Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
With boom filly Coolangatta (Written Tycoon) heating up the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic market at Randwick on Tuesday, further motions occurred at Warwick Farm on Wednesday when juvenile colt California Deeply (Deep Field) won at the first time of asking.
The 2-year-old youngster from the Snowden yard is a Magic Millions graduate, making him eligible for the rich juvenile race in January. Whether he’ll go that direction or not, his odds firmed considerably for the race within minutes of his Sydney win.
California Deeply | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
California Deeply was having his first start on Wednesday in the Harry Angel at Darley Plate over 1100 metres, and the colt was impressive after just a single trial win late last month.
Ridden by Kerrin McEvoy, he jumped from barrier three to sit third on the rails early behind Okataina (NZ) (Savabeel) and race-favourite Shalailed (Shalaa {Ire}) and, around the turn, the colt stuck to the rail to find room between the leaders in the straight.
Okataina was travelling strongly and looked a likely winner, but McEvoy drove his colt on and the pair surged clear in the shadows of the post.
California Deeply was a 0.5l winner to the Tulloch Lodge-trained Okataina, with Shalailed 0.79l back to third. The final time on the Good 4 was 1:05.12, the final 600 metres in 34.91s.
He’s fairly forward
Co-trainer Peter Snowden was trackside for the win, and he said the final stages of the race were an interesting watch.
“He likes a bit of grit at the end of the race and he showed that today,” Snowden said. “He’s a nice little horse, very push-button and a Magic Millions colt, so who knows? It’s a good start anyway.”
Peter Snowden | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
California Deeply is raced in the familiar red and yellow silks of Howard Liang Yum-Shing, who has had such good horses in these colours as Hong Kong hero California Memory (Highest Honor {Fr}), who is living out his retirement at Living Legends.
“These are the best people you could ever wish to meet on and off the track,” Snowden said of the ownership. “Hopefully they get a really good horse because they’ve had a few good ones. California Zimbol comes to mind. They are very good people and very good supporters, and it’s great to get a good horse from them.”
The trainer said California Deeply was ready for his run at Warwick Farm.
“He’s fairly forward,” Snowden said. “He’s certainly not screwed right down, but we expected him to run well and he did that. There’s a definite improvement in the horse and he’s only a little nuggety bloke, but he’s very genuine.”
“He’s (California Deeply) certainly not screwed right down, but we expected him to run well and he did that. There’s definite improvement in the horse and he’s only a little nuggety bloke, but he’s very genuine.” - Peter Snowden
Kerrin McEvoy was aboard the colt for both his trial win and Wednesday’s race.
“Peter had been happy with him since (the trial), and he said to give him something to follow in this which proved a good move today because I just had him concentrating,” the jockey said. “I thought the Waterhouse-Bott horse had really dashed on at the top of the lane, but full credit to my fellow. I gave him a couple of taps and away he went, and he picked up noticeably well.”
McEvoy said California Deeply had a good attitude, which was a good characteristic in a 2-year-old. He plenty of good things to say post-race.
“He’s a nicely built colt, he moves really well and he enjoyed that ground out there today,” the jockey added.
Swings and roundabouts
California Deeply was bred by Kingstar Farm in 2019. He is the fourth foal from the Murtajill mare Murtle Turtle.
This is an emerging pedigree, not only through California Deeply, but also through the colt’s Capitalist half-brother Hurtle, who is with Tony and Calvin McEvoy as a 3-year-old, and a winner and placegetter in three races.
Murtle Turtle herself was a runner-up in the G3 SAJC Breeders’ S. and G3 SAJC Sires’ Produce S., and she’s had plenty of experience in the sale ring.
Kingstar Farm bought the mare for $40,000 at the 2017 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale and then sold her last year for the same sum to Gainsborough Lodge at the 2020 Inglis Sydney Broodmare Sale. She sold again this year on the Gold Coast for $180,000 where she went to Merricks Station and Group 1 Bloodstock (FBAA) from the draft of Kenmore Lodge.
California Deeply as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
In the middle, the mare foaled California Deeply, and Adam Cook, the general manager of Kingstar Farm, remembers him clearly.
“He was a nice colt,” Cook said. “I thought he was well-put-together, and we got approached privately when he was a weanling by a group of about half-a-dozen guys. They offered good money for him, so we ended up selling this horse privately as a weanling before he was later sold as a yearling.”
“They offered good money for him, so we ended up selling this horse (California Deeply) privately as a weanling before he was later sold as a yearling.” - Adam Cook
California Deeply then headed to the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January, selling from the draft of Coolmore Stud to Marie Yoshida’s Asian Bloodstock Services. Yoshida buys almost exclusively for Howard Liang, and she paid $380,000 for the colt, which was a good return for the ownership, Cook said.
“He was the only weanling we sold that year because of COVID,” the general manager added. “With the money that they offered, we thought it was a fair price at the time so we sold him.
"Obviously Deep Field has come out pretty strong in Hong Kong now, and Hurtle came out and won his first start by about 5l a few days before California Deeply was getting sold, so all the stars and moons aligned for the guys that bought him.”
Adam Cook | Image courtesy of Inglis
It would be understandable if Cook was a little salty about Wednesday’s result. Kingstar sold the colt and sold the mare too, but he’s not. He said this is the nature of breeding horses.
“When we sell horses as weanlings, we want to see them make money,” he said. “Otherwise people won’t buy horses, and we want people to be successful with what we sell. The mare was a decision to keep things ticking over during COVID, and it's funny how things work out. We sold her in foal to Extreme Choice, which again was before Extreme Choice had a single runner.”
“When we sell horses as weanlings, we want to see them make money. Otherwise people won’t buy horses, and we want people to be successful with what we sell.” - Adam Cook
Cook laughs about it, and he’s genuinely good-willed about the situation, but that Extreme Choice foal sold to Bevan Smith Bloodstock and Ferguson Bloodstock as a $220,000 weanling at the Magic Millions National Sale in May. It was a colt from the draft of Kenmore Lodge.
“Everyone has benefitted from Murtle Turtle,” he said. “We bought her for $40,000, and from the two weanlings being sold and the mare herself, we’re well and truly in front. And the people who bought Murtle Turtle and her progeny since then are in front as well, so it’s been a good exercise for everyone involved.”
On the right path
Kingstar Farm has had a vintage run of late.
“We bred the Golden Slipper winner, Stay Inside, and previous to that we had Encountabull, which ran second in the Inglis Nursery,” Cook said. “Last year we had Readily Availabull win the Clockwise Classic at Ballarat, and this year we’ve got Lord Of The Hunter and Paved With Gold in the Inglis Nursery this Saturday.”
Stay Inside | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
The farm has had a handful of 2-year-old runners already that have gone well in their first starts this season, and Cook said it’s telling him that their mare purchases and stallion selections are on the right trajectory.
“These trainers and owners, they want their horses in these 2-year-old races,” he said. “California Deeply might be off to Wyong, I’d suggest. You’d be trying to win the Magic Millions with him, wouldn’t you?”
