The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable have strengthened their hand for the $3million Magic Millions 2YO Classic with expensive Farnan colt Knightsbridge putting himself into the picture following an impressive win at Randwick on Saturday.
The highest priced yearling sold in 2025 by Golden Slipper winning sire Farnan, Knightsbridge was a $750,000 Magic Millions purchase from the Lime Country Thoroughbreds draft for James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership/Tony Fung Colts.
He made his debut in Melbourne during the spring when finishing a close fifth in the Listed VRC Maribyrnong Trial and was resuming from a short break in the 1000m open juvenile contest with Adam Hyeronimus to ride.
Knightsbridge looked the ultimate professional, happy to sit behind the two leaders before switching around them to challenge.
I Am Invincible filly Thyme to Go gave a good kick at her first start, but couldn’t quite hold off the colt, who surged home to win by a length running away.
“He's always put his hand up and showed good natural ability for us. I think he had a few excuses there— first up, last preparation— but he's come back really well,” said Adrian Bott.
“It was always going to be a tight run to the Magics for him, so there was a bit of pressure on today's run, but I thought he responded well and in a field that looked to have a bit of depth to it.”
Knightsbridge led on debut in Melbourne, before being run down and the stable were keen to adopt different tactics this time.
“I think just going forward to looking at a race like the Magic Million, a high pressure 1200 metres, you’ve got to be a bit versatile there, so we were able to adapt those tactics for him,” Bott said.
“He just left himself a bit vulnerable up the Flemington straight there, so we thought he has a good acceleration, good turn of foot, so we just wanted to try and preserve that as much as we could.”
Adam Hyeronimus knows what is required to win at the Gold Coast having steered Storm Boy to victory for the stable in 2024.
“He has a beautiful attitude. Nothing worries him. We were always going to be strong late, and he was,” said Hyeronimus, who believes there is more improvement to come.
“Once he stretches out over a little bit further. In high pressure races you'll see a better horse.”
Bred by Lime Country in partnership, Knightsbridge is a half-brother to Group III winner Semana and stakes-winner Gala Queen being the fourth winner from four foals to race from a very smart lightly raced metro winning Nicconi mare called Festivity, who ran unplaced in the Gimcrack Stakes on debut after placing at the official 2yo trials back in 2013.
Festivity is one of those mares that has gone to stud with no Black Type, but probably was that class with her overall record three wins (all Sydney metro) and two seconds from six starts with her only unplaced run the Gimcrack.
Festivity has a yearling colt to follow by Farnan and produced a colt foal by I Am Invincible last spring.
Farnan has a strong hand at the upcoming Magic Millions Yearling Sale with 24 entries and Lime Country Thoroughbreds will also be kept busy with a draft of 15.
