Arabian Summer sizzles on the Gold Coast as Spywire re-enters Magic Millions contention
Too Darn Hot filly and Trapeze Artist colt to back up in Saturday’s $3 million Classic
Spywire (Trapeze Artist) and Arabian Summer (Too Darn Hot) consolidated their claims for next weekend’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) after they both produced dominant displays in key lead up races for the $3 million feature at the Gold Coast yesterday.
The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Arabian Summer, twice stakes-placed to start her career before taking out the Magic Millions Ballarat 2YO Classic (1000m) on December 9, showed her versatility to win the $150,000 Aquis Gold Pearl (1100m), while Ciaron Maher and David Eustace’s Spywire bounced back to winning form in the colts and geldings’ Aquis Gold Nugget (1100m).
Tony McEvoy, who won the 2018 Magic Millions 2YO Classic with Sunlight (Zoustar), floated Arabian Summer from Ballarat to South East Queensland last week in preparation for a two-start Gold Coast campaign.
“We thought she’d be nice and fresh today, so I loved the way she relaxed for Harry,” Calvin McEvoy said. “She got a bum and was explosive late.
“She’s spent three of the last eight days in a float, so typically they are normally fresh.
“Early on, we thought ‘is she just a 1000-metre horse?’. But she was very strong at the end of 1100 metres and I think on the back-up, she’ll run out the 1200 [metres].”
Victorian jockey Harry Coffey also made the trip north to maintain his association with Arabian Summer seeing her win after being ridden with a sit could be advantageous next weekend.
“It was a bit of a different scenario today, she didn’t jump as brilliantly as normal so I got a trail,” Coffey said.
“It wasn’t the original plan but I’m really happy that we’ve done that because it holds her in good stead so see her being able to take a sit and relax, then quicken off that.
“I think that is a big tick to the 1200 next time.”
Arabian Summer had a two and a quarter length margin to spare over Mishani Crown (Love Conquers All) ($61) finished a long-neck clear of third placegetter Moulin Miss (Spirit Of Boom) ($4.20).
The exciting filly was bred by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum and raised at and sold by Coolmore at last year’s Gold Coast sale.
The McEvoys and Belmont Bloodstock’s Damon Gabbedy paid $220,000 for filly who is out of three-time winner Maraam (Street Cry), a $1.05 million Inglis Australian Easter Sale half-sister to Group 2-winning sprinter Derryn (Hinchinbrook).
“It’s great for Tony and Calvin who buy off us every year at Magic Millions and for them to find another good one from our draft with Arabian Summer,” Coolmore Australia’s Tom Moore said.
“She was a stand-out in Book 2 last year and she sold accordingly, making $220,000.”
Coolmore will offer a Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) half-sister to Arabian Summer as Lot 914 at Magic Millions on Friday.
Spywire was a $7 chance in all-in markets last night for the Magic Millions while Arabian Summer was $7.50. The unbeaten Storm Boy (Justify), who won the BJ McLachlan Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) last start, is rated the $2.40 favourite with Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic (RL, 1100m) winner Highness (Snitzel) second elect at $6.50.
Meanwhile, Maher had initially intended to bypass the Gold Nugget and head straight into the $3 million race after Spywire’s shock Wyong defeat at the hands of Highness, but the trainer was forced into a late change of plans.
“With the weather earlier in the week the plan was to have a trial and give him a nice gallop into the Magic Millions, but the way the weather worked out we gave him an easy gallop on the synthetic track and have this race to bring him up to the mark,” said Maher, whose training partner Eustace will soon take up a position in Hong Kong.
“He is a fresh horse so I thought the race seven days out would help him go up to the 1200 [metres] as well.
“With today’s run under his belt he’ll be spot on.”
Beau Dazzler (Ardrossan) ($21) closed late to finish two and a quarter lengths in arrears of Spywire while Defiant Boom (Spirit Of Boom) ($8) was a further two and a half lengths away in third. Spywire stopped the clock in 1:03.28 seconds, which was 13 seconds slower than Arabian Summer’s time in the Gold Pearl one race later.
“It was pretty easy for me jumping aboard … it is nice to ride a horse of this calibre,” said Williams, who will be replaced on Spywire on Saturday by James McDonald.
“He’s a very competitive horse, which is a good thing to have, but he is very competitive.”
Spywire was bred by Widden’s Antony Thompson and the stud’s long-time client Robert Anderson, who sold him for $520,000 to Maher and Group 1 Bloodstock’s Mathew Becker.
Spywire is the third foal out of Listed winner Secret Trail (Denman), a $700,000 purchase for RMA Bloodstock at the 2019 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. Her Zoustar (Northern Meteor) filly will be offered by Widden at the Inglis Australian Easter sale in April.
“Robert Anderson is our dear friend and longest client at Widden. We were at the sales looking to buy mares and Robert had a similar plan, so we teamed up and bought Secret Trail in partnership 50-50 from the Triple Crown syndicate.
“We were lucky enough that after Ciaron bought the colt last year he approached Robert and myself saying, ‘would you retain a little interest?’ and we did and it’s exciting to be able to share the journey with Ciaron and a great bunch of owners.
“It is very pleasing to see him ridden out today and I think that’ll top him off nicely [for Saturday].”
Thompson described the Bert Vieira-owned Trapeze Artist, who has 21 yearlings catalogued at the Gold Coast, as Widden’s “next big stallion”.
“I noticed in today’s ANZ Bloodstock News that on the the three-year-old sires’ table it’s Zoustar one, Snitzel two, Trapeze three, Vinnie four and Exceed And Excel five, which really puts it in perspective as to where he sits,” the studmaster said.
“In our opinion he’s always been an enormously exciting prospect for us and to see him fulfil the potential he’s shown and live up to the belief we had in him. Bert Vieira’s obviously been enormously supportive along the way and it’s great to see the horse repaying his belief and support so well.”