Star three-year-old filly Stefi Magnetica completed a historic “family” win in Saturday’s A$3 million Gr1 The Star Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm when she scored a thrilling win in the famous Queensland feature.
Stefi Magnetica gives Zac Lloyd his maiden Gr1 victory (Pic – Magic Millions)
Ten years after her dam Mid Summer Music won the famous Queensland contest, Stefi Magnetica was able to continue the tradition with a remarkable success.
In winning the filly provided former Gold Coast based apprentice Zac Lloyd with his first win at racing’s elite level and also delivered the Cunningham family colours Queensland’s two A$3 million races after Storm Boy won January’s The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic.
Stefi Magnetica, who was facing the starter for just the 13th time, made a surging run in the home straight when Lloyd elected to go to the inside of a large bunch of runners.
She surged to the head of the field and then had to hold out the seasoned runners led by star sprinting mare Bella Nipotina and race favourite Vilana.
“She’s an amazing filly,” stable representative and her co-buyer Jim Clarke said. “She won a Wellington two-year-old race at the back end of the season, she won a Benchmark 58 at Orange in December.”
“She was just chinned in the Surround, Bjorn opted to give her a short break and set her for the winter.”
“Her run in the Doomben 10,000 was amazing. She was in the wrong part of the track, I think everyone saw that.”
“It was an amazing ride there.”
“To win Queensland’s greatest race with a filly that the Cunningham family bought as a yearling and trained by one of my best mates and one of my best supporters in Bjorn, is the biggest thrill of my career and I’m just so pleased.”
Clarke teamed up with Baker and Cunningham Thoroughbreds to purchase Stefi Magnetica for A$140,000 from the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. She was sold by her breeder, Cressfield.
For 20-year-old apprentice Zac Lloyd, the win continued his rise through the Australian riding ranks. This was his first at Group One level.
“I was fine the whole time cantering back but to see my dad has got me emotional,” Lloyd told reporters after the race.
“I was very confident pre-race. She galloped enormous on Tuesday. My dad and I went through the race thoroughly and we honestly thought we were on the right horse.”
“The first furlong or two went perfect. She was in a good rhythm, she wasn’t over-racing.”
“Just as a couple of horses started dropping back in our face, I had to make a decision to go around with the pack but I ultimately thought there’d be too much traffic so I thought I was travelling so well I was happy to go inside of them.”
“She was tough,” Lloyd added. “I saw Bella Nipotina and I thought that was one horse you don’t want to be in a finish with, but she was great.”
“It is really good just to get that Group One on my resume. I’ve had some great opportunities in the past year or so and I haven’t been able to capitalise.”
“To get the job done today in a very big race, it is very special,” the star young rider added.
Stefi Magnetica adds her name to an elite line up of Group One winners by her sire, All Too Hard.
A half-brother to Black Caviar, All Too Hard’s best five progenies were all sold through the Gold Coast sale ring as yearlings. Stefi Magnetica fits in nicely with fellow Magic Millions graduates Wellington, Alligator Blood, Behemoth and Forbidden Love as top tier performers for her Vinery Stud based sire.
Her dam, the aforementioned Mid Summer Music, won 11 races before retiring to stud. While the Stradbroke was her pin-up success, she also captured a Bletchingly Stakes and Cockram Stakes at Group level.
Mid Summer Music has done a great job at stud for Cressfield Stud. She is the dam of two Group winners with Hellfest the other – a Group Three Typhoon Tracy Stakes winner for Godolphin.
Another of her daughters Euphoric Summer won a Magic Millions Clockwise Classic at Ballarat and was placed in stakes races at two in Melbourne and Brisbane.
All of Mid Summer Music’s five runners are winners.
- Winner: Stefi Magnetica
- Breeding: All Too Hard-Mid Summer Music (Oamaru Force)
- Race: BRC Stradbroke H. Gr1 (1400m)
- Sold for: A$140,000
- Sale: 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
- Earnings: A$2,125,800
- Breeder: Cressfield T’breds
- Vendor: Cressfield
- Buyer: Cunningham T’breds/Clarke B’stock/B Baker Racing
- Owners: Cunningham Thoroughbreds Pty Ltd (Mgr: M Cunningham), K Salagic, Currie & Young Family Racing (Mgr: J D E Currie) & J Vitek
- Trainer: Bjorn Baker (Warwick Farm)
