Is Magic Millions exclusively for sprinters?

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

In an era of Australian racing often dominated by a desire to find the next superior juvenile or speed machine, the opportunities to source and race staying types has become a market that some may consider under-utilised.

Magic Millions in particular, has become somewhat of a beacon for the yearlings that buyers salivate over, with the catalogues of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale poured over by those seeking to find the next winner of the G1 Golden Slipper S. or the G1 Coolmore Stud S.

But is the super sale an exclusive club for these precocious types? The Thoroughbred Report caught up with Adrian Bott to find out his views on staying types at the sale in conjunction with a look back at recent graduates from the sale who have gone on to stamp their authority as star horses over a trip.

Bott’s Major success with staying graduates

Trainer Adrian Bott, who trains alongside legendary horsewoman Gai Waterhouse, has enjoyed consistent success with Magic Millions graduates who put their best hoofs forward over a longer distance.

Chief among those successes is Major Beel (NZ) (Savabeel), who provided the partnership with a Classic victory in the G1 Australian Derby in 2023. The tenacious gelding, who in typical Waterhouse and Bott fashion, revels in rolling forward and running at a genuine tempo, was purchased by the pair in conjunction with Kestrel Thoroughbreds for $260,000 out of the 2021 catalogue.

Speaking to The Thoroughbred Report amidst a flurry of inspections on Sunday, Bott explained the process that resulted in the courageous son of Savabeel ending up in their stable.

“He came off a good farm (Waikato Stud), from a great family, but he was a really nice athletic style of a horse who had a lovely way of going about it, and presented really well. Those qualities were something we just wanted to try and capitalise on.

“We try and see the entire catalogue, at the end of the day, a nice horse can still stand out here, and that’s what we’re trying to find.

“Particularly from a trainer's perspective, trying to have a bit of diversity in the stable and a range of horses to be training, so if there is a nice staying type here that you can get your hands on early, then I think it’s an advantage to try and capatilise on that.

“He just seemed to fall into that category, so we didn’t want to deny ourselves a nice opportunity to pick up a nice athletic type for our stable, even though it was presented here, where traditionally we’ve had success with the 2-year-olds. I think you just have to assess them individually.”

While Major Beel may rule the roost in terms of the level of success attained, he is not the only recent success story for this stable finding graduates who performed at their best over further. Navy Cross (I Am Invincible), a half-brother to the G1 Golden Slipper winner Sepoy, won The Subzero in 2022, himself being a $700,000 yearling purchase at the sale in 2018.

It was another gelding by a sire more renowned for producing sprinting types, Zoumon (Zoustar), that Bott made mention of, with the $360,000 buy becoming one of the most consistent members of the stable.

“Zoumon is another good horse to talk about here, he had some staying bloodlines on his dam side but being by Zoustar, it helped him profile for this particular sale. He was great, he was racing early for us, ending up racing in the (G1 ATC) Derby for us, finishing fourth and he’s trained on nicely, so he’s a great example of the staying types that come out of here.

“It’s not easy for those horses once they get into the open company of the staying ranks (when they) start taking on Europeans, the fact that he’s been able to do well against them is a good indication (of his talent).”

As prizemoney levels rise and more opportunities for connections to target staying opportunities present, Bott believes that more horses at Magic Millions may be viewed with a lens to attack these races down the line.

“I think there’s a large influence these days with the types of stallions that are coming down here, and the mares as well. The blood that’s being brought in, there’s more opportunities.

“Breeders and buyers are certainly a lot more open-minded in terms of that aspect of the market, with a bit of value there, but certainly from that prizemoney point of view, that’s a factor.

“You’re also looking for longevity in horses, horses that can train on and get over a bit of ground and be competitive in those Classic races in their 3-year-old season, that train on to be very successful in opening company, where there is some staggering levels of prizemoney, it’s certainly a big drawcard.”

Rich history of staying graduates

All the way back in 1990, the legendary Subzero (Kala Dancer {GB}) made his way through the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, finding his way into the care of iconic trainer Lee Freedman for $100,000.

Little introduction is needed for the striking grey, who went on to win the G1 Melbourne Cup in 1992, before taking up a unique position as an ambassador for racing, bringing joy and solace to thousands of people until his passing in 2020.

More recently, both the aforementioned Major Beel, along with Manzoice (Almanzor {Fr}), have made their way through the ring on the Gold Coast as yearlings, with Waikato Stud and Bhima Thoroughbreds brimming with pride around their respective graduates.

Speaking following an intensive day of putting on yearling inspections for prospective buyers, studmasters Mark Chittick and Mike Fleming reflected on the sensational stayers that rolled out of their drafts in 2021.

Gallery: Images courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Discussing Major Beel, Chittick told The Thoroughbred Report, “Interestingly enough, he’s out of a family that performed really well over the shorter trips, so that’s why I brought him here, but he went into a training establishment that have done a fantastic job with him, getting him to win the Derby.”

Bhima Thoroughbreds’ Mike Fleming said on his star staying graduate, “Manzoice came out of the first year of Almanzor, and we had four of them, in fact we had all of the ones that sold through the ring (on the Gold Coast) that year.

“The days of this being a get up and run 2-year-old sale are long gone.”

No shortage of staying success stories

Despite the perceived idea that Australia’s racing landscape is dominated by juvenile and sprint races, the Classic races carry prizemoney often equal, if not superior, to some often-targeted contests over shorter trips.

The G1 Australian Derby has an ample $2 million in riches on offer, while the G1 ATC Oaks has a ticket of $1 million, an amount on par with the G1 VRC Oaks held in the spring in Victoria. Also sharing the level of investment is The Subzero, a race put on by Magic Millions exclusively for their graduates, which features next Saturday as part of the lucrative Magic Millions Raceday at the Gold Coast Turf Club.

One of the most recognisable contemporary examples of a Magic Millions graduate evolving into a formidable stayer is Hitotsu, who electrified the turf in a 3-year-old season that crowned him king of his crop over extended distances.

Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace after an ownership change, his triumph in the G1 Australian Guineas share a mantle with dual-Derby success, having claimed the G1 VRC Derby in the spring and the G1 ATC Derby in the autumn.

He would circle back to where it all began, standing at Arrowfield Stud, alongside his sire, Maurice (Jpn). His first-season fee in 2023 saw him stand for $22,000 (inc GST).

Other Derby winners secured for mid-market sums include Mr Quickie (Shamus Award), who was bought by Wylie Dalziel for $115,000 before going onto win the G1 Queensland Derby, alongside G1 ATC Derby winning pair Ace High, who commanded $130,000 when bought by David Payne, and Levendi, a $140,000 purchase for Gelagotis Racing. Both the latter have begun their careers at stud, with the former showing impressive versatility in his early crops.

It’s not just the male Magic Millions graduates getting in on the 3-year-old Classics fun, with a high-class female even upstaging the boys with a dominant victory in the G1 South Australian Derby. Qafila (Not A Single Doubt) certainly wasn’t missed by bidders back in 2017, with Shadwell Australasia needing to part with $450,000 to secure her.

While the initial investment was high, so was the return, with Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock paying $2 million at the 2021 Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale, as she embarked on her career in the breeding barn.

Fellow front-running filly Lasqueti Spirit (Beneteau), who pulled off one of the most extraordinary performances in recent Australian racing, was purchased for $150,000 by Lee Curtis, while the G1 Australian Oaks and the G1 Vinery Stud S. victress Hungry Heart (Frankel {GB}) was purchased for $300,000 by Belmont Bloodstock Agency (FBAA) at the 2019 edition of the sale.