Zoustar's Sunlight a Class Above in Magic Millions 2YO Classic
At the Magic Millions Yearling sale on Thursday, Tony McEvoy was forced to go to $600,00 to purchase the Zoustar x Solar Charged filly, which was double he needed to purchase her sister Sunlight the previous year.
Sunlight paid all expenses plus some when she overcame interference to capture Saturday's $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) on the Gold Coast.
From an outside barrier, EF Troop made a beeline to the fence causing crowding to Secret Lady and Sunlight resulting in Jonker being severely checked and almost put over the fence.
A composed Luke Currie had Sunlight travelling sweetly on the turn and, as she did seven days previously, showed an electric turn of foot to race away by two lengths over Stuart Kendrick's fast-finishing, 100-1 outsider, Fullasaboot (Sepoy) with Outback Barbie (Spirit Of Boom) back in third. (photos Steve Hart).
Besides the $1.2 million winner's cheque, Sunlight earned an additional $325,000 as part of the Magic Millions' Racing Women Promotion.
"She's a high-class filly and hasn't put a foot wrong, I've had such a blessed preparation with her," McEvoy said.
"We planned to get her here early, which we did and it's all gone beautifully to plan.
"Many thanks to Tony Gollan and his staff they have looked after us magnificently. And to Racing Queensland, at Doomben every time I've wanted to gallop they have given us the course proper. I feel like a local and the way they have treated us has helped us get here today.
"We will go to the (Golden) Slipper with her. We've got time to take her away and freshen her up and she's Slipper quality."
Currie said everything fell into place after the early scare.
"She came here with the weight of expectation today and she's proved all of her fans right," Currie said.
"She's been expertly trained by Tony to bring her up here early and give her those couple of runs.
"I learned a lot getting beat on her in her first start, probably more than what I have in her past two wins.
"I rode her down the straight and held her up a bit and I just think she's too brilliant for that and she's proven that in her last couple."
Consigned by Widden Stud to the 2017 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling sale, Sunlight was purchased for $300,000 by Aquis/McEvoy Mitchell Racing/Blue Sky Bloodstock.
She is the fourth foal of the brilliantly fast Solar Charged who was bred by Peter Horwitz who raced both her sire Charge Forward and dam Soul Singer (Danehill) who was out of another Horwitz owned mare Aretha who was a daughter of the best racehorse to race in the Horwitz silks, the Golden Slipper hero Sir Dapper.
Solar Charged made a winning debut over 1000 metres on the Kensington track back on November 28, 2009.
She became a stakes winner at her next start in the Group III AJC Kindergarten Stakes. Following a third behind Military Rose in the Group II Reisling Stakes, Solar Charged rounded her juvenile season out with a credible sixth in Crystal Lily's Golden Slipper.
After placing in the San Domenico Stakes and Silver Shadow Stakes Solar Charged won the Group III Thoroughbred Club Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield which proved to be her last victory.
The daughter of Charge Forward placed in the Group II Challenge Stakes and Group III Rubiton Stakes before an embarking on her career as a broodmare.
A half-sister to dual Listed winner Causeway Queen (Giant's Causeway) and the multiple stakes-placed Brave Soul (More Than Ready), Solar Charged had fillies by Lonhro and Street Cry (IRE) before being consigned to the 2014 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale when in foal to Sebring.
She was knocked down to Widden Stud/Qatar Bloodstock for $650,000.
The Sebring filly Solar Charged was carrying at the time of her sale was consigned to the 2016 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale where she was purchased by Emirates Park for $350,000.
Named Sheikha and sent Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, she won at Warwick Farm last March before finishing third in the Group III Kindergarten Stakes at Randwick won by Property.
Solar Charged produced her fifth consecutive filly, the $600,000 daughter of Zoustar before foaling a Sebring colt last spring.
She was bred back to Zoustar who divides his time between Widden and Woodside Park Stud where he covered 173 mares in 2017 at a fee of $44,000.
Class: Open. Track: Good(3). Time: 1:09.17. Sectional Time: 0:35.52 at 600m. Prizemoney: $1,940,000 - 1st: $1,200,000 2nd: $370,000 3rd: $180,000. |
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