Wootton Bassett half-sister in Australia with that filly having been purchased at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale earlier this year by Jeremy Brummitt and John Wheeler for 400,000gns (AU$748,600).

Nafaayes to return home

Nafaayes (Exceed And Excel) will return to her native Australia as she was purchased by Olly Tait’s Twin Hills Stud for 78,000gns (AU$146,000).

The daughter of Exceed And Excel landed a brace of Grade 2s in South Africa and was also placed a Grade 1 level and she was purchased as a yearling by Shadwell Estate Company for $350,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in 2017.

Having produced a filly by Mohaather (GB) earlier this year, she was offered in foal to Blue Point (Ire) and Tait told TDN AusNZ she would foal down at Newsells Park Stud and then relocate to Australia next year.

“Firstly, she is an Exceed And Excel mare and he is a great broodmare sire and commercially he is very popular in Australia when you have a yearling out of an Exceed And Excel mare,” he said.

“She was a Grade 2 winner and Grade 1 placed and there are a few siblings in Australia that are still on the go, so there is potentially some upside, so that is always nice. Nice mares are hard to buy and to me she is a lovely mare. Exceed And Excel is just a fantastic stallion and to do what he has done in both hemispheres is what sets him apart from almost all the other stallions.

“She will foal here at Newsells Park Stud and once she has had the Blue Point we will take a view of whether it sells as a foal or a yearling. We will then send her down and be bred in the Southern Hemisphere next year.”

Neasham and Boman add to their collection

Earlier in the day, the familiar team of Blandford Bloodstock’s Stuart Boman and Annabel Neasham added one-time winner Kings Joy (GB) (Kingman {GB}) to their portfolio, paying 80,000gns (AU$149,700) for the daughter of Kingman (GB).

“She’s a gorgeous Kingman filly. She’s shown a good level of form the whole way through,” Boman told TDN AusNZ.

“She’s run recently, which I like. She was fourth in a race at Newmarket. The winner was Group 3-placed, the second horse was a Listed winner and the third horse won a Grade 3 in America by 5l. So, there’s good collateral form there and she’s a cheap filly.

“Annabel (Neasham) has a knack of improving these European horses and she should suit the system. There’s plenty of races for her.”

Boman said there are plenty of opportunities for fillies in Australia and believes there is a gap in the market for good European race fillies to continue their careers in Australia.

“There’s just not many fillies bought for Australia, but I think there’s a real angle in buying fillies. That, to my mind, means the Australians are missing the boat.

“It’s all very well buying these geldings, but I think there’s a real opportunity for Australians to be buying race fillies and people don’t really seem to want to do it.

“I understand the stakes program (in Australia) is a mile and below but there are still horses that would be suitable to buy here and it would be great to bring in some new bloodlines and serious families.”

Cover image courtesy of Tattersalls

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Extraordinary numbers

During a frenetic three hours of the Sceptre Session plus a few illustrious wildcards, and with the Tattersalls auditorium at bursting point, 11 elite fillies and mares changed hands for seven-figure sums and alongside Alcohol Free, Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) sold to Najd Stud for 3.6 million gns (AU$6,441,700), and Godolphin picked up Tranquil Lady (Ire) (Australia {GB}) for 2.7 million gns (AU$4,831,300) to fill the top three.

On a day which saw the highest turnover in a single session at Tattersalls, the aggregate of 54,005,000gns (AU$101,053,800) was up by 29 per cent on last year, with the average shooting up by 50 per cent to 281,276gns (AU$576,615), and the median by seven per cent to 112,500gns (AU$210,500). A clearance rate of 83 per cent was achieved from 192 horses sold.

The Sceptre Sessions, conducted over two consecutive evenings within the main catalogue, brought a total of 45,907,000gns (AU$85,900,900) for 71 sold at an average of 646,577gns (AU$1,209,900).

Saffron Beach to the Saudi Cup

An international bidding duel between Shunsuke Yoshida of Japan's Northern Farm and Saudi Arabia's Najd Stud ended with the latter prevailing at 3.6 million gns (AU$6,736,200). for the dual Group 1 winner Saffron Beach. Like top lot Alcohol Free, the 4-year-old will remain in training, and she will stay in Newmarket with Jane Chapple-Hyam to be prepared for the G1 Saudi Cup in February.

“I'm very excited for these gentlemen,” said Chapple-Hyam standing alongside Saud Al Qahtani and Saud Bin Mishref of Najd Stud. “It's a big thrill and a big honour and we've got a good winter to look forward to. She's in good order, she's tough and I believe she'll get the nine furlongs out in Saudi. You never know about the surface but we'll give it a go.

“She'll have a little rest now and then build her up and get her ready. I'll have to do a very good racecourse gallop because when I sent her to Dubai I felt even though we ran fourth the ones who finished in front of her had all had a run.”

