Queensland shares major honours at MM raceday

The winners were:

At least another 10 Queensland-based horses were placed across the nine race program. 

Attending the Magic Millions Raceday, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said “Overall, whether it’s for Thoroughbred racing, polo, the yearling sales or the social side, the carnival injects millions of dollars into our economy. Last year’s race day, sales and polo resulted in 47,293 visitor nights which was an increase of 4243 visitor nights year-on-year, leading to a total economic impact for Queensland of $25.67 million.

“That is why my government, through Tourism and Events Queensland, is committed to supporting The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Carnival in the years to come,” she said.

THREE decades after his maiden Magic Millions success aboard Sunblazer, Chris Munce was to the fore on the Gold Coast once again as tenacious three-year-old Boomsara took honours in the $2 million Gold Coast Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (1400m).

For the former jockey, who first won the two-year-old Classic in 1989 before scoring again in 2001 on Excellerator and 2004 on Dance Hero, Boomsara’s win represented his biggest success as a trainer. As has become his custom, the 3YO gelded son of Spirit Of Boom fought doggedly to fend off the challenges of Bondi and Outback Barbie in the final 200m.

Indeed, there was almost a feature quinella when the boom sire’s third-placed daughter Outback Barbie was the subject of a dismissed protest against second placegetter Bondi. Munce and stand-in jockey Tim Clark both paid tribute to Boomsara’s regular jockey Damian Browne who was forced to miss Saturday’s race after undergoing bowel surgery on Thursday.  

A 3YO gelding by Spirit Of Boom from the Tsuimai mare Passara, Boomsara was bred at the McAlpine family’s Eureka Stud, Cambooya and after selling him for $45,000 at the 2017 Magic Millions March Yearling Sale studmaster Scott McAlpine decided to retain a share in the syndicated horse. It was an astute decision as Boomsara’s prizemoney tally now stands at   more than $1.586 million bulked-up by his back-to-back wins in the Guineas ($1.2 million) and the Group 3 Vo Rogue Plate ($116,000) at Doomben.

Boomsara’s full brother was offered as Lot 3 on the opening day of the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and was sold for $150,000 to China Horse Club and Newgate Bloodstock.

Lost in the excitement of the Guineas three-way photo-finish was the excellent performance of 3YO filly Barefoot who ran fourth 2.2 lengths away but a further 1.5 lengths ahead of fifth placed  Smart Elissim. By Show A Heart from the five times winning Royal Academy (USA) mare Hey Blondie, Barefoot was bred by Glenlogan Park stud manager Steve Morley and was sold at the 2017 March yearling sale for $55,000 to Gold Coast based buyer Alexandra Fleming. Trained by Tony Sears at Toowoomba, Barefoot earned $90,000 for running fourth to add to her previous prizemoney tally of more than $177,000 from three wins and four placings from her previous nine starts.  

GODOLPHIN’S venture back into the Australian yearling sale market last year paid immediate dividends when the top class filly Exhilarates stormed to victory in the $2 million The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast on Saturday.

After failing to muster upon jumping from the barriers, the daughter of Snitzel – the first of progeny of dual Group 1 winner Samaready to hit the racetrack – let loose with a dazzling turn of speed from near last at the 400m to reel in Dubious and Hightail in the final 50m of the race.  

In Sheikh Mohammed’s first venture into the Australian yearling market in eight years, Godolphin paid $600,000 for the filly from Vinery Stud’s draft at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Trainer James Cummings, who joined his Hall of Fame grandfather Bart Cummings on the Magic Million Classic honour roll, was quick to praise both the filly’s professionalism and the composure of jockey Kerrin McEvoy.  

“We came back to the sales 12 months ago and we only bought about a half a dozen yearlings. Vin Cox (Godolphin’s Australian manager and former MM CEO) set me the task to come back and win it (Magic Millions Classic) this year. It can sometimes be forgotten that Bart was a great trainer of 2YOs and I’ve been able to learn from him, as well as my father,” he said.

“We’ve bought another handful (of yearlings) this year and we’re just thrilled to be not only involved in Australian racing but to be a real part of it by supporting Australian breeders,” Cummings said.

The win continued an incredible season for McEvoy, who won his second Everest on Redzel in October and his third Melbourne Cup aboard Cross Counter for Godolphin in November. “It’s a huge buzz to win my first Magic Millions race and I’m lucky enough to do it again in Sheikh Mohammed’s blue colours,” McEvoy said.

Having celebrated winning the 2YO Classic, some two hours later Godolphin spent $1 million to buy a Medaglia d'Oro filly from Group 1Blue Diamond Stakes winner Miracles of Life and was underbidder on the $1.7 million sale-topper. All up, Godolphin spent $2,925,000 on five yearlings.

Connections of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace’s runner-up Dubious took home the major $325,000 prize as part of the Magic Millions Racing Women Bonus. Others to scoop the bonuses were the connections of Champagne Boom (sixth, $100,000), Courseshewill (eighth, $50,000) and Gala Miss (tenth, $25,000).

BRISBANE trainer Desleigh Forster celebrated one her biggest moments in racing when her stable pin-up Chapter And Verse stormed to victory in the $1 million Magic Millions QTIS Open (1300m) at the Gold Coast on Saturday, January 12.

An emotional Forster, who secured the 4YO gelding by Rothesay for $28,000 at the 2016 Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale, paid tribute to the Nolan family, who bred the galloper at their Raheen Stud, Gladfield.  Raheen stud-master Basil Nolan Junior was tragically killed in a farm accident in early November.  However, Basil J’s sons Basil and James were trackside to cheer Chapter And Verse home.

“This is unbelievable,” Forster said. “These sort of races don’t come around often and this little horse is just an absolute gem. It’s a bit tough too. Basil (Snr) and Di Nolan bred this horse and they’ve done a fair bit for me,” she said.

TRAINER Chris Waller has prepared Queensland-bred mare Invincibella for back-to-back wins in the $1 million Magic Millions Fillies and Mares (1300m) at the Gold Coast on Saturday, January12.

A triple Group 2 winner in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, the 5YO mare carried the 59kg top weight and gave Waller, who earlier prepared Tumultuous for back-to-back wins in the Magic Millions Trophy, a feature race double for the second consecutive year.

A $185,000 purchase at 2015 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Invincibella has now won more than $2 million in prizemoney for connections which include her breeder, Brisbane pharmacist Andrew Grant-Taylor. Invincibella is by I Am Invincible from the unraced Galileo (Ire) mare Abscond who in turn is from the winning Zabeel mare Luminata (NZ) – a half-sister to Group 1 Adelaide Cup winner The Hind – bought as a yearling by Grant-Taylor at Karaka in 2002.

Earlier on the program, 5YO gelding Tumultuous became the eighth horse in Magic Millions history to win two races on at January’s lucrative Gold Coast meeting when he scored back-to-back wins in the $1 million Sky Racing Magic Millions Trophy (2200m).

A $350,000 purchase at the 2015 Magic Millions God Coast Yearling Sale, the son of Fastnet Rock from the Rivitious (USA) mare Boisterous Lady has been based at Waller’s Gold Coast stable for the past 12 months. He now has six wins and six placings from 34 starts to earn almost $1.4 million for connections who include Brisbane owner Noel Greenhalgh. Winner of the Listed Gold Coast Silk Stocking, Boisterous Lady is also the dam of three stakes winners including Group 1 AJC Australian Oaks winner Rena’s Lady.

Waller and bloodstock agent Guy Mulcaster were very active at the yearling sale with more than 12 purchases including a trio of I Am Invincible colts for a combined $2.9 million.