20/06/13
As I regularly write here Justracing has a wonderful array of historical racing books to fall back on and so today I thought I’d go back to the February 1987 edition of “Australian Race Results”, which featured Red Anchor on the front cover – as per today’s photograph – and pass on to website readers the full result of the inaugural Magic Millions (the first race was called the “Magic Million” not Magic Millions) race day on Saturday 10 January 1987.
Listed below are the results of the eight races run on the day. The track was noted as being “good” and the weather was “fine”.
For those old enough to remember I’m sure as you read these results that you’ll have many memories flooding back of the jockeys from 26 years ago that rode at the meeting. Some like Cyril Small, Darren Gauci and Glen Killen are still riding today.
Some of the jockeys who rode on the day have had children since and now those children are riding. John Nisbet rode at the Gold Coast inaugural Magic Millions meeting and his daughter Kayla rode a beautifully judged race in front to win on the David Hayes trained Spacecraft last Saturday at Moonee Valley.
I see that jockey Andrew Parramore rode on the day. He rode the Ipswich Cup winner in the year of the dreadful fall – 2000 – I Reign Supreme, and nowadays is a trainer based in New South Wales.
By perusing Race 3 below, one can see how the minimum weight has changed over the years.
A future champion of the Australian turf who grew up to be named Vo Rogue couldn’t run a place at 3/1 in the opening race on the day for jockey Larry Allen. Vo Rogue, his trainer Vic Rail and a new jockey named Cyril Small wrote themselves into Australian racing folklore in the years subsequent to this day.
Les Harris was the leading rider on the big day, bagging a double in Races 2 and 8. It’s wonderful to run into Les and his attractive wife Karen at the races. They may not be young anymore but they always look terrific and always have a welcoming smile.
Robian Steel would manage only fifth in Race 3 on the program, the Open Handicap, yet in the following year – 1988 – he’d go and win the Eye Liner Stakes at Ipswich and in the following year he went to another level, by winning the Group 1 Stradbroke at Eagle Farm over Don’t Play in a deceptive finish.
Snippets won the inaugural Magic Millions 2YO before winning the Group 1 Sires Produce Stakes at Randwick a few months later defeating two very good horses – Sky Chase and Marauding. Snippets won two more Group 1 races in his life – The Galaxy at Randwick and the Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield. He also ran second in the 1988 Group 1 Lightning Stakes at Flemington behind a highly talented mare called Special. She ran a track record of 55.50 when beating Snippets and that track record stood for a quarter of a century – until earlier this year in fact, when the champion mare Black Caviar lowered Special’s figure of 55.50 to 55.42. Retired to stud in 1988 Snippets proved to be a wonderful sire. From 14 consecutive years at stud (1988-2001) he produced about 78% winners-to-runners and about 8.9% stakeswinners-to-runners. He closed his eyes for the last time during 2002 as only a rising 17YO, as short innings indeed for such a wonderful flagbearer for the Magic Millions race.
Interestingly the results book refers to the inaugural race as the “Fosters Magic Million” – not Magic Millions as it is known as today.
RACE 1 – LOGAN LIVESTOCK COUNTRY STAKES – 2015 metres.
PRIZEMONEY: $6500 (1st), $2000 (2nd), $1000 (3rd), $500 (4th).
PRICE
HORSE
WEIGHT
JOCKEY
PLACING
8
BEN BARNIE
54.5 cd 52
M. Overell
1
16
WOLVERTON MANOR
56.5
P.B. Smith
2
14
BON VIVEUR
54.5
A. Erhart
3
20
HASTY LAD
54.5
L. Harris
4
3
VO ROGUE
56.5
L. Allen
5
10
LORD GAYAM
54.5
G. Watson
6
16
MARIAN YEAR
52.5
B. Compton
7
66
FAIRYTALE PRINCESS
52.5
K. Bell
8
25
HARLAW
56.5
W. Moore
9
16
RUNDLE VALE
56.5
K. Smith
10
12
PRUSSIA
52.5 cd 53
L. Masters
11
33
GRECIAN VALE
56.5
G. Birrer
12
16
BALARA
54.5
K. Russell
13
40
MYAMIN
58.0
M. Schumacher
L/R*
10
WIND OF MELODY
56.5 cd 55.0
G.D. Kliese
L/R*
5/4
GALLERY KING
54.5
L. Dittman
P/U**
*Lost Rider
** Pulled up.
Margins: Neck/long neck
Time: 2.3.64
Winning trainer: A.C.B. Trenery
Winner’s breeding: Definate – Sister Penny
RACE 2 – ARROWFIELD WINES NOVICE HANDICAP – 2015 metres
PRIZEMONEY: $10000 (1st), $3000 (2nd), $1500 (3rd), $500 (4th).
