The glamour filly Madeenaty posts herself as the juvenile to beat in the $2m Jeep Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast on 14 January following her all-the-way win in the restricted listed $200,000 Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic.
Trained by David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabering, Madeenaty started the $1.90 short race favourite having won the listed Maribyrnong Trial at Flemington and now enters the Magic Millions without another run.
Ridden by Mark Zahra, Madeenaty clocked a slick 1:03.28sec for the 1100m race distance to hold off the fast finishing Silver Bullet, trained by Gary Portelli, with a head to the Snitzel filly Dinnigan in third.
Madeenaty, by Exceed And Excel from the multiple Group 2 winner Set For Fame, was a stand-out at January’s Gold Coast Yearling Sale, purchased by Shadwell Stud Australasia for $755,000 from the Segenhoe Stud draft.
The inform Brenton Avdulla produced a commanding ride on the Bjorn Baker trained Egyptian Symbol to capture the $100,000 Magic Millions Wyong 3YO & 4YO Stakes of 1200m by a 1½ lengths and started as the odds-on $1.40 race favourite.
Egyptian Symbol, a 4yo mare by Stratum, defeated the Matthew Dunn trained Madotti, with the previous Ballarat 3YO & 4YO Classic placegetter Dam Ready in third. Raced by Cressfield Egyptian Symbol has a half-brother by Zoustar offered by Cressfield as Lot 290 at January’s Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
This season’s Magic Millions Race Series commenced previously at Ballarat on 19 November with leading Flemington trainer Tony McEvoy quineling the $200,000 Magic Millions 2YO Clockwise Classic run over 1000m.
The handsome Written Tycoon colt Despatch, ridden by Luke Nolen, edged-out fellow stable mate Nistaan, by Nicconi, to score in a winning time of 59.80sec on a Good 3 track. Both colts will now be heading for the $2m Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast.
Despatch was a $195,000 purchase by McEvoy Mitchell Racing at March’s Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale from the Baramul Stud draft. Baramul’s Paul and Amanda Thompson had originally pin-hooked Despatch for $40,000 at the 2015 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale.
The ‘King of Ballarat’ trainer Darren Weir now has a great chance to capture the $2m Magic Millions Gold Coast 3YO Guineas following his 3yo colt Speedeor exceptional win in the $100,000 Magic Millions 3YO & 4YO Classic of 1100m at Ballarat. Speedeor defeated fellow 3yo colt Dam Ready, by More Than Ready, by 1½ lengths with the 4yo Golden Spin, by Medaglia d’Oro, in third.
Speedeor was previously an impressive winner of the Schweppes Flemington Fling of 1000m at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day and was a $45,000 buy from the 2015 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale by agent John Foote.
Speedeor was bred by Paul Thompson, Stud Manager of vendor Baramul Stud being by the Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Northern Meteor, and the first winner of the lightly raced Stravinsky mare Speed Dating.
The Magic Million Race Series highlights with the Australia’s richest raceday the $10m Jeep Magic Millions at the Gold Coast on Saturday 14 January 2017 with the $2m Jeep Magic Millions 2YO Classic its principal event.
The 2YO Classic is a 1200m set weight restricted listed event with colts and geldings weighted on 57kg, fillies 55kg and no allowances for apprentices. The field is limited to 16 runners plus five emergencies.
The winning owners will receive $1.2million in prizemoney plus a $2,000 trophy and prizemoney is paid down to last placing on Magic Millions Racedays, which is all counted as prizemoney in career earnings.
In addition to the prizemoney a $500,000 Magic Millions Racing Women’s Bonus is payable to the first four all-female owned or leased horses that finish. First to finish will receive $325,000 plus a $3,000 trophy, second $100,000, third $50,000, fourth $25,000, and all are subject to Trainer and Jockey deductions.
If there are less than four eligible horses that compete in the Magic Million 2YO Classic the unused bonus prizemoney will be spread evenly between the bonus eligible horses that finish in the Classic.
The restricted listed $2m Gold Coast Magic Millions 3YO Guineas of 1400m is also a $2million race with $1.2 million and trophies to the winner. It is a set weights plus penalties event with colts & geldings receiving 56kg, fillies 54kg and no allowances for apprentices.
Of the $1million stakes events the restricted listed Magic Millions Cup is run over 1400m, the Magic Millions Sprint is 1200m, Magic Millions Trophy 2200m, Magic Millions Fillies & Mares 1300m and the Magic Millions QTIS Open is 1300m. The two $250,000 events are the Magic Millions Country Cup 1200m and the Magic Millions Maiden Plate also of 1200m.