Saturday's G1 Golden Slipper win by Farnan produced its fair share of firsts. Trainer Adrian Bott secured his first win in the famous 2-year-old race in partnership with Gai Waterhouse, who won her seventh, jockey Hugh Bowman broke through for his long-awaited maiden victory in the race, while sire Not A Single Doubt also secured his first Slipper winner.
It was also a milestone for Phoenix Thoroughbreds, which secured its first Group 1 winner as a breeder, and marked its biggest win as an owner in partnership with Aquis Farm, having celebrated Group 1 success with Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible) in the Manikato S. less than a day earlier.
Adrian Bott celebrates his first Golden Slipper winner with a very excited Neil Paine
For sales company Magic Millions, the Slipper result was also an unprecedented success. Not only was Farnan the 11th Magic Millions graduate to win the world's richest 2-year-old race since Belle Du Jour's (Dehere {USA}) success in 2000, he was part of an unprecedented sweep of the top six placings from horses sold at the 2019 Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
With its graduates representing eight of the final field of 16, Magic Millions was well-placed to dominate the race, but even with those numbers, its statistical chance (not taking into account the market) of sweeping the top six positions was around 1 in 286 or 0.35 per cent.
Magic Millions has built its success on selecting and presenting fast and precocious horses perfectly suited for Australia's 2-year-old riches and so for Managing Director Barry Bowditch, Saturday's result was a feather in the cap.
Gallery: The first 6 home in the G1 Golden Slipper, all sold as yearlings by Magic Millions
"To win the Slipper and to have the domination we had of the race is really pleasing in itself. We try and select precocious quality looking horses that can obviously become investments for our buyers and yesterday became a mirror for that," he said.
"It’s not only that, the first two home also ran in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic, and the fourth horse, Tagaloa, won the Blue Diamond. It’s not just been the Slipper. The horses seem to be sound, tough, strong, good horses that are really dominating the 2-year-old races this season."
"We try and select precocious quality looking horses that can obviously become investments for our buyers and yesterday became a mirror for that." - Barry Bowditch
Farnan's only racetrack defeat was when he was 10th in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic in January, a race won by Saturday's Slipper runner-up Away Game (Snitzel). The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace trained filly became the eighth Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner to subsequently run a placing in the Golden Slipper.
"We have seen that happen before with Dance Hero, Capitalist and the like turning up in the Slipper and performing. Away Game all but won the Slipper, and it's good for the winner to be a horse that also ran in the Millions, and that also franks the form of the Wyong Magic Millions race, which he won," Bowditch said.
It's also a vindication of the efficacy of the Magic Millions race series in producing top quality horses
Magic Millions Managing Director, Barry Bowditch
"This is happening around Australia. You only have to look at the Adelaide race, that form stood up at Mornington yesterday. The Pinjarra race stood up in Perth yesterday. The race series is working how it should and not only is it providing great prizemoney races for our clients, but it is becoming a build up to these other strong races," Bowditch said.
"Not only is it providing great prizemoney races for our clients, but it is becoming a build up to these other strong races." - Barry Bowditch
Farnan, offered through Vinery Stud's draft in 2019, becomes the most expensive Magic Millions graduate to win the Golden Slipper, having cost $550,000.
Aquis and Phoenix will be hoping that longer term he can follow the path to the stallion barn forged by previous Slipper winning graduates, Stratum, Sebring, Pierro, Vancouver and Capitalist.
"He is a quality horse. He hasn't put a foot wrong other than Millions day. He has been the most dominant 2-year-old of the season so far, apart from that day. He'll be very hard to beat as champion 2-year-old this season, if he doesn't already own it," Bowditch said.
"He's just a quality horse and with those other colts who have gone on and won the Slipper, he has to sit among the best of them."
There is also the fact, of course, that his own sire, Not A Single Doubt, is also a Magic Millions sales graduate as is the sire of Away Game, Snitzel.
Not A Single Doubt
Arrowfield celebrates big day
In that way, it was also a great result for Arrowfield, which retired Not A Single Doubt from stallion duties early this year due to health problems.
The Hunter Valley powerhouse not only celebrated a Slipper quinella, but also the win of Castelvecchio in the G1 Rosehill Guineas, a colt they bred and hold a controlling interest in, and who is by its rising young star stallion Dundeel (NZ).
Castelvecchio continued the success of Arrowfield stallions on Slipper Day
It was the third success in a Rosehill Guineas from an Arrowfield graduate, with Castelvecchio joining The Autumn Sun, who won the race last year, and Danewin, who won in 1995.
Later in the day, Snitzel got his 14th individual Group 1 winner with I Am Excited victorious in the G1 Galaxy S., the third time one of the progeny of the Triple Australian Champion Sire has won that race.
Sydney-based sales company Inglis tasted success of its own, with two graduates winning Group 1 races.
Castelvecchio was a $150,000 Classic Sale buy, while G1 George Ryder Stakes-winner, Dreamforce, who is by Coolmore's legendary Fastnet Rock, went through the 2014 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
This added to a brilliant win by Inglis graduate Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible) on Friday night in the G1 William Reid S. The stunning 3-year-old filly was a $500,000 purchase from the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, while her dam Maastricht (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) became the fourth-highest priced mare ever sold through an Inglis sale ring when selling for $2.25m at The Chairman's Sale last year.
