Luke Tarramt rides Le Chef to victory in the Magic Millions 2yo classic
Magic Millions has got the glitz and glamour down pat and from a betting perspective the 2YO Classic is great — now all it needs is the headline runner that at one time dominated the race.
Timeform’s Gary Crispe assessed Saturday’s race at 110, one of the lowest ratings in the race’s history.
The benchmark Millions winners are Dance Hero (123), Excellerator, Testa Rossa and General Nediym (all 121) and Assertive Lad (120).
All five went on to become Group 1 stars.
Between General Nediym (1997) and Dance Hero (2004), seven of eight MM winners went on to Group 1 success.
Since then, only Phelan Ready and Driefontein have achieved the feat.
The anomaly is the drop in class comes at a time when Magic Millions are selling the greatest depth of good horses in its 30-year history.
The modern trend has been for trainers to hold their best youngsters back. Some of that may come from a stronger northern hemisphere influence of slower maturing horses.
Another reason is a more strategic approach to maximising a horse’s value.
Gai Waterhouse’s two most recent Slipper-winning colts — Pierro and Sebring — bypassed the Gold Coast in preference to a concentrated tilt on the Golden Slipper.
Stratum is another MM graduate to wait until the Sydney autumn.
Other MM graduates have been saved in preference for a tilt on the Blue Diamond.
While there is big money to be won on the Coast, the residual value of a Group 1 win dwarfs anything that can be won on the track, with studs prepared to go north of $20 million for a good colt.
While the winner receives only a fraction of direct prizemoney, the windfall from a stallion point of view is far greater reaching, all because of that precious Gr1 prefix.
Zoustar became an $18 million commodity after winning the Coolmore — even though he had not stepped out of the safety of his own age group to that point.
Northern Meteor had a similarly skyrocketing value after winning — narrowly — the same race.
Sebring was even more expensive after his Slipper exploits.
Breeders want Group 1 winners and sadly, the Magic Millions will never attain that status, owing to its restricted nature.
It is not something that bothers Magic Millions managing director Vin Cox, who says the race generates theatre even without a headline act.
“With the black type structured as it is, we can’t get that Group 1 status. That’s something we just have to accept,” Cox said.
“If they do divert to the Slipper, it creates opportunities down the line.
“We want people at all levels being a chance to win this prizemoney.
‘Take Saturday for instance, a lady from Mount Isa comes and buys one horse and wins the Magic Millions.
‘‘That’s what it’s about.”
Cox argues the lack of a superstar, or even potential superstar, detracts nothing from what MM day has become.
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