With five runners in the final field, Arrowfield stallions are poised to have a major impact on the outcome of Saturday’s $2 million Jeep Magic Millions 2YO Classic (R) LR.
Impressive Sydney debut winner Invisible, from the first crop of All American, and trained by Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes for Tony Pistikakis and partners, has drawn 7 and remains the second favourite at $4.50 behind Unencumbered on $3.80.
Snitzel’s daughter Oakleigh Girl, already a Group 3 and Listed stakeswinner for trainer Dan Bougoure and owner Louise Gillard, will jump from barrier 6 and offers value at $11.00.
Geromayo (Charge Forward), runner-up in the Ballarat and Wyong Magic Millions races for the Alteri family and trainer Mick Price, has drawn 8 and has been steady on $12.00 since betting opened. Charge Forward’s brilliant Arrowfield-bred-and-sold daughter Assail was the hot favourite for the 2013 Magic Millions Classic until injury forced her withdrawal on race morning.
Geromayo, Oakleigh Girl and Invisible were all bred in partnership by Arrowfield and sold under the Stud’s banner for $42,500, $400,000 and $280,000 respectively.
Owner Bill Hilton and trainer Garry Frazer will be represented by the consistent filly Sheer Style (Snitzel), winner of the Magic Millions Clockwise Classic at Ballarat in November and third to Unencumbered and Geromayo at Wyong, after two good placings in Sydney. Drawn 21, she has drifted in the market and is now paying $26.00. Sheer Style was bred and sold for $255,000 by Corumbene Stud.
Snitzel has had four previous runners in the race: Schiffer (3rd, 2011), Sizzling & Amorino (4th & 6th, 2012) and last year’s valiant runner-up Sweet Idea, joint favourite for this year’s $1 million Gold Coast Magic Millions 3YO Guineas. The sensational son of Redoute’s Choice currently heads the Australian General, 2YO & 3YO Sires’ premierships.
The Kelly Schweida-trained filly Totally Sure (Not A Single Doubt) has done little wrong in four starts for a win, a second, fourth in Oakleigh Girl’s Calaway Gal S. LR and a last-start fifth, beaten 2.3 lengths in Unencumbered’s B.J. McLachlan S. G3 on 28 December. However, barrier 16 has seen her price ease to $35.00.
Totally Sure was bred by Limerick Lane Thoroughbreds and purchased for $160,000 from the draft of Glastonbury Farms.
Not A Single Doubt, himself second in Dance Hero’s 2004 Magic Millions 2YO Classic, sired the 2011 winner Karuta Queen, whose co-owner Viive Williams is hoping for a scratching in this year’s Guineas for her talented Snitzel filly Estonian Princess.
A fifth Arrowfield stallion, Starcraft, provides the 3rd emergency Star Drop (barrier 11), bred and prepared by leading Toowoomba trainer Rex Lipp. Yet to win in three starts, Star Drop was sixth in the Calaway Gal S. LR and, in a bid to boost her qualifying prizemoney, she burst through late to run second at the Gold Coast last Saturday.
All tote prices from tab.com.au on Tuesday morning, 7 January.