The Chase Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Preview

Without a doubt, 2023 was a banner year for the burgeoning China Horse Club (CHC) breeding program in Australia with a plethora of winners and two outstanding Group 1 gallopers carrying the brand to victory in the last 12 months.

The headline act is CHC-bred Zoustar colt, Ozzmosis. Sold to Darby Racing for $250,000 at the 2022 edition of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, the Bjorn Baker-trained colt has proven a fine carrier of the CHC brand. With four wins to his credit from five starts including his recent G1 Coolmore Stud S. victory in November, he has proven himself to be one of the country's best 3-year-olds and one of the most exciting stallion prospects of his generation.

Also sporting the CHC brand to Group 1 glory was 2023 G1 Randwick Guineas winner, Communist (Russian Revolution) - sold to Michael and Richard Freedman for $160,000 at the 2021 Inglis Classic Yearling sale. At the peak of his powers last autumn he beat subsequent G1 Rosehill Guineas winner Lindermann to attain his elite-level victory before running nine-time Group 1 winner, Anamoe, to just over a length in the G1 George Ryder.

Looking to build on the back of the racetrack success of their graduates, CHC will offer their entire yearling crop through their boutique Southern Highlands farm, The Chase, in 2024 commencing with an exciting draft of 11 well-related yearlings at next week's Magic Millions.

The Chase’s draft should prove to be of particular appeal to trainers and owners as every one of them - four colts and seven fillies - are by proven, high-class stallions: I Am Invincible, Savabeel, Zoustar, Flying Artie, So You Think (NZ), Deep Field, Russian Revolution, Capitalist, Shamus Award and Exceed And Excel.

And perhaps even more importantly, eight of the 11 youngsters are out of either stakes performers or stakes producers and all of them are out of families who continually prove their value. CHC’s Michael Smith, delves into a selection of The Chase’s Magic Millions yearlings; Highlights of the draft include...

Lot 65 - Savabeel x Purcentage (Onemorenomore) (black/brown colt)

“He’s by a remarkable stallion, out of a remarkable mare and looks a natural athlete. Purcentage is a young mare that is unlucky not be the dam of G1 Blue Diamond winner and G1 Thousand Guineas winner and Savabeel is the sire of 32 Group 1 winners, reminding us again this season, through the deeds of I Wish I Win, that as a sire he can do anything and is the ultimate purveyor of class.”

What an outstanding job his dam Purcentage is doing, the stakes-placed 2-year-old winner producing two stakes winners amongst her first three foals - the triple Group winner Revolutionary Miss (Russian Revolution) who was in such great form over the spring and the Listed Canberra Guineas winner Equation. A grandson of the Listed Gimcrack S. winner Spurcent (Flying Spur) from the family of the Hong Kong Group 1 winner Glorious Days (Hussonet {USA}) this colt boasts a 4 X 6 cross of the great Sir Tristram (Ire) with Purcentage's third dam sire being Grosvenor (NZ).

Savabeel has done a superb job with this cross - three of his Group 1 winners being out of mares carrying a Grosvenor strain. And one of those - The Perfect Pink (NZ) also has Centaine (Purcentage's second damsire) as do another six of Savabeel's Group 1 winners, noting that he boasts a strain of Todman to whose dam Oceana (Ire) (Colombo {GB}) Savabeel's grandam is line-bred. The overall strike rate of the Savabeel/further Todman combination is an impressive 72.4% and 9.7% stakes winners. And there have also been Group 1 winners bred on the same Savabeel/Red Ransom (USA) and the Savabeel/Flying Spur crosses as this colt.

Lot 504 - Zoustar x Capella (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}) (bay filly)

“This is a high-class filly. On type and profile, she looks a ready-made future Flight Stakes/Princess Series/Thousand Guineas contender in the mould of Zoustar fillies like Zougotcha and Joliestar. Her dam has already produced a 2-year-old stakes performer as well so it would be no surprise to see her running well before those 3-year-old features either.”

Already the dam of the stakes-placed Lambda (Snitzel) who changed hands last year as a breeding prospect for $375,000, the G2 Ladies’ Mile winner Capella (NZ) is a daughter of the G3 Centaine S. winner Limerick (NZ) (Grosvenor {NZ}) from a quality New Zealand family.

Bred on the same Zoustar/Nureyev (USA) cross and the same Zoustar/Sir Tristram cross as Ozzmosis, this filly boasts crosses of the wonderful mother and daughter Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}) and Fairy Bridge (USA) (Bold Reason {USA}). Six other stakes winners are Zoustar/Nureyev and another 14 – including two more Group 1 winners; Joliestar and Zougotcha – are Zoustar/Sir Tristram.

Lot 556 - So You Think (NZ) x Crystal Flute (Encosta de Lago) (bay/brown colt)

“By the sire of last year’s Everest winner and of a Group 1 producer from Redoute’s Choice’s immediate family, he’s a colt with a stallion’s pedigree that’s not to be missed. He’s well-made, sharp-looking and moves like a cat.”

The city winning Crystal Flute is about as well-bred as a mare can be - a daughter of a high-class stallion who is now well and truly making his mark as a broodmare sire (159 stakes winners and counting!), and his second dam is the stakes-placed Monsoon Wedding (Danehill {USA}), a full sister to Redoute's Choice.