Originally bought as a foal by Liam Norris for 55,000gns (AU$98,400), Saffron Beach was an intended pinhook prospect for Ben Sangster and James Wigan, but a minor foot problem as a youngster kept her from returning to the sales. Eventually she was put into training with Sangster's step-sister Chapple-Hyam, for whom she won the G3 Oh So Sharp S. as a juvenile before landing the G1 Sun Chariot and G1 Prix de Rothschild at three and four as well as finishing runner-up in the G1 1000 Guineas.

Tranquil Lady to Godolphin

It has been quite the year for the Quiet American (USA) mare Repose (USA), who changed hands in a private transaction from the Cantillon family's Tinnakill House to the broodmare band of Juddmonte. Her second foal State Of Rest (Ire) added the G1 Prix Ganay and G1 Prince Of Wales's S. to his 2021 victories in the G1 Cox Plate and G1 Saratoga Derby, while his year-younger half-sister Tranquil Lady won two Group 3 races and brought the curtain down on her season by selling for 2.7 million gns (AU$5,052,200) to Godolphin at Tattersalls on Tuesday.

Richard Ryan bought Tranquil Lady for £160,000 (AU$286,300) at the Goffs Orby Sale on behalf of Teme Valley Racing, who also raced State Of Rest during his first two seasons.

He said, “It was a bittersweet situation really. It's so hard to acquire something at this level, with these credentials: that clean, that sound, and her best year is next year. But we knew there was an incredible desire at this moment and you don't know how long those windows stay open. We were pretty brave to quite a long way ourselves to make sure she wasn't going to be undersold, and Joseph had a team very keen to try to retain her, but this is a fabulous result. There's a lot more to come from her.”

Anthony Stroud, who bought the 3-year-old filly on behalf of Godolphin, said, “Joseph O'Brien really recommended her, and he's done a great job with her. Physically, she's a very nice model and you can go two ways: we could keep her in training or she could retire. The decision will be made in due course.

“There's plenty going on in the family and it's a family that seems to improve.”

Ville De Grace in big money transfer to Lordship

Less than 24 hours after her dam Archangel Gabriel (USA) (Arch {USA}) topped the opening session of the December Mare Sale, her Group 3-winning daughter Ville De Grace (GB) (Le Havre {Ire}), bred by Hunscote Stud and Chris Humber, fetched 2 million gns (AU$3,742,400) to join the broodmare band at Lordship Stud.

Ville De Grace was signed for under the banner of One Agency and Tom Harris, son of Lordship Stud's Trevor Harris, explained why he felt the three-time winner, who was beaten just a nose to Dreamloper (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), would make a good addition.

Harris said, “We loved her and she was our pick of the sale. She is beautiful, athletic and a good race filly and is an outcross so she can be mated to all of the top stallions. It is very difficult to buy in this market, as owner-breeders we are trying to invest in new blood for the farm and something like her to come and breed for us is a long-term plan and an investment in the future. We are over the moon.

“It was a little bit more than we were initially going to pay, but it is so competitive and you go so far selecting the ones you like. If the foals are as good-looking and as athletic as she is well then we will be happy. It was nice to see the mum sell yesterday and she is producing very nice foals, and she will help us too.”

Consignor Jenny Norris was responsible for one of the biggest transactions in Tattersalls history when selling the G1 Oaks winner Dancing Rain (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) for 4 million gns (AU$7,157,500) nine years ago and, having led the opening session with Archangel Gabriel at 800,000gns (AU$1,431,500), followed up with her daughter.

She said, “It has been amazing, we had so many views, and all the right people are here. All credit to Hunscote Stud, they bred her and raced her and had the courage of their convictions, and she has rewarded their efforts.”

Hunscote's Andy Lloyd added, “Our plan was to buy (out partner Chris Humber for) her mum, and we did. We knew there was phenomenal interest in the daughter from all over the world. I never dreamt in my wildest dreams but, hey, it's the market place at the moment. We had Japanese vetting, Americans, French, English.

“I'm sure Trevor will have big mating plans, which will only help our family.”

Derby winner's dam joins Coolmore

It is a rare moment that the dam of the current year's G1 Derby winner comes up for public auction, and rarer still that she is carrying a full sibling to the Classic hero.

Breeder Gary Robinson of Strawberry Fields Stud decided the time was right to offer Desert Berry (GB) (Green Desert {USA}) in foal to Nathaniel (Ire), the sire of her most illustrious offspring Desert Crown (GB). It is perhaps fitting that the breeding operation which has done more than most to support the Derby in recent years stepped forward to buy the 13-year-old mare, with M.V. Magnier going to 1.9 million gns (AU$3,555,300).

