The Gold Coast is the centre of the Australasian thoroughbred universe this week, abuzz with all the theatre and excitement of the Magic Millions on and off the track!
The $3 million 2YO Classic will be the showpiece of a fabulously rich day of racing, as the latest crop of star graduates scorch over the famous 1200m course.
Its prestige and the subsequent racing and stud exploits of many of its winners, along with the prizemoney, renders the Classic's official “RL” rating fairly obsolete - it's up there with the Blue Diamond and the holy of juvenile holies, the Golden Slipper.
Slipper dreams will burn bright for the connections of the winner!
Three dashing juveniles, all colts, will enter the gates undefeated, will one of them remain so?
ZIP LOCK (Hellbent) and WARWOVEN (Sword Of State) are high calibre colts, both unbeaten in two starts while UNIT FIVE (Supido) has raced once for an impressive win - history is against him as no horse has ever won the race at its second start!
Or will the winner come from the ranks of those they have defeated, a horse who peaks on the day it really matters? TORNADO VALLEY (Too Darn Hot) ITCHINTOGO ( Sun City) and SHIKI (Too Darn Hot) all have their fans who are betting that will be the case!
Or will it be a rare blowout result ?
LEAVES OF LORIEN (Cool Aza Beel), KNIGHTSBRIDGE (Farnan ), BY CHOICE (Written By,) MASVINGO (Zoustar), MYSTICAL (Exceed And Excel,) MAGRITTE (Better Than Ready), TIGRONI (Tiger Of Malay), INHABIT (Stay Inside), DOUBLE COOL (Cool Aza Beel) and emergency IRANSOFAR (Better Than Ready) who gains a run, will have to improve to win, but two year olds are unpredictable!
The favourite Warwoven is very obviously a class colt with a fab pedigree, but I'm going against him here because - despite the impressiveness of his two wins, he hasn't raced in stakes grade.
He thrashed the fillies Lumbini (scratched) and Leaves Of Lorien at Eagle Farm, lovely fillies both but I couldn't see either of them as a winning hope in this race.
If Warwoven wasn't in the stable of two times Millions winning trainer Bjorn Baker would the hype be quite this big?
Two year old hype trains have a way of shooting off the tracks and over the side of a cliff at critical moments.
But this is not to throw shade on the exciting Warwoven, he may well be an absolute champ in the making, we will soon find out!
Top Tip: ZIP LOCK
Yarraman Park's excellent sire Hellbent is having a stellar season, building on a stud career that goes from strength to strength.
Zip Lock is flying the flag high for his sire, coming into the Classic unbeaten in two starts off an impressive G3 win in key lead up, the BJ McLachlan Stakes, where the colt let loose with a brilliant turn of foot to defeat the G3 Maribyrnong Plate winner Tornado Valley (Too Darn Hot)
This is the form race for me, both super promising colts and they are my top two.
Local gallopers and visitors have fared in about equal measure since the Classic's augural running was taken out by the NSW conceived, Victorian foaled but locally trained superstar Snippets!
Racy filly Skirt The Law (Better Than Ready) was the last local to win for Tony Gollan in 2023, and I reckon 2026 might be The Year Of Munce.
The legendary ex -jockey turned successful trainer absolutely thrived as a rider in the high pressure helter skelter of big juvenile races, winning two Golden Slippers and three editions of this great race, and it's surely just a matter of time before Chris Munce (with son and co-trainer Corey) gets his first MM Classic as a trainer.
A $160,000 Magic Millions purchase for Munce Racing / Arthur Hoyeau As Agent from the Yarraman Park draft, Zip Lock has already won over $220,000 and looks to add some big bucks to that tally on Saturday!
It was interesting to read that Team Munce,who trained superstar juvenile Cool Archie to a string of stakes victories culminating in the G1 JJ Atkins last season, are of the opinion that Zip Lock is showing them a fair bit more at this stage of his burgeoning career than Archie did.
Archie ran second in the BJ McLachlan Stakes, then was unplaced in the Classic.
Zip Lock can join Fully Lit, Tremonti and Revengeance as a Hellbent son to win a juvenile feature race - and if successful it would be by far the biggest result in this important commercial department for the stallion to date.
Like his sire “Vinnie”, Hellbent has established himself as a reliable source of elite fillies /mares - but dad also has G1 winning sons Brazen Beau, Home Affairs, Voodoo Lad, Lombardy, Vinrock and Move To Strike as well as Hellbent himself.
Will Zip Lock be the colt to get to that level for his sire?
As ever we look to the damlines for clues that Zip Lock is bred to extend his excellence at two years through more than a couple of starts.
His pedigree comes up roses here and it’s notable that the breeder repeated the mating of his twice winning dam Honolulu Lass (Hinchinbrook) three times for three colts, with Zip Lock arriving at the third attempt.
