In the entire history of the Magic Millions sales and races, there has never been a greater patron than Gai Waterhouse. Every year at the Gold Coast Magic Millions sales and the excellent race meeting that accompanies the sales, Gai is a force both in the sale ring and as a trainer at the races.
Gai is regularly one of if not the biggest buyers at the sales and if anyone has ever seen her on the Gold Coast, they will tell you that the Lady Trainer runs around like a woman possessed bringing together people from all walks of life that have a common love of the thoroughbred. The Magic Millions is a unique sale in that there is a special race meeting connected to the multiple days of sales that only horses that were purchased at the Magic Millions are eligible to run in. These are not just regular races either; they are some of the richest races in Queensland and indeed in Australia. The major race is the Magic Millions two-year-old Classic that is worth some $2 million dollars and is run over 1200m but it is not the only reason so many good horses make the trip back to the Gold Coast every year. Other races on the card include the $2,000,000 Magic Millions three-year-old Guineas, the $1,000,000 Magic Millions Cup, the $1,000,000 Sprint, the former Stayer’s Cup (now the Magic Millions Trophy) worth $1,000,000, a $1,000,000 Fillies and Mares race, an Open Set Weights race over 1300m worth $1,000,000 together with the $250,000 Maiden and the $250,000 Country Cup.
Gai has won the two-year-old Classic on four occasions; the year 2000 saw Gai win this race for the first time and the horse that brought the trophy home was the outstanding multiple Group 1 winner Assertive Lad (Zeditave x Sommes Sound). Gai also won the following year in 2001 with another Group 1 winner Excellerator (Marscay x Artless). In 2004 Gai won this wonderful race with the only horse to ever win the Magic Millions two-year-old Classic and the Sydney Triple Crown for juveniles, the $3.9 million dollar earner Dance Hero (Danzero x Gypsy Dancer). 2012 saw Gai again win, this time with Driefontein (Fastnet Rock x Follow Gold). Gai’s four Magic Millions two-year-old Classic wins is a record and the Lady Trainer does not even look like slowing down with a several hugely promising youngsters currently being put through their paces on their way to the Gold Coast for the 2016 edition of this great race.
One of the most unique things about Gai’s four winners of the Magic Millions feature is the fact that all four went on with the job after winning the race. Being set to win a $2 million dollar race as a two-year-old in January can take a lot out of a horse, but Gai’s four winners of this great race have all gone on to win feature races after their Magic Millions win.
Assertive Lad came back in the autumn after his Magic Millions win to place in the Golden Slipper and win the Sires’ and the Champagne; then the following year he won the Doncaster among other feature races. Excellerator placed in the Slipper after winning the 2001 Magic Millions then as an older horse he won the Epsom and plenty of other Group and Listed races. Dance Hero won the two-year-old Triple Crown in Sydney in the autumn following his Magic Millions success. In these three wins, Dance Hero beat the likes of Fastnet Rock and Alinghi in what was a wonderful two-year-old crop. He then as an older horse competed against the best sprinters in Australia and on Derby Day 2006, the son of Danzero won the Group 1 Salinger Sprint beating Miss Andretti in the process. Driefontein went on for many years and has only just been retired and secured plenty of additional wins including the Group 1 Sangster Stakes in Adelaide.
Gai’s success at the Magic Millions is not limited to the two-year-old Classic either. Gai has also won the $1 million dollar Magic Millions Guineas on three occasions; with the outstanding Ha Ha (Danehill x Very Droll) in 2002, with Biaggio (Zeditave x Gay Rossina) in 2003 and with Sweet Idea (Snitzel x Flidais) in 2014. Gai has also won the Magic Millions Cup twice – with Theseo (Danewin x Ozone Sand) in 2008, and the 2015 edition with Spurtonic (Flying Spur x Platonic). The Stayers Cup has also been a favourite race for the Lady Trainer having taken it out on two occasions, once with with Kinnersley (Al Maher x Miss Radiant) in 2013 and with Kontiki Park (Thorn Park x Pretty Special) in 2012. Driefontein returned to the Magic Millions in 2014 to win the Fillies and Mares Handicap, a race in which she gave the entire field 7kg. Also in 2014, Whittington (Tale Of The Cat x Maha Chakri) won the sprint race in course record time. In fact 2014 was a great year on the Gold Coast for Gai – she trained a lazy treble on QLD’s richest race day. Whittington in the sprint, Sweet Idea in the Guineas and Driefontein in the race for the girls. In between the races, Gai also managed to secure Golden Slipper winner Vancouver in the sales ring.
Then there are the sales. The Sales ring at the Magic Millions is a jam packed amphitheatre full of trainers, investors, racing fans and a great deal of folks who have wandered over to the ring after the races. This all makes for sensational action and very competitive bidding. It has been discussed many times in different formats just how good Gai is at identifying quality thoroughbreds at a very early age. In recent years at the Magic millions, as well as all the above mentioned superstars, Gai has purchased Group 1 winners such as Cheeky Choice (Redoute’s Choice x Christchurch), Sebring (More Than Ready x Purespeed), Rock Kingdom (Rock of Gibraltar x Happy Empress), and Once Were Wild (Johannesburg x Wildesong). Oh yes, Pierro (Lonhro x Miss Right Note) and Vancouver (Medaglia D’oro x Skates) were also bargain basement purchases at the Magic Millions on the Gold Coast. Together with these Group 1 winners, there have also been literally dozens and dozens of Black Type winners that have been successfully bid on by Gai at this intriguing sale.
Another truly fascinating discussion point about Gai and her success at the Magic Millions races and sales is that the Lady Trainer have never wavered in her passion for this annual event. This is evident by the amount of quality Magic Millions graduates that are work at Tulloch Lodge right now. There are too many to name in one article, but over the next few weeks, if you listen carefully to Gai on the television and radio and through her blog, there will be subtle hints about which youngsters are being aimed towards the Gold Coast in January 2016.
There have been hundreds of horses that have come and gone and perhaps dozens more still calling Tulloch Lodge home that are currently getting ready for their next preparation or even their next race. The Magic Millions Sales starts on 6 January 2016 and should you pop in, don’t be surprised if you see a Melbourne Cup winning Lady Trainer buzzing around, bringing people together and generally having a whale of a time. But when a yearling walks in that Gai has inspected months before and she feels has really ‘exploded’ then there is a better than good chance that this particular thoroughbred will join the team at Tulloch Lodge.
Enjoy the sale where the surf literally meets the turf. It is only 6 or so weeks and the Gold Coast will again light up with all of Australia’s and many of the world’s most famous racing identities present.
By Zeb Armstrong