Desert Berry is also the dam of Hong Kong Group 3 winner Archie McKellar (GB) (Archipenko {USA}), as well as his sister Rose Berry (GB), who has been retained by Robinson and is now also in foal to Nathaniel.

Magnier said of the mare, “At the end of the day she has bred a Derby winner, and from my point of view, which doesn't mean it's the right point of view, the Derby is everything. It's the most important stallion-making race. It's the holy grail, the greatest race. She's bred a Derby winner and she's carrying a sibling to the Derby winner.”

On next year's potential mating, he added, “There are plenty of options for her: she could go to any of the sons of Galileo, to Churchill or Australia.”

King and Queen snapped up by Northern Farm

The Platinum Queen (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) confirmed herself one of the fastest 2-year-olds to grace the turf when storming to G1 Prix de l'Abbaye glory at Longchamp this term and that performance clearly earned international recognition as she was bought by Katsumi Yoshida for 1,200,000gns (AU$2,245,400).

The Tally Ho-bred filly carried the Middleham Park Racing colours with great distinction for Richard Fahey this season, winning four times, including that memorable French triumph, and while she was purchased by Northern Farm in Japan, there is a chance she could carry on racing in Europe next season.

King's Harlequin (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), a Group 3 and Listed winner in France as a juvenile for Sam Sangster and Nicolas Clement, joins The Platinum Queen in being Japan-bound with Yoshida's Northern Farm signing for the mare at 600,000gns (AU$1,122,700).

Normandie Stud's au revoir

Phillipa Cooper insisted that there were no regrets after seeing her hugely successful broodmare disbanded for over 4 million gns (AU$7,484,800) and revealed that the Normandie Stud dispersal was made easier by the fact that the majority of the mares were sold to friends.

Godolphin went to 1,400,000gns (AU$2,619,700) to secure Love Is You (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), a daughter of Cooper's high-class Fallen for You (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who is in foal to Coolmore Stud shuttler St Mark's Basilica (Fr) and highlighted the Normandie Stud draft.

All told, Cooper sold 16 mares for a total of 4,265,000gns (AU$7,484,800), and speaking afterwards, said, “It is tinged with emotion but they have all been bought by friends which is so nice. It is bittersweet but the decision was made six months ago and it was the right decision. I have no regrets.”

Cooper added, “I have only got two older mares left. I don't sell them beyond the age of 12. I have a few horses left to run but that's it. I don't want to breed anymore; it's too expensive.”

Twomey's fillies fetch a million apiece

Paddy Twomey's Group 1 winner La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler Of The World {Ire}) and Group 1-placed Rosscarbery (Ger) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) sold for 1,000,000gns (AU$1,871,200) apiece with the leading Irish trainer selling four fillies and mares for a total of 2,480,000gns (AU$4,640,600) under Athassel House Stud.

La Petite Coco gained her Group 1 victory when landing the G1 Pretty Polly S. at the Curragh this season while Rosscarbery, controversially demoted from third in that same race when her rider Wayne Lordan weighed in light due to a error on behalf of the Irish Horse Racing Regulatory Board, went on to finish second in the G1 Prix Jean Romanet.

Rosscarbery was snapped up by Charlie Gordon Watson Bloodstock while La Petite Coco was bought by the Wertheimer family.

Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy

About this time each year, the issue attention cycle swings away from spring racing towards the Magic Millions carnival on the Gold Coast and, specifically, the $2 million spoils on offer through the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

It’s a race that has steadily made the January carnival on the Gold Coast, and, first run in 1987, it has got richer and more important in the 35 years since.

Inaugurally won by Snippets, that great son of Lunchtime (GB), the very first 2YO Classic was called the 'Magic Million' and it was the first concept race of its kind in the world. The field was drawn from Magic Millions’ 1986 unreserved auction of 200 yearlings, in which Snippets was a buy-back for $22,000.

“To make it work, to get the million dollars for the race, we had to sell 200 horses,” David Chester, Magic Millions’ long-time sales director, told TDN AusNZ. “No more, no less, and it was done that way to give buyers a 200-1 chance of winning a million-dollar race. There were no better odds anywhere.”

That Snippets was the inaugural winner was an important factor in the race’s survival. The horse became a triple Group 1 winner in Sydney and Melbourne, and he was later an outstanding sire.

He proved that the new Gold Coast race wasn’t a pop-up, as did his fellow graduates when four horses of the 200 sold at that 1986 sale lined up in Marauding’s (NZ) 1987 Golden Slipper.

“If we’d had an ordinary lot of horses sold, I don’t think it would have worked,” Chester said. “It quietened the critics who had said the whole concept would die because 200 horses wouldn’t get a good field for a million-dollar race.”