As sometimes happens, the mating took a while to “warm up” (for want of a more scientific term - though I'm sure there is one)
Sadly, Honolulu Lass is no longer with us having passed away in early 2025. Her final foal is a colt by Brave Smash (Jpn) who will be offered by Yarraman Park as Lot 69 at the Inglis Classic sale.
The sire of Honolulu Lass, Hinchinbrook, was a G2 winner and G1 placed at two years, fourth in a Golden Slipper - before going on to thrice place at G1 level.
He brings to the equation all the excellence of his sire - Hellbent's top nick Fastnet Rock - and is a half brother to Hellbent's second best nick, Snitzel.
The beautifully bred Hinchinbrook had the gift of siring better than himself with four G1 winners to his name including HK Champion Beat The Clock.
Notably the 4 x G1 winner Beat The Clock had as his second damsire Crested Wave, the third damsire of Hellbent.
The next broodmare sire on Zip Lock's damline is Golden Slipper hero Flying Spur and not much needs to be said about that great son of Danehill when it comes to his prowess as a sire / broodmare sire of star juveniles!
The big Spur sired Zip Lock's second dam Velasco, a G2 winning, G1 placed juvenile in NZ who had eight to race, all winners, including the stakes winning two year old Debellatio (Smart Missile) who placed in a G2 Karrakatta Plate before winning the G3 WATC Sires Produce Stakes.
On the same day Velasco won her G2 in NZ, a year older Danzero filly named Sharp won the G2 Light Fingers in Sydney - she would become the ancestress of Sword Of State, the sire of our Millions favourite Warwoven.
Zip Lock's damline (8-j) goes back to the mare Aulone. Her Gimcrack Stakes winning daughter Civic Pride (Ajax) was the dam of champions Amneris and Pride Of Egypt and founded a prolific and famous family which still thrives.
Zip Lock descends from Civic Pride's three quarter sister Ajadyne. Their sire the champion Ajax was a son of Heroic by Valais.
Hellbent descends from a daughter of Valais, and his fifth dam Miss Pompilia is bred 5m (Heroic) x 5f to him.
Zip Lock is bred
Danzig 5m,5m x 5m,5m
Green Desert 4m,4m x
Danehill x 4m,4m
Providing for a nice balance in that patterning. He is linebred to Grey Sovereign, Lunchtime, Raise A Native, My Babu, Round Table and his sire Princequillo and to Princequillo's Blue Hen Somethingroyal.
He carries multiple lines to daughters of Sir Ivor, sex balanced by Sir Tristram, as well as to matriarchs Courtly Dee and Lalun via Green Desert.
The champion McGinty ( Mr McGinty in Oz) takes my eye in this pedigree.
Because he matured to become a great 2000m horse and then became a wonderful sire of stayers we sometimes forget that the son of One Pound Sterling was a genuine superstar as a two year old, actually a freak.
After blitzing through the Kiwi juvenile stakes races, the colt arrived in Sydney for the Golden Slipper.
The diminutive McGinty proceeded to beat the hulking youngster who would become one of the great Golden Slipper winners Marscay, in the Todman Stakes.
Talk about David v Goliath, the formidable beast that was Marscay towered over his rival and was expected to put paid to this little upstart from across the ditch in no uncertain terms.
McGinty not only beat him, which was impressive enough in itself - it was soon discovered that the star Kiwi had run the final 500m of the race with a cracked cannon bone and two missing front shoes! The point at which he sustains the fracture during the race can be clearly seen.
But he just keeps going. At full bore. And he wins.
The courage McGinty showed that day rightly became a part of racing folklore on both sides of the Tasman.
McGinty the little champ was not the biggest in stature but his bravery was unquestioned, his heart was enormous. Fittingly, it finally gave out on him at the age of 21 while he was doing what he loved best - galloping across his paddock.
I see him as a great "underpinner" of the speed and strength in Zip Lock’s pedigree, which can carry him to victory here.
Zip Lock and Martin Harley make their bid for glory from a perfect barrier 3.
Next best: TORNADO VALLEY
He is a stunning type of colt with a real stallion's pedigree, and connections will be hoping that in time Tornado Valley will join his sire Too Darn Hot’s champion son Broadsiding as a G1 winner at stud in Australia.
There's a great chance he will, my reason for not having him on top here is that I reckon he’ll improve much as an Autumn 2YO - and then be one you want to follow in everything at three.
But he can win this! Particularly as trainer Ciaron Maher has fitted blinkers for the first time to sharpen his charge up for this major assignment.
Tornado Valley was a $300,000 buy for Bennett Racing Pty Ltd on the Gold Coast from the draft of Rosemont Stud, who have retained an interest in the colt.
Their dam is the beautifully bred Fastnet Rock mare Oklahoma Girl, placed in both the G2 Roses and the G1 Queensland Oaks, a daughter of Shawnee Girl - G2 placed three quarter sister to champion racer and sire Northern Meteor.
