Can Farnan emulate Capitalist in Wyong Magic Millions 2YO Classic?

Cover image courtesy of Trackside Photography

The R.Listed Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic was first run as a black type race in 2012. In the thirteen editions since then, three winners have also won the R.Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast. There have been two G1 Golden Slipper winners, and three Group 1 winners in total, come from the winners of this race.

Silverdale Farm doubles up in vendor list

With the runners in the R.Listed Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic field only qualifying to start if they went through a Magic Millions sale, it is no surprise to see all eight horses as sales graduates.

The eight horses sold for a cumulative $2.61 million at an average of $326,250. Seeiaye (Russian Revolution) was the cheapest at $65,000 and won on debut.

“I’ve seen good improvement in him, he’s still not the finished product yet but he’s a lot better than he was,’’ Snowden told racingnsw.com.au on Tuesday. “He’s learned something from Newcastle which is good.”

Seeiaye is also the cheapest horse in the race being a $27,500 Inglis Sydney Weanling purchase by Musk Creek Farm from Fairhill Farm. Musk Creek pinhooked him at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale where Capri Racing and Peter Snowden bought him for $65,000.

At the other end of the scale, Silverdale Farm sold both Masvingo (Zoustar) and Paradoxium (Extreme Choice) for $580,00 and $400,000 respectively from the same 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft which consisted of 15 yearlings.

To have two in one of the early feature juvenile races is a huge effort.

The two half-siblings to Masvingo and Paradoxium are heading to Inglis Easter in 2026. Masvingo’s yearling half-sister is by Maurice (Jpn) and Paradoxium’s yearling half-sister is by Zoustar.

“We do our best to assemble a nice group of horses for the Gold Coast every year and this year will be the same,” said Silverdale Farm’s Rob Petith.

“We work hard to try and send well educated and well grown yearlings, and it’s fantastic to have two real chances in the race.

“They were beautiful horses (at the sales). Paradoxium is a three-quarter brother to Don Corleone and he was a lovely straightforward yearling with a fantastic attitude. Bjorn Baker and the Ridgmont team have been great supporters of ours.

“Masvingo is out of a fast Not A Single Doubt mare who ran second in the G3 Widden Stakes on debut. It’ll be a great watch, especially with both trained by Bjorn who has a great record in the race.”

Baker won the race last year with O’ Ole (Ole Kirk).

Table: 2025 R.Listed Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic field with vendors

Capitalist and Farnan go head to head

The two Golden Slipper winners to also win the R.Listed Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic are Farnan and Capitalist who both stand at stud in the Hunter Valley at Kia Ora Stud and Newgate Farm, respectively.

Capitalist won the Listed Breeders’ Plate on debut (upgraded to Group 3 status three years later), then won the Wyong Classic and the R.Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic before coming back in the autumn to run second in the G2 Todman before he won the G1 Golden Slipper.

He’s sired a winner of the Wyong race with 2022 winner Sovereign Fund.

Farnan is the other G1 Golden Slipper winner to come from a win in the Wyong race. Farnan missed out in the Gold Coast edition, running tenth, but he returned in the autumn to be unbeaten in that campaign winning the G2 Silver Slipper, G2 Todman, and G1 Golden Slipper.

Capitalist doesn’t have a runner in 2025, and Farnan has two debutants to give him a chance to match Capitalist’s stallion feat in the race – Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained colt Belvante and Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained colt Celtic Spy.

In the race’s short history, two debutants have won this race, and both are recent, being Sovereign Fund and Soaring Ambition (Not A Single Doubt). A further five winners came into the race at their second start having won on debut, while another three were having their second start without winning on debut.

Not A Single Doubt vs Written Tycoon

The battle between Farnan and Capitalist in this race extends out to an interesting comparison between their respective sire lines with Farnan being a son of Not A Single Doubt and Capitalist by Written Tycoon.

Not A Single Doubt is the only sire with two winners of the race, Soaring Ambition and Farnan. He has three runners as a paternal grandsire this year, with the two Farnan colts being joined by Bjorn Baker-trained Paradoxium who ran fourth in the G3 Breeders’ Plate on debut then went for a spell.