The ‘Magic Million’ did anything but die. In the last 35 years, it has blossomed into one of the most competitive juvenile events on the racing calendar as the Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

Its past winners include the likes of General Nediym, Testa Rossa, Dance Hero (Danzero), Mimi Lebrock (Show A Heart) and Karuta Queen (Not A Single Doubt), and that list doesn’t even include the big guns of the last few years.

Capitalist won in 2016, Sunlight (Zoustar) in 2018 and Away Game (Snitzel) in 2020. Exhilarates (Snitzel) won in 2019, Shaquero (Shalaa {Ire}) in 2021, and the brilliant Coolangatta (Written Tycoon) as recently as this year.

“No one could have imagined it would have been so successful,” Chester said. “But it was and here we are, 35 years later.”

Order of entries pending

The 2023 Magic Millions 2YO Classic will be run on January 14, a $2 million event on a $12 million Magic Millions raceday.

The field is still coming to hand, with free entries closing at noon (local time) this Friday, and late entries closing at noon (local time) on December 16. Acceptances close on Monday, January 9, with the barrier draw, always a theatrical morning on the Surfers Paradise strip, at 6am (local) the following day.

In the lead-up, attention will fall on obvious horses likely to make the field.

At the moment, that’s the G3 Breeders’ Plate winner Empire Of Japan (Snitzel) for Peter and Paul Snowden, and the Busuttin-Young colt Sunsource (Zoustar), who won the R. Listed Magic Millions Ballarat 2YO Classic a fortnight ago.

Gallery: Horses likely to make the field for the 2023 R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic

Shortly, the Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic will occur, with its winner very likely to make the cut too, and the G3 BJ McLachlan S. in Brisbane is also an important qualifier on Boxing Day.

The final field, which is still to be confirmed as 16 dependent on the track’s redevelopment works, is based on prizemoney minus bonuses, and the order of entry will start to emerge from Racing Queensland in a matter of weeks.

The road for the fillies

So how did some of the race’s past winners get to their 2YO Classic victories? In these early days before the order of entry is released, it’s worth visiting.

This year’s winner was the very smart Coolangatta for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace. Raced in partnership by Ozzie Kheir, she was flawless from her very first start in the G3 Gimcrack S., winning that before winning the BJ McLachlan on Boxing Day.

Coolangatta had just over a fortnight between her second start into the 2YO Classic on January 15, and her victory was narrow (0.2l) over Russian Conquest (Russian Revolution). But she was an undefeated winner of the Gold Coast race and she has since been third in the G1 Golden Slipper and won the G1 Moir S. as a 3-year-old.

The only other horse to win the Gimcrack on their way to the 2YO Classic is Mirror Mirror, a daughter of Dehere (USA) who won both races in 2005. She didn’t win again in one further start, but Mirror Mirror is a broodmare at Strawberry Hill Stud and the dam of the stakes winner No Looking Back (Redoute’s Choice).

Platinum Jubilee (Zoustar), trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, was the winner of the recent Gimcrack in October and, as a $600,000 Magic Millions graduate, she’s eligible to compete in the upcoming field.

Coolangatta’s other path to the Gold Coast was via the BJ McLachlan, and that race has unearthed a few winners of the 2YO Classic. Before Coolangatta, Unencumbered won it in 2013, Driefontein (Fastnet Rock) in 2011 and St Jude in 1989.

Each of these was subsequently a winner of the Gold Coast race, and the 2023 BJ McLachlan S. will occur at Doomben on Christmas Eve.

For the Snitzel filly Away Game in 2020, the road to her Magic Millions 2YO Classic came via the Listed Merson Cooper S. at Sandown in November 2019, and then the Listed Calaway Gal S. at Doomben in mid-December.

Away Game didn’t win the Merson Cooper, running fourth to Hanseatic, but that race has provided no winners of the 2YO Classic in 35 years. That doesn’t bode well for the latest winner, Little Brose (Per Incanto {USA}), who is a $200,000 Magic Millions graduate for Lindsay Park.

When it comes to the Calaway Gal S., however, it’s a little different.

That race has been in existence since only 2005 and, along with Away Game, it produced Military Rose (General Nediym) as its winner in 2009. Like Coolangatta, Military Rose was flawless heading into the 2YO Classic of 2010. She swept her first three starts before the Gold Coast win, and she went on to bring that tally to five straight by winning the G2 Reisling S. in March.

The Calaway Gal S. will occur on December 10 at Eagle Farm and, as it is each year, it will be an important window into how the 2YO Classic might unfold.

Regarding some of the other fillies that have won the Classic, Karuta Queen also had a flawless winning streak through two starts at Rosehill and a win in the Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic. The Wyong race has provided a number of winners of the Gold Coast race, namely Capitalist, Unencumbered and Karuta Queen herself, and it will be run on December 14.

The road for the boys

Among the colts and geldings that have won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic in recent history, a path through the G3 Breeders’ Plate in October is a common pattern.