Tornado Valley has residual fitness and experience on his side here as he lines up for his fourth race start, having competed three times in stakes company for a win and two placings with prize money of $229,145 in the kitty.
He is the third to race from his dam and her first winner - always great when the first to salute is a stakes winner !
Tornado Valley is bred
Northern Dancer x 5m,5m
Danzig x 4m,5m
Most of the horses mentioned above are duplicated in his pedigree with sex balanced lines to Mr Prospector being a speed enhancing feature.
He carries the noted Sadlers Wells / Fairy King cross which is obviously enhanced mightily by his own membership of their tribe!
Belong To Me, by a son of Raise A Native from a daughter of Hail To Reason from the family of La Troienne, is a great nick for both Dubawi and Singspiel.
Too Darn Hot's inbreeding to Blue Hen Sunbittern through half sisters High Hawk and High Tern echoes that super close inbreeding of full sisters which exists on his damline - and he will favour mares with similar duplications.
Here he gets full sisters Thong and Moccasin through daughters which were both sired by Forli - awesome stuff!
Ethan Brown and Tornado Valley will be looking to blow them away from barrier 5.
Roughie: MASVINGO
Blinkers first time are also applied for this maiden with a heap of ability, who won a trial impressively in the gear recently.
The daughter of champion Zoustar is stablemate to the favourite Warwoven and I can forgive her little fade late when second up, I think she is well suited to a high pressure 1200m.
Masvingo is a stunning type of athlete and was a $580,000 purchase for Ridgmont Fillies Partnership / Clarke Bloodstock Pty Ltd from the draft of Silverdale Farm.
She is the second foal of G3 placed juvenile Rotator by Not A Single Doubt, a three quarter sister to the excellent filly Positive Peace ( Stratum) who won the G2 Emancipation Stakes, her stakes placed full brother Alkaashef, and to the dam of stakes placed filly Kind Words.
They were all produced by the Listed winning Reset daughter Warpath, who had a lethal turn of foot on her day and had seven to race for seven winners.
Masvingo is bred
Northern Dancer 5m x 5f sex balanced
Redoute's Choice 3f x 3m sex balanced.
She is linebred to Blue Hen Grand Splendour, the grand dam of Fappiano and dam of her own ancestress Gonfalon.
Zabeel's great son Reset, an unbeaten G1 sprinter himself out of a Zeditave mare, is a wonderful broodmare sire and has turned up as the damsire of some elite juveniles including the memorable 2017 MM Classic winning filly Houtzen.
Masvingo is bred to be super, super tough as well as talented, that makes a big difference in a race like this.
Masvingo and Jason Collett will jump from barrier 12.
Blowout: DOUBLE COOL
This Newhaven Park bred filly was a $50,000 yearling buy for Mick Malone Bloodstock on the Gold Coast, so is one of the relative cheapies in the field, but I find lots to like about this girl on type and pedigree.
This filly is very strong, she's got some presence about her, she's out of a Snitzel mare from one of the best families in the studbook and her sire Cool Aza Beel has already proven he can get a great 2YO with Cool Archie.
She’s in the Munce stable, has a good gate, and Damian Lane jumps aboard.
Double Cool is the fifth foal and first filly to race from three time winning Snitzel mare Cool Snitzel.
The mare's 2019 Pierro gelding Cool Jakey has won seven races and $457,625 to date.
Double Cool's full brother Twice Az Cool has raced once, and her full sister will go through the ring on Sunday as Lot 1026 consigned by Newhaven Park.
Double Cool is bred
Sir Tristram 4m x 4m
Danzig 5m x 5m
One of the best things about her pedigree is her line to Sharivari, who was a fine stallion, and it's nick with Vain.
Sharivari’s sire What's Ahead was by Nearco out of a mare by Tehran, a son of Stafarella (Solario x Mirawala) and his third dam was Golden Penny by Hyperion from Pennycomequick (Hurry On x Plymstock)
Arguably Australia's greatest ever juvenile Vain was sired by the Wilkes,son Court Martial (dam Instantaneous was by Hurry On x Picture by Hyperion's sire Gainsborough x Plymstock) and his damsire Sind was full brother to Stafarella, his second damsire was by Nearco son Nasrullah.
Vain is a very prominent influence in Cool Aza Beel through son Sir Dapper and his own ancestress Misty Vain.
Redoute's Choice son Snitzel sex balances both Cool Aza Beel's duplications of Nijinsky and his third damsire Bletchingly, as well as Sir Tristram's sire Sir Ivor.
Cool Aza Beel is bred x 2 to Without Fear, and his first two damsires are Testa Rossa and Red Ransom - each of them a very familiar presence in stakes winning juvenile pedigrees.
Double Cool and Damian Lane have drawn ideally in barrier 2 and I reckon this girl can run a big race at huge odds.
