Timing is everything: Eureka heads south to Classic with a sharp relative

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

In racing and bloodstock, timing can be everything. On Saturday at Caulfield, that old saying rang particularly true as unbeaten 2-year-old Big Sky (Bivouac) stamped himself as a genuine Group 1 contender - and in the process, gave Eureka Stud a timely boost ahead of the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.

Trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr, Big Sky, the Bivouac colt, produced an emphatic three-length victory in the G3 Chairman’s Stakes over 1000 metres in dominant front-running fashion, remaining undefeated and further strengthening his credentials for the $2 million G1 Blue Diamond Stakes.

Jumping cleanly from gate two in the seven-horse field, Ben Melham sent Big Sky straight to the front, where he controlled proceedings with authority. With La Gitana (Home Affairs) tracking him closely, the favourite barely came off the bridle turning for home, simply extending when asked and cruising clear with ease from Invincible Son (Farnan) and La Gitana who battled on well.

The win took his earnings to $204,100 and reinforced just how sharp the $140,000 Magic Millions purchase is shaping up to be, a figure that now looks a bargain. For Eureka Stud, who bred the colt and still own his dam, the timing could scarcely be better.

A colt with an engine

Harry McAlpine, Eureka Stud’s Nominations and Bloodstock Manager, wasn’t surprised by what unfolded at Caulfield, though he admits the colt is still learning on the job.

“He’s still green as grass, but he has an engine, there is no doubt the ability is there and that was a very impressive win, with the potential of much more to come,” McAlpine said.

The confidence had been brewing well before raceday. Price and Kent Jnr had long held Big Sky in high regard, and that faith filtered back to the breeders early.

“Mick and Michael have had a fair opinion of him for quite a while now. They tipped him to us before he started racing and said back him in his first start, so he had been showing them plenty. To then do it on the track has been very rewarding.”

That belief, combined with Big Sky’s emergence at the all so important 2-year-old stakes level, has already translated into tangible sales momentum.

“The timing is good - timing is everything before sales,” McAlpine explained.

“We sold a Bivouac colt during Book 2 of the Magic Millions (Gold Coast Yearling) Sale this year, and that was the day after Bivouac had a double with Big Sky and a winner in Sydney. That colt went for $180,000, and those wins the day before may have played a big part in boosting that price.

“So timing is important and momentum before sales is always what we are after.”

The story behind Big Sky

Big Sky was purchased by Mick Price Racing for $140,000 from the Eureka Stud draft at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. He is the third winner from three runners out of Zoom By (Red Dazzler), a four-time winner and a mare Eureka raced and knows intimately.

“We take breeding rights in most of the Godolphin stallions when they retire and that is how we bred Big Sky,” McAlpine said. “Bivouac looks quite promising, so hopefully he can keep kicking on.”

The mating, however, came with its own challenges. Bivouac retired during the early Covid years, limiting early inspection opportunities.

“I think when Bivouac retired it may have been one of the first years of Covid, so we didn’t get a chance to inspect him properly to see how to mate him. One from his first year sold reasonably well for us, but once we saw him, we got a better idea of how to use him with our mares.”

Zoom By, McAlpine said, made the job easy.

“She is a really easy mare to mate. She’s a good-looking mare, we raced her and she was really fast.”

Big Sky ticked plenty of boxes as a yearling.

“He was a very good-looking colt and we were really happy getting $140,000, especially as Bivouac was a second-season sire that year and sometimes buyers can go a little cold on second-season sires.”

“He really was a lovely type, he had good scope and lovely quality that he got from his dam. Mick and Michael saw something in him and I'm glad that they are being rewarded.”

With hindsight, the price now raises a smile. “He looks cheap now, doesn’t he?”

Spotlight on the half-sister at Classic

Naturally, attention now turns to Lot 607 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale - a filly by Spirit Of Boom out of Zoom By and as a result, is a half-sister to Big Sky.

“She is a lovely horse. She has probably thrown quite a bit to Spirit Of Boom, she’s a sharp, sweet type of filly,” McAlpine said.

Time has been her friend and this sale was targeted specifically.