The most recent horse to win both races is Shaquero, who debuted in and won the Randwick race in 2020, then had two winless starts before his victory on the Gold Coast.

Capitalist was a little sharper on this path. He won the Breeders’ Plate on debut in 2015, then won the Wyong 2YO Classic before the $2 million version on the Gold Coast.

Gallery: Colts and geldings who have won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic in recent years, images courtesy of Bronwen Healy and Darren Tindale

Surprisingly, these are the only two winners of both races to date, making Empire Of Japan an interesting candidate this January. The latter has won only the Breeders’ Plate so far in a single start, but he was well-tuned this week when second in a Canterbury Park trial.

For Le Chef (Exceed And Excel), who won the 2YO Classic in 2015, the lead-up was via three Queensland starts into the Gold Coast race, and this seems to be an exception. Going further back, the race calendars have changed considerably, so that even Phelan Ready (More Than Ready {USA}), a winner of the Classic in 2009, had a very different path to the Gold Coast.

Testa Rossa, who won the race in 1999, is one of two winners of the 2YO Classic to have won the Maribyrnong Plate beforehand. Catnipped, a Rory’s Jester filly, had also done it the year before, and these are the only two to pull off that double. This year's Maribyrnong winner, Krakarib (Ribchester {Ire}), doesn't qualify as a Magic Millions graduate.

The road to the Magic Millions 2YO Classic is therefore a rich and varied one. There are a few traditional pathways, and those pathways have been much more obvious in the last handful of years than in the early vestiges of the concept race.

What this exercise does show is that the vast majority of winners of the Magic Millions 2YO Classic in the last decade or so have been fillies over colts and geldings. Since 2010, when Military Rose won the race, the fillies have won the Classic on nine occasions as against the boys that have won four.

Cover image courtesy of Inglis

We have already seen a number of talented 2-year-olds this season - think Barber (Exceed And Excel) and King's Gambit (I Am Invincible) - and there’s no doubt plenty of good ones will be unearthed over the coming weeks, as the build up to the country’s biggest juvenile races intensifies.

All eyes will be on the Gold Coast on January 14 for the $2 million R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic, before attention turns to Caulfield soon after for the G3 Blue Diamond Previews. Then, it’s the big one, the time-honoured G1 Golden Slipper S., which carries a prize purse of $5 million and will be run at Rosehill on March 18.

Ahead of the juvenile features and their respective key lead-up races, here’s a look at the highest-priced yearlings from 2022.

Kandinsky Abstract (Zoustar x Solar Charged {Charge Forward})

Price: $3,000,000

Sale: 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale

Sex: Colt

Vendor: Widden Stud

Buyer: Tom Magnier

Breeder: Widden Stud, Qatar Bloodstock and Jorshan Investments

The most expensive yearling sold in Australia in 2022 has been named Kandinsky Abstract, presumably after Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky, who is credited as one of the pioneers of abstraction in western art.

Trained by Chris Waller, the colt, who is a brother to multiple Group 1 heroine Sunlight, as well as Group 3 winner Sisstar, is yet to make an appearance at the trials.

He holds nominations for both the G1 Blue Diamond S. and G1 Golden Slipper S.

Widden Stud will offer Kandinsky Abstract’s sister (Lot 399) at next year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Snitzel x Response (Charge Forward)

Price: $2,250,000

Sale: 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale

Sex: Colt

Vendor: Arrowfield Stud

Buyer: Tom Magnier

Breeder: Arrowfield Stud and Jungle Pocket

This yet-to-be-named colt is from a dual Group 1 winner and is a brother to G1 Golden Slipper S. winner Estijaab.

Trained by Chris Waller, he holds nominations for both the G1 Blue Diamond S. and G1 Golden Slipper S.

Snitzel x Silent Sedition (War Chant {USA})

Price: $2,200,000

Sale: 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale

Sex: Filly

Vendor: Arrowfield Stud

Buyer: Hawkes Racing

Breeder: Arrowfield Stud and Jungle Pocket

This unnamed filly is the second foal from the Group 1-winning sprinter Silent Sedition, making her a sister to Ringleader, who is an unraced 3-year-old with Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.

Trained by John, Michael and Wayne Hawkes, this filly holds nominations for both the G1 Blue Diamond S. and G1 Golden Slipper S.

I Am Famous (I Am Invincible x Pinocchio {Encosta De Lago})

Price: $2,000,000

Sale: 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale

Sex: Filly

Vendor: Tyreel Stud

Buyer: The Yellow Brick Road Company and Mitchell Bloodstock (FBAA)

Breeder: Wallings Bloodstock

A half-sister to 2020 The Everest champion Classique Legend (Not A Single Doubt) and Group 2 winner Aethero (Sebring), this filly has been named I Am Famous.

