Steve Moran look at the impact that Eureka Stud first season sire Spirit Of Boom is making with his first crop
But all that might change come Saturday on the Gold Coast.
And I do wish I’d bought a couple of shares in him!
The Eureka Stud stallion has made an extraordinary start to the season with his first runners to the track. He is the leading first season sire with seven winners, including three stakes winners, from 19 runners.
He has no fewer than four runners in Saturday’s $2,000,000 Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) which is a remarkable achievement and they include two of the first three in the betting – Ef Troop and Jonker who sold at Magic Millions for the respective bargain prices of $70,000 and $45,000.
Yesterday’s barrier draw has tipped the market scales in favour of Jonker (gate 3) who aims to become the fourth two-year-old, in eight years, to complete the Wyong – Gold Coast Magic Millions double. Ef Troop drew 18.
And who knows, there might still be another bargain to be had this year even if one of his offspring does win Saturday’s juvenile classic and the radar’s beeping a bit louder. Seven of the nine Spirit Of Booms – at this year’s sale – go under the hammer after Saturday’s race meeting.
They include the brother to Ef Troop, Lot 977, https://ecat.magicmillions.com.au/viewLot/208/977 offered by Eureka Stud.
Interestingly, before either Ef Troop or Jonker had emerged as serious racehorses this season, Eureka principal Scott McAlpine told the MMGC magazine that his personal Magic Millions ambition would be ‘to win the Magic Millions race with a horse by a first season sire who himself won a Magic Millions prelude before running without luck in the big race itself.’
His wish just might come true. Spirit Of Boom won the Magic Millions Plate (900m) at the Gold Coast a week before the big race – after a debut second in the Phelan Ready Stakes (Listed, 1100m) which Ef Troop won this year. His sire Sequalo (Rustic Amber) was also an outstanding two-year-old and open class sprinter who did not debut until after the Magic Millions was run.
Among Eureka’s draft is also Lot 203, https://ecat.magicmillions.com.au/viewLot/208/203 the half sister by Pierro (Lonhro) to Outback Barbie, another of Spirit Of Boom’s runners in Saturday’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic. She is likely to attract plenty of attention as will Lot 497, https://ecat.magicmillions.com.au/viewLot/208/497 the Spirit Of Boom half-brother to New Zealand Group One winner Southern Lord (Stratum).
Eureka Stud sold both Ef Troop and Outback Barbie at last year’s sale with the former purchased by John Foote Bloodstock and Tony Gollan for $70,000, while Outback Barbie was purchased by Alan and Jennifer Acton for $210,000, the highest price paid for a yearling by the sire last year.
Eureka has earned the title of leading Queensland stud over the years, and home to leading Queensland stallion, Semipalatinsk (Nodouble), while boasting an impressive tally of four Magic Millions winners. Eureka has produced Group winners in every State, Group One winners Spirit Of Boom, Temple Of Boom (Piccolo), Tinto (Red Dazzler), Picaday (Piccolo), Just Now (Semipalatinsk), Scenic Peak (Scenic), Show A Heart (Brave Warrior) and Skalato (Semipalatinsk) (which had it taken from him on a technicality) as well as multiple Group wins and Group One seconds to include Eureka Jewel (Semipalatinsk), Memphis Blues (Semipalatinsk) and Skalato.
Of course, the major stumbling block to Spirit Of Boom ambitions may be in the shape of the Widden Stud bred filly Sunlight (Zoustar) whom Tony McEvoy has prepared to successive wins at the Gold Coast. Widden offers Sunlight’s sister tomorrow (Lot 330) https://ecat.magicmillions.com.au/viewLot/208/330 and, by all reports, she’s every chance to well exceed the $300,000 paid for her elder sibling last year.
Today’s action kicks off with Widden offering a Bel Esprit (Royal Academy) filly from Kahala Dreams, the More Than Ready (Southern Halo) half sister to last year’s Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) runner-up Frolic (Husson).
It’s the third time in four years that Widden has come up with Lot 1 https://ecat.magicmillions.com.au/viewLot/208/1 at the Magic Millions. No wonder Anthony Thompson’s answer was ‘Lot 1’ when asked what he hoped more people would take notice of at the sales!