“She has needed a little bit of extra time, that’s why we targeted Classic instead of Magic Millions, and she has really thrived off that.”

The mating itself has already proven successful.

“We sold a full sister to the Hayes brothers for good money at Magic Millions a couple of years ago, named Idleonby, she showed good promise winning as a 2-year-old. Unfortunately, she’s had a little setback, but she was certainly part of the thinking behind repeating the mating.”

It is a wonderful, deep-running family. The appeal of Zoom By’s family goes far beyond Big Sky alone. The mare hails from a high-class page featuring juvenile stakes winner Firenza (Kenny's Best Pal), dual Group 3 winner Tuscan Sling (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and the outstanding mare Beauty World (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), whose progeny include five stakes winners - the stallions Ducimus and Hi World and other stakes winners Loveyamadly (Bel Esprit), Lite'n In My Veins (Henrythenavigator {Ire}) and Written Beauty (Written Tycoon).

“It’s a wonderful family, it’s a great page, and there are only two dams on the whole catalogue pedigree page, which is always a great thing,” McAlpine said.

“The mare has the looks to match the page and she’s been a very good mare to us.”

Zoom By’s production record continues to impress both at the sales and on the track. Her Microphone filly made strong money, Idleonby showed real ability, she foaled a Spirit Of Boom colt last spring, and she is now in foal to the very exciting Anamoe who made such a splash at the recently completed Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

“We went back to Spirit Of Boom on the back of her other ones, and she’s now in foal to Anamoe, which is exciting,” McAlpine said. “We have a share in Anamoe, so we used that, and it looks a good play after how well they sold.”

“You would love a barn full of mares like her.”

Inglis Classic firmly in Eureka’s sights

Eureka Stud will offer 12 yearlings at the Inglis Classic Sale - six colts and six fillies, by a diverse range of stallions including their own resident Spirit Of Boom, Blue Point (Ire), Anamoe, Toronado (Ire), Pride Of Dubai, Cosmic Force, Stay Inside and Home Affairs.

For McAlpine, Classic is a sale they target deliberately.

“It’s a very nice draft and we take the Classic sale very seriously. We don’t take second-raters to this sale, that’s for sure,” he said. “There’s a lot of travel involved from Queensland, but it’s a sale we’ve had a lot of success at.

“I think we were the top vendors by median last year, we’ve sold the likes of Pippie there and plenty of other Group performers.”

Among the highlights is Lot 63, a Blue Point colt out of Henley Miss (Spirit Of Boom), from the extended family of three-time Group 1 winner Incentivise (Shamus Award).

“The Blue Point colt out of Henley Miss comes from an outstanding old Eureka family of Incentivise, I’m sure he’ll be popular.”

Alongside the Spirit Of Boom half-sister to Big Sky, Eureka Stud will also offer three colts by their resident stallion.

Lot 96 is a colt out of the three-time winner Je Suis Tycoon (Written Tycoon), while Lot 293 is out of Pearls For Me (Red Dazzler), the dam of Group 3 and Listed winner Keshi Boom (Spirit Of Boom) and a close relation to the classy Prince Of Boom (Spirit Of Boom), highlighting how well Spirit Of Boom works in the damline.

Gallery: Spirit Of Boom colts offered by Eureka Stud at the 2026 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, images courtesy of Inglis

Rounding out the trio is Lot 460, a colt out of Spiriting (Written Tycoon), from the high-class family of G1 Golden Slipper winner and champion 2-year-old Crystal Lily (Stratum) and three-time Group 1 winner Zougotcha (Zoustar).

“Our Spirit Of Boom colts should be popular. You know what you’re going to get with them, and they’re a really nice bunch,” McAlpine said. “Obviously, the half-sister to Big Sky has plenty of appeal.”

“The Pride Of Dubai filly is lovely. She’s from a family on fire and her dam is a half to Confederation.”

With interest building locally and internationally, anticipation is high.

“It’s a great sale, the Inglis Classic Sale - it’s a real trainer’s sale, but there’s also strong interest from Asia, and elsewhere, the quality just keeps getting better and better,” McAlpine said.

“We’re really looking forward to it and hopefully our draft sells well.”