Great mates score third success at Millions with bargain buy Derry Grove

In 2018, Murwillumbah-based trainer Matthew Dunn and respected bloodstock agent Neil Jenkinson (FBAA) celebrated success at the rich Gold Coast meeting with a $16,000 yearling purchase, Care To Think.

The impressive son of So You Think (NZ) swept to victory in the $970,000 R. Listed Magic Millions Cup and would retire with earnings well over $800,000. Making his already modest purchase price even more paltry.

“Care To Think was $16,000 and Madotti was a very dear $80,000, while Saturday’s winner Derry Grove was $30,000. I love it; It wouldn’t matter if I was buying for Matthew (Dunn) or John O’Shea or one of the big stars - we would all love to buy those big expensive colts, they’re magnificent or the fillies with the big pages, it’s fantastic stuff,” Jenkinson enthused to The Thoroughbred Report.

“But it’s so much fun buying cheap horses and winning money with them. I take a lot of satisfaction out of finding those horses that fall through the gaps. Those expensive horses are expensive because everyone finds them, and that’s not to decry the people who buy them because they buy nice horses. They’re absolutely lovely animals, but we all find them, and only a few can afford them.

“I’ve had to get creative and look past the obvious horses for myself and my clients. Care To Think, from my recollection, was a foal share, and he had a little white spot in his eye where he had a healing ulcer. I’m not sure if that put people off, but my vet said just continue to treat that as it’s on the right, and you’ll be fine with it.

“Care To Think walked into the ring with no reserve or x-rays. I didn’t know at the time whether he had had an issue or not, but for $16,000 for a first-crop son of So You Think he looked terrific value. Care To Think was such an athlete; he didn’t carry much weight but just moved so well. So, no x-rays, a little spot in the eye, but a lovely horse played in our favour. I’ll never forget that Magic Millions. I had a couple of very good friends in that horse and people who had been very good supporters of Matthew’s stable.

“It was tremendous. It was a sad thing that the little wind issue he had probably stopped him from being his absolute best. We always felt he was a Group 1 horse, but the memories of that day and summer preparation will remain.

“Madotti should have won the Magic Millions as a 2-year-old. Sadly, one of the partners drew the outside barrier, and she had no luck. But she returned and won the Magic Millions QTIS, which was fun.

“But the Magic Millions is a fabulous concept to run for that money in those sorts of odd races like the Syndicate and QTIS and things like that. The whole event for the owners is just tremendous like the week is, you know, two race days at the end of the week is just phenomenal.”

Third success in Millions

Last Saturday marked six years since Care To Think blazed the Gold Coast turf, and fittingly, Matthew Dunn and Neil Jenkinson celebrated undoubtedly one of their most exciting and profitable race days on an Australian racetrack.

Dunn saddled-up the progressive Boom Torque (Spirit Of Boom) in the $1 million Racing Queensland Magic Millions QTIS Open and two races later Derry Grove (Star Turn) was gutsy in claiming the $1 million TAB Magic Millions The Syndicate.

Derry Grove was another astute purchase by Jenkinson, who paid $30,000 in partnership with Viva Racing and Matthew Dunn from the draft of Jorson Farm at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

The son of Star Turn has been a prominent money-spinner from only 12 starts; he has won five races totalling in earnings over $700,000.

It was a well-deserved payday for Jenkinson, Dunn and Viva Racing. Earlier in the week, Jenkinson and Dunn purchased seven yearlings from Book 1 for an accumulated price of $905,000.

Viva Racing partnered with three of those purchases: Lot 186, a colt by Microphone for $110,000; Lot 296, a filly by Derry Grove’s sire Star Turn, for $75,000; Lot 790, a rig by Kia Ora Stud’s Golden Slipper victor Farnan for $120,000

Gallery: Yearlings purchased during Book 1 of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale by Matthew Dunn, Neil Jenkinson Pty Ltd (FBAA) and Viva Racing, images courtesy of Magic Millions

The most expensive of the purchases signed by Jenkinson and Dunn was Lot 621, a strongly made colt by Shamus Award offered by Attunga Stud for $260,000.

The raid was planned with Jenkinson and Dunn agreeing that the hole in the middle to lower-end market this year represented ample opportunity for the pair.

“The first couple of days, we purchased a Toronado and a Microphone, and then we bought a Star Turn filly because we like them. We also got a Shamus Award, a Farnan, a Castelvecchio and a Too Darn Hot,” Jenkinson told The Thoroughbred Report.

“The Shamus Award was our most expensive purchase at $260,000. He’s a beautiful big horse, and the great news is he’s only got five or seven per cent left to sell, so that’s great as it was a lot of money for us.