She is trained by Chris Waller and races for The Yellow Brick Road Company.

I Am Famous is yet to make an appearance at the trials and has been nominated for the G1 Golden Slipper S.

Suspect (I Am Invincible x Suspicieuse {Fr} {Elusive City {USA}})

Price: $1,900,000

Sale: 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale

Sex: Colt

Vendor: Newgate Farm

Buyer: Tom Magnier

Breeder: Love Racing, Belinda Bateman, Doyles Breeding and Racing and Philip Mehrten Atf The Mig Equine Trust

Another 2-year-old with Chris Waller, this colt will race under the name Suspect.

The colt is a half-brother to Group 2 winner-turned-sire Dubious, as well as 3-year-old, the Tony Gollan-trained Dystopian (Russian Revolution), who was unplaced at his only start

Suspect hasn’t been seen at the trials to this point and he has been nominated for the Diamond and the Slipper.

Kundalini (I Am Invincible x Ruud Awakening {Bernardini {USA}})

Price: $1,700,000

Sale: 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale

Sex: Filly

Vendor: Newgate Farm

Buyer: James Harron Bloodstock

Breeder: Go Bloodstock

This filly, who hasn’t trialled as yet, has been named Kundalini and will race in John Camilleri’s Fairway Thoroughbreds silks.

She is a half-sister to 3-year-old Rise Of The Masses (Russian Revolution), who won the G3 Pago Pago S. in March.

Trained out of Warwick Farm by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Kundalini holds nominations for both the G1 Blue Diamond S. and G1 Golden Slipper S.

Dundeel (NZ) x Stay With Me (Street Cry {Ire})

Price: $1,700,000

Sale: 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale

Sex: Filly

Vendor: Arrowfield Stud

Buyer: Hawkes Racing

Breeder: Arrowfield Stud, Planette Thoroughbred and Belford Productions

Still unnamed, this Team Hawkes-trained filly is from the G1 Thousand Guineas heroine Stay With Me (Street Cry {Ire}) and is a half-sister to Listed victress Waltz On By (I Am Invincible). Her grandam is the champion Miss Finland (Redoute’s Choice), who notched five Group 1 triumphs during her glittering career.

The filly holds a nomination for the G1 Golden Slipper S.

Unquestionably (Not A Single Doubt x Miss Admiration {Sebring})

Price: $1,700,000

Sale: 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale

Sex: Colt

Vendor: Segenhoe Stud

Buyer: Ciaron Maher Bloodstock and TFI

Breeder: Segenhoe Stud

This colt is the first foal of a Group 3-winning, Group 1-placed mare.

He has been named Unquestionably and he has gone to the Warwick Farm stables of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.

Among the ownership group is Widden Stud, Rifa Mustang, TFI and Segenhoe Thoroughbreds Australia.

Unquestionably, who hasn’t trialled, is nominated for both the G1 Blue Diamond S. and G1 Golden Slipper S.

Charm Stone (I Am Invincible x Najoom {Northern Meteor})

Price: $1,550,000

Sale: 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale

Sex: Filly

Vendor: Emirates Park

Buyer: Sheamus Mills Bloodstock (FBAA)

Breeder: Emirates Park

This filly races as Charm Stone and is trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr.

Charm Stone has been to the races on two occasions and, after finishing third on debut at Flemington, the filly won the G3 Ottawa S. at Flemington during Melbourne Cup week.

Connections have opted to bypass the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic, instead opting to keep the filly in Melbourne to tackle the Blue Diamond series.

“I think it’s very, very hard to train a Magic Millions winner out of Victoria, the record would say that,” managing owner, Sheamus Mills, recently told Racing.com.

“There has been two trained out of South Australia in the last 20 years and that’s been it; Augusta Proud and Sunlight.

“Sunlight had a couple of runs that way and was a very high-class horse.

“I’d pray that Charm Stone might be as good as Sunlight, but you have to be realistic, and to win a Magic Millions out of Victoria is a very difficult thing.”

Charm Stone is also nominated for the G1 Golden Slipper S. and tab.com.au has her at $51.

Idhana (I Am Invincible x Egyptian Symbol {Stratum})

Price: $1,500,000

Sale: 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale

Sex: Colt

Vendor: Cressfield

Breeder: Cressfield

Buyer: Kia Ora Stud, TFI and Ciaron Maher Bloodstock

The first foal of the dual Group 3 winner has been named Idhana and will be trained at Warwick Farm by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.

He will race in Aquis’ silks (aqua, black checked band and armbands, checked cap).

Yet to be seen at the trials, Idhana has been nominated for both the G1 Blue Diamond S. and the Slipper.

