3 minute read

Gerry Harvey, the dynamic discount retailer, Magic Millions proprietor and leviathan thoroughbred owner and breeder, has found there are many avenues to racecourse success.

The founder of the Harvey Norman retail chain has turned an initial dabble in racing into one of the world’s largest individually-owned thoroughbred empires that covers more than 1000 horses, studs in Australia and New Zealand and the Magic Millions sales company.

Known as a hard man with a dollar, Harvey would be taking great delight from the success of a homebred stallion that is a modest cog in his massive wheel of fortune.

Conatus, a Danehill sire he bred from the classy Rory’s Jester mare Light Up The World from the famed Denise’s Joy family, was raced by Harvey for four wins, including two in Sydney, from 13 starts.

When he retired Conatus from racing in 2004 Harvey accepted an offer for him to stand at Plaintree Farms near Toowoomba in Queensland and has since supported the sire with a number of his own mares.

Two Conatus products who ran well for Harvey at Randwick last Saturday were the Kris Lees-trained winner Felines and Hieroglyphics, a close second for his trainer Anthony Cummings.

At Rosehill a week earlier the Chris Waller-trained Telepathic, a Harvey-bred and raced mare by Mossman from an unraced Conatus mare Telepath, won impressively over 2000m in a fine trial for this weekend’s G2 Villiers Stakes at Randwick.

Telepathic is a Listed winner of six races while Hieroglyphics, a product of a Zeditave sister to Magic Albert, has won two of seven starts, and Felines is a five time winner and has been stakes placed.

Jellicles, the dam of Felines, is a Tale Of The Cat winning half-sister to Better Than Ever, a two time Singapore Champion Miler and G1 performer in New Zealand.

Sidereus, another young sire bred by Harvey, is emerging as very promising first season stallion in Queensland.

Standing at Oaklands Stud near Toowoomba, Sidereus was a lightly raced brilliant performer by General Nediym from the Best Western mare Hootenanny.

He sired his third first crop juvenile winner last weekend when the first starter Sweet Missile scored on debut at Gunnedah, taking the stallion to the top of the first season sires leaderboard by winners.

A filly from the Catbird mare Jewellers Gem, Sweet Missile cost a meagre $1250 at the Sydney Autumn Classic yearling sale.

Other runners by Sidereus include the Gold Coast winners Burn Notice and Starante, Brisbane placegetter Sidereus Star and Sidero Star, fourth on debut at Doomben last Saturday.

Sidereus himself ran eight times including a win in the G2 Pago Pago Stakes at Rosehill.

He is a brother to Velrosso, winner of six races including the Gold Coast Magic Millions Cup and five times at Rosehill.

Their dam Hootenanny is a half-sister to the dam of Telepathic from Come On Klaire, a Sir Tristram three-quarter sister to G1 winner Kaapstad and half-sister to the dam of G1 winners Bonanova, Telesto and Fraternity.

Great Klaire, the imported third dam of Sidereus, was a half-sister to European champion sprinter Habibti and Eight Carat, the import revered as one of Australasia’s most successful modern broodmares.