Magic Millions 2yo Classic Winner a Memorial to Breeder

23-01-2012

DRIEFONTEIN, the Fastnet Rock filly who collected the glory in the stewards room on Saturday (January 14) of being the winner of the 2012 edition of the $2million BMW Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast after being second across the line after a tigerish battle with stablemate No Looking Back (by Redoute’s Choice), is a memorial to the contributions of the late Ed Barty, for many years one of the most respected gentleman of Victorian breeding.

As owner of the Trevenson Park, now one of Victoria’s emerging studs under the masthead of Three Bridges, at Maldon, Ed Barty bred the first  four of Driefontein’s dams, namely Follow Gold (by Export Price), Follow the Sails (Scrupules), Follow Me Through (The Pug) and Lafarge (Staincross), and stood the first three sires, all imports.

Now owned by Bylong Thoroughbreds, Bylong Valley and served by Widden newcomer Tickets (by Redoute’s Choice) in 2011, Follow Gold, a winner of five races to 1200m, including a Listed event at Flemington, has had all her five runners win, but Driefontein is the first to have stakes success. Unbeaten in her three starts, she cost the Waterhouse stables associated Star Thoroughbreds syndication group $75,000 when she was offered through Widden stud at last year’s Gold Coast sale.

Export Gold, a sister to Follow Gold, like their grandam Follow Me Through, won the same race, the Debutante Stakes, an early juvenile event over 900m at Caulfield, on debut. It was their only wins and Follow Me Through’s effort back in1984 resulted in a still standing record time of 0:51.4s for the 900m, a journey rarely used at this track. It is the oldest existing record at Caulfield.

Gaining victory in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic provided Driefontein’s sire Fastnet Rock, a champion Australian sprinter at three got by Danehill from the Royal Academy prominent 2-year-old Piccadilly Circus, a double at the meeting as his first crop gelded 5-year-old son Onetimeatbandcamp took out the $100,000 Marriott Magic Millions Country Cup over 1400m.  A $42,000 buy at the Magic Millions yearling sale, Onetimeatbandcamp runs out of the John Thompson stables for Serene Lodge, a stud farm on the NSW mid north coast owned by Les Tinkler, father of Patinack Farm owner Nathan. One of the young sires at Patinack Farm, Sandy Hollow, Hunter Valley is Raheeb, a brother to Fastnet Rock’s dam.

Now on top of the 2011-12 sires’ list, Fastnet Rock is one of the new breed of Australian sires in that he is used in both hemispheres, standing at the Coolmore studs in the Hunter Valley. He is also one of the world’s busiest in the serving barns, in 2011 being used over 150 mares in Ireland and then 224 in Australia. Earlier Australian books have included 273 (2009), 251 (2008) and 257 (2007) and 208 (2005).  One of his sons, Stryker, a Sydney and Brisbane winner and dual Group1 placegetter from the Denise’s Joy family, coincidentally, became the foundation sire last year at Three Bridges. He looked after over 120 mares.

This year’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic saw each of the first three home, all fillies, have a big team of owners and the first two provide a quinella for both Gai Waterhouse and Danehill sires. No Looking Back, the relegated to second, was bred by John Singleton’s Strawberry Hill Stud using Redoute’s Choice and the 2006 winner of the race, the Dehere filly Mirror Mirror, and sold to Waterhouse for $500,000.

A $55,000 buy for trainer Mark Kavanagh from the Rothwell Park, Murrurundi at the Adelaide Magic Millions yearling sale, third placed Alezan Thunder was bred by Farooq Breeding and Racing Pty Ltd, NSW and is by the Eliza Park stud, Victoria sire Written Tycoon (by the Last Tycoon sire Iglesia) and from the Thunder Gulch mare Elysian Thunder. Thunder Gulch was a shuttling Kentucky Derby winner and champion American sire by the Mr. Prospector sire Gulch. 

Courtesy of Brian Russell Bloodstock Media Service