Pasima (Pierro x Ravi {Redoute's Choice})

Price: $1,500,000

Sale: 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale

Sex: Colt

Vendor: Kia Ora Stud

Buyer: Ciaron Maher Bloodstock

Breeder: Kia Ora Stud

This son of a Group 3-winning mare has been named Pasima and is with Ciaron Maher and David Eustace at Warwick Farm.

Colin McKenna is a part-owner and the colt will race in his famous silks (royal blue, lime hoops, hooped cap), worn to Group 1 glory by Jameka (Myboycharlie {Ire}). Other owners include Dorrington Farm and Kia Ora Stud.

Pasima is yet to be seen at the trials and he is eligible for the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic. The colt is nominated for both the G1 Blue Diamond S. and G1 Golden Slipper S.

A half-brother by I Am Invincible will be offered by Kia Ora Stud as Lot 280 at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Cap Ferrat (Snitzel x C'Est Beau La Vie {Bernardini {USA}})

Price: $1,400,000

Sale: 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale

Sex: Colt

Vendor: Arrowfield Stud

Buyer: Tom Magnier

Breeder: Arrowfield Stud and Belford Productions

Chris Waller trains this colt, which has been named Cap Ferrat.

He is the third foal of a Listed-winning mare and his unraced 3-year-old sister, Eau De Vie, is with Richard and Will Freedman.

The colt, who hasn’t trialled as yet, holds nominations for both the G1 Blue Diamond S. and G1 Golden Slipper S.

Oistrach (Written Tycoon x Gracie's Lass {Redoute's Choice})

Price: $1,400,000

Sale: 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale

Sex: Colt

Vendor: Vinery Stud

Buyer: Tom Magnier

Breeder: Mr GJ Perry

Another beautifully bred juvenile for Chris Waller, this colt goes by the name Oistrach.

The colt is a half-brother to G1 Blue Diamond S. hero Artorius (Flying Artie) and is closely related to Group 1 winner Delectation (Shamardal {USA}).

He is yet to make an appearance at the trials.

Oistrach has been nominated for the G1 Blue Diamond S., as well as the G1 Golden Slipper S.

Head Of The Herd (Snitzel x Purely Spectacular {NZ} {Pins})

Price: $1,400,000

Sale: 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale

Sex: Colt

Vendor: Bhima Thoroughbreds

Buyer: Go Bloodstock, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott Racing and Kestrel Thoroughbreds

Breeder: G S A Bloodstock

Head Of The Herd is the name of this colt and he is trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott at Randwick for Sir Owen Glenn.

He is a half-brother to Group 1 winner-turned sire Stratum Star, as well as the dual Group 3-winning sire Prague.

Head Of The Herd has trialled on two occasions, winning his first at Randwick on October 10 by 0.14l, before placing third at Rosehill on October 21.

The colt has been nominated for the G1 Golden Slipper S.

Casablanca (Snitzel x Rising Romance {NZ} {Ekraar {USA}})

Price: $1,400,000

Sale: 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale

Sex: Colt

Vendor: Arrowfield Stud

Buyer: TFI and Kia Ora Stud Pty Limited

Breeder: Arrowfield Stud and Jungle Pocket

This son of a Group 1-winning mare is a brother to G1 Thousand Guineas heroine Yearning and has been named Casablanca.

Casablanca is prepared at Rosehill by Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou and they are yet to send him to the trials.

“He’s a little bit behind where we would like him to be, but he had a mishap on the training track – he cut a knee - which set him back with regards to his education. We had to back right off him and stitch it,” Alexiou told TDN AusNZ.

“I would say he will come into his as a late 2-year-old or even a spring 3-year-old.”

The colt holds a nomination for the G1 Golden Slipper S.

Andronicus (I Am Invincible x Fireworks {Snitzel})

Price: $1,350,000

Sale: 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale

Sex: Colt

Buyer: James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership

Vendor: Segenhoe Stud

Breeder: Fairway Thoroughbreds

Peter and Paul Snowden train this colt, who has been named Andronicus.

“Andronicus has just returned, he’s just come back in on Monday after having a spell,” Colum McCullagh, racing and bloodstock Manager at Snowden Racing, told TDN AusNZ.

“Being an Easter yearling, he was a bit behind the others.

“He’s a nice horse going forward; quite a bit athletic, scopey horse.

“He wasn’t going to be pushed early for the October trials and races, so we’ll be seeing him hopefully after Christmas. If he’s good enough, he might get himself into the Inglis Millenium (on February 4) or something like that.”

His dam won the G3 Widden S. in 2015 and Andronicus is a half-brother to Listed winner Millane (Zoustar).

Andronicus will race in James Harron’s colours (dark green, gold epaulettes) and the colt, who hasn’t trialled to date, has been nominated for the Slipper.