“We purchased a couple of expensive colts from (the) Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale a few years ago when Matthew was trying to make Sydney his base. Both of them have very good talent, but it was an experiment. That’s not what we usually do, so we’re back here on the Gold Coast and have been active in Book 1 and Book 2.

“Matthew and I went to Karaka once. It was a great trip with the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ tour for trainers and their clients. Andrew Birch was so kind in arranging that for us, but we battled when we returned to buy a horse or two. It was costly, and we never actually purchased one.

“If I were asked to do some work over at Karaka, I’d jump at the opportunity because the people are so fantastic. We are planning to front up at the Inglis Classic (Yearling Sale) if we get all the ones we purchased here sold, which we are well on track to do. So, we’ll be at Classic and always look to buy a few there.”

Planned attack

The 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale is the most active Jenkinson and Dunn have been in the market. Last year, the pair purchased three yearlings, followed by four in 2022 and six in 2021.

“We’ve been stronger here (Gold Coast) because the sale has allowed us to be. The top part of the market, those $250,000-plus horses, are really hard to buy as they’re really nice, almost perfect horses. They’re super strong, but in our market up to the $200,000 mark, there have been lots of holes and flat spots that have turned into opportunities to buy horses that we really liked. So, we’ve taken advantage and haven’t bought one horse we didn’t like.

“We felt we got good value with the horses we purchased. A couple will run early, and a couple will take a bit more time. It’s just a really nice cross-section. Normally, we get left to buy fillies, as they tend to be a bit weaker at these sales, but this year, we bought a good number of colts, and all trainers like to train a colt.”

Jenkinson also shared the plan he had with Dunn to not only be active in the sale-ring but the racetrack.

“It’s a funny story. I told Matthew this is our benchmark carnival, and we’ve got the stables going well. We have a lot of owners around us at the moment who are keen to invest. We needed to be stronger not necessarily for dollar spend but more horses.

“Coming into the Magic Millions, I thought, 'Geez, we’re really only going to have three runners over the weekends', so I told Matthew it’s really not enough. We’ve got to hang our brand on this weekend and carnival. So, I pushed, did heaps of work, and bought lots of horses, and when Matthew won the second race on Saturday with Derry Grove, he turned around to me and said, 'We don’t need more horses. Two starters, two winners that’ll do'.”

Great mates

Dunn’s success comes as little surprise for Jenkinson, given his workaholic attitude. In a relationship that stretches nearly 25 years, Jenkinson has watched the ambitious young man rise through the training tracks.

Although an independent agent, Jenkinson is more than happy to associate with Dunn. Admitting he loves the thrill of finding a bargain horse such as Derry Grove and Care To Think that excels on the racetrack.

“I feel like I’ve known Matthew for a lifetime. I met Matthew on the Gold Coast. He was actually a trainer here for a couple of basically professional punters. He would have had six or seven horses in work.

“He had a second job and was just desperate to make ends meet and become a horse trainer. I had left Magic Millions and was around the stables with Alan Bailey, and I came across Matthew, and he and I sort of hit it off fairly early. We became pals, and I’ll never forget it was a volatile time for him because, training for punters, you have good days and bad days with those guys.

“He rang me and said, 'Gerald Ryan is opening a stable in Sydney, and he’s asked me to go down and be the foreman'. Gerald was based at the Gold Coast in those days. I said, 'Matthew, the only thing I hope is that you’re calling me from Sydney airport when you’ve arrived and heading to the stables', I said, 'Don’t even think or hesitate; you have to take that job', so, obviously he took the job, and he was with Gerald for quite a while.

“I kept in contact periodically whenever I was in Sydney for the sales, and then one day Matthew rang me out of the blue and said, 'I’m going home', I said, 'Oh yeah, what are you doing?' He informed me he would run Gerald’s satellite stable, and that’s how it started.

“Matthew trained a few horses that weren’t up to Sydney class, and he did some breeze-up horses, and it’s just morphed into the stable he has now. He’s just a very driven person and wanted to be a good trainer.

“I remember standing on a bit of property he owned to spell horses on, and we spoke about if you wanted to be a trainer, you’ve probably got to do it in your own right and stand up, get some owners, and we’ll get some horses.

“He had established a few clients working with Gerald, some of which stayed, and he was probably training 20 horses. But Matthew is just a relentless worker; he just works and works. I’ve brought some owners and tried to add a bit where I could; despite being an independent agent, I buy his yearlings. I can buy them for anybody, but I buy all of Matthew’s.

“We’ve had great success together with cheap horses along the way, which has been fun, and we genuinely enjoy one another’s company.”