PRICE
HORSE
WEIGHT
JOCKEY
PLACING
10
GOOD LUCK LADY
51.5
L. Harris
1
8
PANDOUR KHAN
52.5
L. Dittman
2
2
GOLD RIDGE
52.0
K. Russell
3
8
INDIAN UPRISING
55.0
S. Schofield
4
6
GOLD SWEEP
55.5 cd 53.0
A. Cox
5
33
PALM MAURA
51.0
D. Gauci
6
20
PRIMENEO
51.5 cd 52.5
A. Parramore
7
14
MARCH RUNDLE
51.0
K. Smith
8
14
EXTRA GRAND
52.5
D. Messingham
9
15
MASTER HOLLOW
51.0
B. Compton
10
4
BIRALEE MISS
51.5
G. Watson
11
Margins: Neck/half length
Time: 2.06.05
Winning trainer: J.E. Everson
Winner’s breeding: No Mercy – Super Style
RACE 3 – TURF AND SURF FLYING HANDICAP – 1200 metres – WITH A 49 KG MINIMUM AND APPRENTICES CANNOT CLAIM
PRIZEMONEY: $13000 (1st), $4000 (2nd), $2000 (3rd), $1000 (4th).
PRICE
HORSE
WEIGHT
JOCKEY
PLACING
4/5
PARIS BEAU
56.5
L. Dittman
1
10
IMA ROMAN
50.0
D. Messingham
2
5
POWER ARROW
49.5
O. Wall
3
6
ALSVID
50.0 cd 50.5
D. Gauci
4
8
ROBIAN STEEL
49.5 cd 50.0
B. Compton
5
11/2
ARCH SOVEREIGN
49.5
G. Watson
6
9
SUPERIOR VINTAGE
50.5
S. Schofield
7
14
BRUEGHELINO
50.5 cd 51.0
R. McGrath
8
12
JAMES’ TRADITION
52.5
K. Russell
9
Margins: ½ length/neck
Time: 1.10.02
Winning trainer: G. Williams
Winner’s breeding: Paris Review – Marinoto
RACE 4 – LYNDHURST STUD F&M GRADUATION – 1110 metres – FOR NOVICE, TRANSITION AND ENCOURAGE CLASS – SET WEIGHTS.
PRIZEMONEY: $6500 (1st), $2000 (2nd), $1000 (3rd), $500 (4th).
PRICE
HORSE
WEIGHT
JOCKEY
PLACING
3
PRINCESS VEY
53.5
S. Schofield
1
4
SUNSANI
51.0 cd 52.0
J. Nisbet
2
7/2
WHISKEY COIN
53.5
R. McGrath
3
13/2
GOLDEN REFLECTION
51.0
K. Russell
4
9/2
BONNY CHOICE
53.5
K. Sawyers
5
40
TIGER JOY
51.0
D. Messingham
6
9
PLAY THE MUSIC
51.0
D. Gauci
7
20
AUTUMN MOSS
53.5
N. Smith
8
20
JUST BAY
53.5
P. Losh
9
16
NOSSA SLIDE
56.5 cd 54.0
A. Cox
10
33
POSH POLLY
51.0
L. Allen
11
Margins: 0.75 length/1.25 lengths – Protest third against second upheld.
Time: 1.4.45
Winning trainer: J. Griffiths
Winner’s breeding: Just Darcay – Bellona
RACE 5 – FOSTERS MAGIC MILLION – 1200 METRES – FOR 2YO’S, SET WEIGHTS, 52 KGS MIMIMUM. APPRENTICES CANNOT CLAIM.
PRIZEMONEY: $500000 and trophies of $10000, plus $2500 to winning trainer and jockey (1st), $75000 (2nd), $50,000 (3rd), $30000 (4th).
PRICE
HORSE
WEIGHT
JOCKEY
PLACING
2
SNIPPETS
54.0
P.B. Smith
1
12
PRINCE ANTON
54.0
B. Compton
2
11/4
MOTHER DUCK
52.5
M. Johnston
3
11/2
I’M READY
54.0
L. Dittman
4
10
RAISE THE BANNER
54.0
J. Duggan
5
14
BOASTING
54.0
D. Gauci
6
66
MUD CRAB
54.0
S. Schofield
7
10
CROWN HOPE
52.5
L. Harris
8
10
ROMAN GENERAL
54.0
J. Marshall
9
250
SPARE A THOUGHT
54.0
A. Parramore
10
66
ANNA DANIELLA
52.5
M. De Montfort
11
33
ZAMPATTI
52.5
D. Messingham
12
33
ROSES FOR US
52.5
K. Russell
13
100
HAITIAN GOLD
54.0
N. Waymouth
14
50
LORD LOCKTON
54.0
A. Erhart
15
125
POETIC SOUND
52.5
D. Brereton
16
Margins: 4 lengths/half length – Numbers 9-6-13-Barriers 4-7-10
Time: 1.9.90
Winning trainer: Ms. S. Rogers
Winner’s breeding: Lunchtime – Easy Date
RACE 6 – MAGIC MILLIONS CONSOLATION – 1200 METRES – 2YO’s – SET WEIGHTS, 52 KGS MINIMUM APPRENTICES CANNOT CLAIM.
