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Summary of race results on Magic Millions day at the Gold Coast on January 12.
Hall of Fame trainer Gai Waterhouse etched another chapter into her incredible Gold Coast story when Star Witness filly Terminology accounted for her rivals in Saturday’s $1 million Magic Millions Maiden Plate.
Waterhouse, who trains in partnership with Adrian Bott, has now won 14t Magic Millions races on the Gold Coast’s biggest race day but this was her first successive in the maiden race for MM graduates.“I love Magic Millions,” Waterhouse said. “It’s a very exciting carnival, there’s great horses and it’s a great place to be.”
Terminology, purchased for $300,000 at the 2017 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, brought superior form to the race with her four previous placings including her last start second in the Listed Gosford Guineas.
Terminology is from the winning mare Taylor’s Command (Commands), a half-sister to the G2 winner So Pristine (Zabeel) and Listed winner Restored (Red Ransom). The trio are half-siblings to the dam of G2 winner Dijon Bleu (Burgundy).Terminology’s Rubick half-sister sold for $200,000 at the current Gold Coast sale..
Terminology was originally earmarked as one of the stables leading chances for last year’s Magic Millions Classic but she never lined up in the $2 million feature for two-year-olds.“We thought she could win the Magic Millions Classic last year,” said her rider Tim Clark. “She’s just taken a bit of time to mature because she’s a big girl but she’s starting to put it all together now.”
• Queensland trainer Desleigh Forster celebrated one her biggest moments in racing when her rising 4YO Chapter And Verse recorded an emotional victory in Saturday’s $1 million Magic Millions QTIS at the Gold Coast.The win was special for Forster, who secured the son of Rothesay for $28,000 2016 Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale.
She paid tribute to the Nolan family, who bred the galloper at their Raheen Stud. Raheen studmaster Basil Nolan Junior was tragically killed in a farm accident in November.“This is unbelievable,” Forster said. “These sort of races don’t come around often and this little horse is just an absolute gem.
“It’s a bit tough. Basil and Di Nolan bred this horse and they’ve done a fair bit for me.”Chapter And Verse is the sixth foal from Perugino’s Listed placed daughter McFly, dam of five winners including the Listed-placed Soaring Heart.
McFly is a half-sister to Listed placed McCloud (Jeune) and Passara (Tsuimai), the dam of Saturday’s MM Guineas winner Boomsara (Spirit Of Boom) from the family of G2 winner Mount Olympus (Godswalk).McFly has a 2-year-old Golden Archer filly who was passed in at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale, a yearling filly from the same sire and a Spirit of Boom weanling filly. She was served by Starcraft in 2018.
South African jockey Mark Du Plessis recorded his most significant victory since his move to Australia.
“To get a big one in Australia, it’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” Du Plessis said. “Desleigh has been a really good supporter of mine since I got here and to be honest, she was a big influence in me staying in Queensland.“To do this for her and her owners is indescribable.”
• Toowoomba trainer Ben Currie orchestrated one of the biggest boilovers in Magic Millions history when Mr Markou won Saturday’s $250,000 Magic Millions Country Cup on the Gold Coast.The 5YO, a despised 100/1 outsider, powered late to win in a driving finish thanks to an inspired ride from local jockey Daniel Griffin.
The son of Stryker was originally purchased by South Australia’s McEvoy Mitchell Racing for $165,000 at the 2015 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.He joined Currie’s stable in 2017 and was a dual winner at Toowoomba in 2018 but was an inglorious fifth at Warwick at his most recent start.
Mr Markou is from Live In Black, a half-sister to the G3 winner Live In Vain (Kenvain), Listed winner Snort (Happy Giggle) and G2 placed Live In Sin (Noverre).
Live In Black has produced two full sisters to Mr Markou including an unnamed 2YO who sold for $5500 at the Great Southern Weanling and Bloodstock Sale.Currie admitted he was apprehensive about the gelding’s form and his prospects from a wide barrier.
“It’s a big thrill to win a race like this and to do it with some good owners that have been really loyal to me over the last few years is a huge,” Currie said.The win gave Currie some respite from the prolonged inquiry into four alleged positive swabs taken from his horses last year.
The inquiry was deferred during the week to allow a legal issue to be resolved. An application in regard to 28 unrelated charges Currie is facing and is set down for a Supreme Court judicial review on February 22.