Already represented by three winners amongst her first four foals - including the Group 1-placed Meritable (Snitzel), Crystal Flute is a full sister to the stakes winners Lucky Raquie and Precious Lorraine; the latter going on to produce the Listed winner Meuse (Snitzel) whilst another sister - the stakes-placed Quench The First - is the dam of speedy stakes winner Sangria (I Am Invincible). Crystal Flute's third damsire is the legendary Nijinsky (Can) and So You Think has somewhat of a love affair with that stallion whose son Tights (USA) is his damsire... of his 11 Group 1 winners, five boast a Nijinsky cross.

Lot 740 - I Am Invincible x Hasahalo (NZ) (Savabeel) (bay filly)

“Her own dam is a Group 1 winner, her second dam is producer of four Group winners and her third dam was runner up in the G1 Blue Diamond – that’s about as deep as a family can get. She is an excellent first foal by Australia’s leading stallion I Am Invincible and looks a foundation filly for the discerning buyer.”

The first foal of a Group 1 winner - in this case the G1 NZ 1000 Guineas heroine Hasahalo (NZ) - is always going to create plenty of interest, especially when she is by Australia's reigning (two times) Champion Sire! One of the four stakes winners produced by the Encosta De Lago mare Halloween, Hasahalo is a full sister to the Group 3 galloper Hasabro (NZ) and a half-sister to the Group 3 winners All Saints' Eve (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}) and All Hallows' Eve (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}).

A granddaughter of the Listed winner La Lagune (Danehill {USA}), Hasahalo has within her pedigree many of the traits I Am Invincible picks up so well on - including strains of the prolific Chelandry (GB) (Goldfinch {GB})/Prunella (GB) (Highflyer {GB}) family from which he hails. I Am Invincible has had only a small handful of runners out of Savabeel mares but has sired the stakes winner Madeira Sunrise. And of course he has proven that he likes Encosta De Lago... Imperatriz also has his as her second damsire.

Lot 757 - Russian Revolution x Holyhead (Pierro) (bay colt)

“We’ve bred two of Russian Revolution’s best performers in Communist and Revolutionary Miss and think this colt is right up there with them as a type. He also hails from the same prolific family of Ozzmosis that we have had such success with as breeders.”

The first born for a lightly raced 1200-metre winner whose dam (a winner at two) is by Fastnet Rock out of the G2 Reisling S. winner Hip's Don't Lie (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}), this colt hails from a classy and in-form family - Ozzmosis amongst his relations as is last year's Reisling S. winner Learning To Fly (Justify {USA}). There are some interesting male line-breeding patterns at work in his pedigree, his sire bred on a Danehill/Nijinsky/Stravinsky/Miswaki (USA) cross whilst his dam is Miswaki/Danehill/Nijinsky/Stravinsky.

Russian Revolution is well and truly proving himself a great option for Lonhro-line mares – of the six winners from the first eight runners bred on this cross, two are stakes winners… Red Resistance and The Instructor.

Lot 881 - Shamus Award x Lot Three Four One (Encosta De Lago) (brown filly)

“She’s exactly the type of filly we are aiming to breed – a sprint-miler with a pedigree and physique to suggest she can run at two and train on at three. Her family speaks for itself, and she has a physique that adds to her value as a long-term racing/breeding proposition.”

Already the dam of two winners (including the stakes-placed Not A Single Doubt filly Dismissal) by Redoute's Choice-line stallions, Lot Three Four One is a half-sister to the G3 Blue Diamond Preview winner Bardego (Barathea {Ire}) who has done such a great job producing three stakes winners - the G1 Railway S. winner Volpe Veloce (Foxwedge) and the Listed winners Raposa Rapida (Foxwedge) and Delago Bolt (Delago Brom).

Surprisingly, there have been only 12 runners by Shamus Award out of Encosta De Lago mares but of those nine are winners including the stakes winners Etana and Another Reward as well as three metropolitan winners. And the exciting New Zealand filly Quintessa (NZ) by Shamus Award - winner of three of her five starts (with more to come) including the G3 Gold Trail S. is the granddaughter of a mare by Encosta De Lago out of a Bellotto (USA) mare - the same cross that produced Lot Three Four One.

Lot 1020 - Capitalist x Nurse Kitchen (NZ) (Savabeel) (bay filly)

“She’s a most imposing filly and to my eye a Capitalist filly made in the style of Captivant who ran to such success in our silks from the beginning of his 2-year-old season until to his win the G1 Champagne and beyond. She’s all power, all quality.”

A daughter of the $1.7 million mare Nurse Kitchen - winner of the G2 Moonee Valley Classic - this filly by Written Tycoon's G1 Golden Slipper-winning son hails from a prolific black-type family that has enjoyed success locally and in Hong Kong. Last year's stakes winner Upper Limits (Exosphere) is amongst her relations as is the G1 New Zealand Derby winner Hades (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) who went on to wins in Hong Kong as did the dual Listed winner Everbright (NZ) (Cape Cross {Ire}).

Bred along proven lines, this filly has the same Written Tycoon/Zabeel cross as the stakes winners Run Harry Run, Finance Tycoon and Written Up and the same Written Tycoon/Sadler's Wells (USA) cross as the Group 1 gallopers Written By and Tyzone. And she boasts a cross of Wilkes (Fr) as do 42 (from 53 runners) of Capitalist's winners including four stakes winners.