“Paradoxium has come back bigger and strong this time in. Physically he’s developed, and is in good order. His two trials were very sharp and he’s ready to run well,” said Baker’s racing manager Luke Hilton.

There are also two other runners from the Danehill (USA) sire line, Seeiaye whose sire is a son of Snitzel, and the filly Mystical (Exceed And Excel). But Danehill’s influence is so extensive in Australia with different branches beginning to show different characteristics that it is worth pulling out Not A Single Doubt here on his own.

Not A Single Doubt is also represented as a damsire via Bjorn Baker-trained Masvingo who comes into the race off a debut third in the G3 Gimcrack Stakes.

“She’s really good, and ran in the Gimcrack earlier in the season. She’s got the form on the board, having finished behind Shiki who is the Magic Millions favourite. Drawn gate one, which is a big advantage for a 2-year-old and she’s ready to go too,” said Hilton.

Last year’s win by O’ Ole gave Ole Kirk his first stakes winner, and added a third winner for the Written Tycoon sire line after Capitalist and his son Sovereign Fund.

Both Written Tycoon and Not A Single Doubt were non-Group 1 winners. Not A Single Doubt won his first three starts at two, not running in the Wyong race but he did run second in the R.Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic behind dominant juvenile Dance Hero, who won the Sydney 2-year-old trio of Group 1 races. Not A Single Doubt ran in three Group 1 races as a 3-year-old for a 6th, 7th, and 9th placing.

At stud, the son of Champion Sire Redoute’s Choice has sired 85 stakes winners with 16 at Group 1 level, and has been an excellent sire of sires with Extreme Choice, and Farnan, as well as emerging sires Dubious, Anders, and Doubtland, while Stronger will have his first yearlings this year.

Written Tycoon is proof that a great stallion can come from anywhere. His sire Iglesia, a son of Last Tycoon (Ire), sired 11 stakes winners with one Group 1 winner being G1 Tatt’s Winter Stakes (now Tattersalls Tiara) victor Nova Star. While a solid stud record, Iglesia wasn’t exactly headline material, yet his son Written Tycoon has put him on the map.

Written Tycoon debuted as a January 2-year-old with a debut win in Sydney, then added the G2 Todman Slipper Trial Stakes two starts later. At three he knocked around with several stakes placings without winning again. He had two Group 1 starts, when 11th in the Golden Slipper and eighth in the Champagne. It’s hardly a resume to inspire sire brilliance.

And yet…

Written Tycoon’s sire record is very similar to Not A Single Doubt. He has 81 stakes winners (to Not A Single Doubt’s 85) and 18 Group 1 winners (to Not A Single Doubt’s 16).

And now the pair are dominating the R.Listed Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic.

Form line is an indicator to the main race

Of the 13 winners of the R.Listed Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic, 12 have continued on to run in the R.Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast. Three have won both races – Unencumbered, Capitalist, and O’ Ole – and another three Wyong winners have placed at the Gold Coast being Madeenaty (Exceed And Excel), She’s All Class (I Am Invincible) and Highness (Snitzel).

Four horses ran below par in the Gold Coast version, but three of the four returned to showcase their talents as older horses.

Jonker, whose oldest crop are 2-year-olds this season, won the Max Lees Classic, then the Wyong 2YO Classic at this second start. At the Gold Coast he ran last, but later went on to win the G1 Manikato Stakes as an older horse.

Farnan bounced out of his 10th placing at the Gold Coast to win three group races in the autumn including the G1 Golden Slipper.

And one horse who is worthy of mention without being flashy is the 2014 Wyong winner Zoutenant (Zizou). The gelding went on to have 113 race starts for four different trainers, winning 13 races including a bunch of country cups. He won the Carinda Cup twice, the Collie Cup, Gulargambone Cup, Come-By-Chance Cup, and Collaroy Cup.

Table: Past winners of the Magic Millions Wyong 2-year-old classic