PRIZEMONEY: $20000 (1st), $10000 (2nd), $5000 (3rd), $2000 (4th).
PRICE
HORSE
WEIGHT
JOCKEY
PLACING
6
GOLDEN ADVENTURE
52.5
K. Gover
1
10
ZURBARAN
54.0
M. Kerr
2
25
ELDER TIME
52.5
D. Messingham
3
50
SONORA
52.5
G. Watson
4
5
SUPER AMBER
54.0
L. Dittman
5
6
WRITTEN REPORT
54.0
M. Schumacher
6
16
SUENARMI
52.5
P. Losh
7
4/5
COOL REPORT
54.0
K. Russell
8
25
GO CAESAR GO
54.0
N. Waymouth
9
25
HEAD FOR GLORY
54.0
S. Schofield
10
80
CROXLEY MAGIC
52.5
B. Compton
11
15
BLAZING JAMES
54.0
N. Smith
12
12
I’M A CROWN
54.0
L. Harris
13
25
EMMA LOUISE
52.5
D. Gauci
14
14
VALDET
52.5
D. Gough
15
7
MAGIC SINGER
54.0
M. Johnston
16
Margins: 1.5 lengths/ half length
Time: 1.11.76
Winning trainer: G.L. Slade
Winner’s breeding: Osmunda – Rose Crown
RACE 7 – LAURIE BRICKNELL HANDICAP – 1600 METRES – 51 KGS MINIMUM.
PRIZEMONEY: $13000 (1st), $4000 (2nd), $2000 (3rd), $1000 (4th).
PRICE
HORSE
WEIGHT
JOCKEY
PLACING
9
BLACK ZEPHYR
50.5 cd 51.0
K. Russell
1
8
INSATIATE
51.5
D. Gauci
2
9/2
LIGHT HALL
51.5
P.B. Smith
3
8
DISTANCIA
54.5
D. Williams
4
20
ALL LOOSE
49.5
A. Cox
5
25
FENN SINGH
49.5
P. Losh
6
6
WHOMSOEVER
50.5
D. Messingham
7
11/4
DARE TO BE GRAND
55.5
G. Killen
8
14
GARTER STAR
52.0
S. Schofield
9
11/4
EL J’DAIDE
54.0
R. McGrath
10
20
STENMARK
49.5
B. Compton
11
66
TRIFLAX
49.5 cd 50.0
O. Wall
12
20
WINDSOR SONG
49.5 cd 50.0
L. Allen
13
50
LATIN FLAIR
49.5 cd 50.0
G. Stockdale
14
Margins: 2.25 lengths/neck
Time: 1.35.37
Winning trainer: N.J. Doyle
Winner’s breeding: Black Zephyr – Aranda
RACE 8 – WAKEFIELD STUD GRADUATION STAKES – 1300 metres – SET WEIGHTS – FOR NOVICE, TRANSITION AND ENCOURAGE CLASS.
PRIZEMONEY: $10000 (1st), $3000 (2nd), $1500 (3rd), $500 (4th).
PRICE
HORSE
WEIGHT
JOCKEY
PLACING
14
TASSIE PRIDE
53.5
L. Harris
1
16
BAY BEAU
53.5
D. Messingham
2
7/4
MASCOT
51.0
D. Gauci
3
3
SEA CHIMES
53.5
L. Dittman
4
33
PLAY IT HOT
53.5
N. Smith
5
16
OMINECA
51.0
S. Schofield
6
10
PLEASANT DREAMS
51.0
K. Russell
7
11/2
FACE THE STARS
53.5
D. Williams
8
12
STAR OF AMIENS
53.5
B. Compton
9
7
CAPRO KHAN
56.5
M. De Montfort
10
8
PRINCE STROME
53.5
G. Killen
11
9
GYPSY DELIGHT
53.5
J. Nisbet
12
50
ROYAL OFFER
51.0
G. Watson
13
100
SANDERS
51.0
P. Losh
14
25
HAZLEMERE
53.5
L. Allen
15
Margins: long neck/head
Time: 1.16.80
Winning trainer: H.J. Norman
Winner’s breeding: Chantilly Lad – Tassie Dell
There was obviously a fall in the first race and a female jockey named Michelle Overell rode the first winner on the day, which is most interesting, as she was the only female jockey riding at the meeting.
Prizemoney was only paid back to fourth, whereas today at Saturday metropolitan meetings it is paid back to fifth.