Madeira (Snitzel x Sweet Sherry {Bel Esprit})

Price: $1,350,000

Sale: 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale

Sex: Filly

Vendor: Silverdale Farm

Buyer: Badgers Bloodstock and Glentree Thoroughbreds

Breeder: Grant Bloodstock and Carpe Diem Asset Management

Another one for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, this filly goes by the name Madeira and she is eligible for the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

The filly is the first foal of a Group 2 winning-mare and races for Glentree Thoroughbreds.

“She’s spelling now, she’s been in and out several times, just going through the educational processes and learning routines at Ciaron and David’s. She won’t be too far from going back into work,” Luke Simpson, stud manager at Glentree Thoroughbreds, told TDN AusNZ.

Simpson said January’s R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic will come up too soon for Madeira.

“She is reasonably tall now and we’re giving her due time to grow into herself without pushing her too early,” he explained.

Madeira hasn’t been to the trials and is nominated for the G1 Golden Slipper S.

The filly has a half-sister by Exceed And Excel that will be offered by Silverdale Farm as Lot 452 at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Schimmelbusch (Zoustar x Pirapala {Sepoy})

Price: $1,300,000

Sale: 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale

Sex: Colt

Vendor: Sledmere Stud

Buyer: Rosemont-Victorian Alliance, Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA) and David Redvers Bloodstock

Breeder: China Horse Club Racing

Schimmelbusch is the name of this colt, who is prepared at Cranbourne by Peter Moody.

“He is back in pre-training at the moment, he’ll be back in the main stable very shortly,” Katherine Coleman, assistant trainer at Moody Racing, told TDN AusNZ.

“He seems a horse with nice ability and we’re hoping to get to a jump-out this preparation and see where we get to.”

Schimmelbusch is the second foal of a two-time winner, and his 3-year-old half-brother, Firebird Two (Russian Revolution), was unplaced on debut at Newcastle on November 15.

The colt is closely related to Group 1 winner Instant Celebrity (Not A Single Doubt) and Listed victress Celebrity Girl (Starcraft {NZ}).

Untrialled, Schimmelbusch is Magic Millions eligible and holds nominations for both the G1 Blue Diamond S. and G1 Golden Slipper S.

Madam Roselyn (Not A Single Doubt x Presque Isle {Jpn} {Zenno Rob Roy {Jpn}})

Price: $1,250,000

Sale: 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale

Sex: Filly

Vendor: Arrowfield Stud

Buyer: John O’Shea

Breeder: Arrowfield Group and Jungle Pocket

John O’Shea trains this filly, which has been named Madam Roselyn.

She is the third foal of a 2000-metre winner in Japan, who is related to Group 1 winner-turned sire Mikki Isle (Jpn).

Madam Roselyn, who races in Ron Finemore’s silks (white, red quarters, black striped sleeves), ran second at her only trial, which was at Randwick-Kensington on November 8. The winner of the trial was Blanc De Blanc (I Am Invincible), who won on debut at Newcastle on Sunday.

The filly is nominated for the G1 Blue Diamond S and G1 Golden Slipper S.

Northern Eyes (Zoustar x Sexy Eyes {Written Tycoon})

Price: $1,250,000

Sale: 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale

Sex: Colt

Vendor: Milburn Creek

Buyer: Tom Magnier

Breeder: Iskander Racing Syndicate

Northern Eyes is the name of this colt, who is trained by Chris Waller at Rosehill.

He is the first foal of a Group 3-winning mare, who is a half-sister to Listed victress Tina Melina (Jet Spur).

Northern Eyes hasn’t trialled to this point and is nominated for the G1 Blue Diamond and Slipper.

Schwarz (Zoustar x Summer Sham {Not A Single Doubt})

Price: $1,250,000

Sale: 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale

Sex: Colt

Vendor: Widden Stud

Buyer: Rosemont-Victorian Alliance, Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA) and David Redvers Bloodstock

Breeder: Widden Stud Australia, Qatar Bloodstock, Halatex and Mr J Dimery

Trained by John O’Shea, this colt has been named Schwarz.

He is the second foal of a three-time winner, who scored in Group 2 company.

Schwarz hasn’t been seen publicly and is nominated for the Slipper.

Mach Ten (Exceed And Excel x Devious Rumour {USA} {Street Boss {USA}})

Price: $1,200,000

Sale: 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale

Sex: Colt

Vendor: Fernrigg Farm

Buyer: James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership

Breeder: Fernrigg Farm

This colt is the Michael Freedman-trained Mach Ten, who finished second on debut in the G3 Breeders’ Plate at Randwick in October.

The colt, who is from a Listed scorer in the US, won a Canterbury trial earlier this week in good style.

Mach Ten is a $34 chance for the Slipper with tab.com.au and he is also nominated for the Diamond.