Pivotal day for Hellbent in Wyong juvenile feature
Hell I Am, Miss Hellfire and Negation are all leading chances for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic lead-up
Few midweek races have had quite the impact of the Wyong Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1100m) in recent years and today’s $200,000 feature at the Central Coast track may prove an important milestone in the career of Yarraman Park Stud’s Hellbent (I Am Invincible) with three runners set to represent the first season sire.
Only three winners have won the Wyong lead-up and then gone on to land the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) at the Gold Coast – Karuta Queen (Not A Single Doubt), Unencumbered (Testa Rossa) and Capitalist (Written Tycoon) – but with an honour roll that includes Not A Single Doubt (Redoute’s Choice), Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), Jonker (Spirit Of Boom) and Farnan (Not A Single Doubt), today’s contest has garnered a reputation as a race of significance.
For a first season sire, it is a race that could be of utmost importance at a time when the next round of yearling sales are fast approaching. And for Hellbent, who is yet to have his first winner, the stakes are even higher.
Champion Thoroughbreds will saddle up Hell I Am as they look for their second Wyong Magic Millions 2YO Classic, a decade after their first with Hoss Amor (General Nediym), while Triple Crown Syndications will be represented by the fascinating Miss Hellfire.
The third, Negation, will run in the same colours of her sire and for the same trainer in Kurt Goldman.
The TAB market last night suggested that trial watchers and pedigree buffs had been taken by Hell I Am and Miss Hellfire with the duo easily the best backed for today’s race. Hell I Am opened at $6.50 before being wound into $4.20, while Miss Hellfire was $9 into $5; they sit just behind $3.80 favourite Command Approved (Spirit Of Boom).
Negation is at $26, having disappointed at Ballarat on debut but having recorded a superb four-length trial win at Kembla Grange since.
Miss Hellfire is sure to have admirers on both sides of the Pacific as the younger half-sister to 2020 Travers Stakes (Gr 1, 10f) runner-up Caracaro (Uncle Mo). The Travers is one of Saratoga’s most famous features, having been won by some of the best American horses.
“Being a US horse, we have never seen him in the flesh but it’s obvious he was an elite talent,” said Triple Crown director Chris Ward. “My understanding is that he was being targeted at the Kentucky Derby before injury curtailed those plans. He now stands at stud.
“Miss Hellfire seems to have more natural speed than he did. I expect her to remain over the shorter trips but time will tell.”
Peace Time (War Front), the dam of Miss Hellfire and Caracaro as well as late Listed winner Xtremetime (Extreme Choice), was purchased by S F Bloodstock for US$260,000 at the 2016 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, in foal to Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie).
The resulting foal was Caracaro, with Peace Time then sent to Australia in July, 2017. After producing Xtremetime and Miss Hellfire, Peace Time’s next foal was a More Than Ready (Southern Halo) filly who remains at Newgate Farm, while she missed to Pierro (Lonhro) last year.
While the Triple Crown team did not go searching specifically for Hellbent’s first yearlings, they were taken by what they saw when they undertook their first inspections last year.
“We saw Miss Hellfire for the first time at Newgate Farm and they do such a good job at rearing racehorses,” said Triple Crown’s Michael Ward. “She immediately caught the eye as a more racy type amongst their quality draft who could get up and race early.
“We actually didn’t have any pre-conceived ideas about buying Hellbent’s progeny. However, we kept an open mind and when we did our pre-sale on-farm inspections we were struck by the athleticism of his stock and how sensible they were.”
There may be some irony to a company named Triple Crown saddling up a half-sister to a one-time Triple Crown contender, but the outfit has had success with horses out of American mares – most notably Group 2 winner Reelem In Ruby (Pierro).
“We believe the American bloodlines offer great outcrosses to our stallions and the results suggest they work very well together,” said Chris Ward. “Statistically, they do an outstanding job here in Australia. Reelem In Ruby is an excellent example of that.
“We will be selling her in foal to Snitzel up on the Gold Coast mid-year so those brilliant American bloodlines will continue to offer plenty to the Australian breeding and racing scene for years to come.”
Today, the keys will be handed to Kerrin McEvoy, who gave Triple Crown their most famous pair of victories with two-time The Everest (1200m) winner Redzel (Snitzel). He will guide Miss Hellfire from gate eight.
“It’s always difficult with first starters but she has been very professional to date,” Ward said. “She has a lot of natural speed so I’d anticipate that she will hold a prominent position in the run and be a genuine live chance.”
Triple Crown were set to have a second runner, also representing a first season sire, with Revolutionary Miss (Russian Revolution) but she was withdrawn yesterday after drawing the outside gate.
Hell I Am’s credentials were stamped yesterday morning without him leaving his box after the flashy Man In The Mirror (Not A Single Doubt), who Hell I Am easily held in his one trial at Canterbury, posted a very impressive trial win at Rosehill.
The John O’Shea-trained Hell I Am will jump from gate six with Hugh Bowman, who also was aboard in that 900-metre heat late last month, set to retain the mount..
“The trial was excellent, he had a couple of nice jump-outs leading into the trial but you just don’t know what to expect from two-year-olds when put under trial pressure,” said Champion Thoroughbreds principal Jason Abrahams. “To clock the fastest trial of the two-year-old heats that morning was very pleasing to see.
“He’s still a little mentally immature but Hugh Bowman was very complimentary of the ability he showed in the trial.
“He’s a two-year-old type so we’re here to make hay while the sun shines.”
A $150,000 purchase from the Edinglassie Thoroughbreds draft at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Hell I Am is the second foal out of the American mare Forest Circle (Arch), who was stakes-placed at Delta Downs and Fair Grounds in Louisiana.
She was purchased by Abrahams’ Dalanna Bloodstock at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale in 2017 for US$105,000 and foaled a Mshawish (Medaglia D’Oro) filly – now named Dimples Of Venus – in March the following year before arriving in Australia in September, 2018.
Covered by Hellbent almost immediately, the resulting foal was Hell I Am.
Forest Circle has since produced an Astern filly that will be offered at Magic Millions next month as Lot 58 , while she produced another filly by Coolmore’s Magna Grecia (Invincible Spirit) in September. She again visited Hellbent on October 15, perhaps another sign that expectations are high with Hell I Am today.
“He appealed to us from pretty early on,” said Abrahams. “He’s a very neat, compact type who looked very precocious. He had all the attributes of an early runner, both physically and on pedigree. Mick Talty from Edinglassie gave us a good push for him.
“It’s no surprise because Hellbent is the perfect sprinting physical and very much in the mould of his sire, I Am Invincible. He throws a really nice type and that was evident when inspecting his first crop of yearlings at the sales this year.”
The Wyong Magic Millions 2YO Classic jumps at 4:40pm ADST this afternoon.