Magic week leaves Hickmott with a million reasons to smile

Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions

Hickmott is no stranger to making headlines, having become the first Murray Bridge-based trainer to win the South Australian metropolitan premiership only two years ago, while he currently occupies second spot in this year’s standings, boasting the best strike rate in the top 10 at an impressive 23.8 per cent.

Statistics like those are bound to attract strong support to the stable, and much to Hickmott’s delight, he had that in spades heading into this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Hickmott, whose older brother Robert trained both Green Moon (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) and Almandin (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) to Melbourne Cup glory, signed for a total of six lots throughout the week, of which the colt out of G1 Stradbroke H. and G1 Tattersall’s Tiara placegetter Super Cash was undoubtedly the highlight.

Having bid up to $1.2 million on the I Am Invincible colt out of Group 1 winner Spright (Hinchinbrook) late on Wednesday, Hickmott was forced to return to those dizzy heights the following day to secure the Arrowfield-consigned Snitzel colt, who he feels represented good value in spite of the seven-figure price-tag.

“He was one of the top three colts that we identified at the sale, bred off a great farm and by one of the greatest modern day stallions of all time,” he said.

“He has a massive pedigree, his mother won over a million dollars, and he had just the most wonderful attitude. I think I looked at him six or seven times, and every time I looked at him he was more professional each time.

“The fact that he’s by a champion stallion from one of the best breeders in Australian history is also a massive positive, and just his overall quality gave us the confidence to go that high. We thought the horse would probably bring closer to $1.5 million, so as silly as it sounds, I think he was still good value.

“He's a horse that I am very, very excited to be bringing back to South Australia.”

Stallion prospect

The son of four-time Champion Sire Snitzel was purchased in conjunction with legendary Hong Kong jockey Douglas Whyte, who immediately turned his hand to training after retiring from the saddle in 2019.

Hickmott, who counts Whyte as a close friend and colleague, revealed the Snitzel colt won’t be packing his bags for Hong Kong until he has been given a chance to prove his credentials on Australian soil, in the hope that his exploits on the race track will attract the attention of potential studmasters.

“We’ll put him into our system and see how he measures up, we’ll go from there,” Hickmott said.

“I think anyone who buys a colt with a big pedigree from this type of sale has got the two dirty words on their mind and lips - ‘stallion prospect’.

“We’ll live that dream until he tells us to stop, and then at that stage we'll assess the situation, discuss it with the ownership group and decide whether he stays in Australia or is transferred to Douglas in Hong Kong.

“Douglas and I have worked together for quite some time and have become good friends. We have a great working relationship and a lot of trust in each other.”

With the dust barely settled on their million-dollar purchase, Hickmott and Whyte teamed up once more to secure a Capitalist colt from Yarraman Park for $450,000.

Out of the winning Street Cry (Ire) mare Bridle Lane and from the family of Darling View Thoroughbreds’ recently acquired Group 2 winner Lightsaber (Zoustar), the colt was purchased for a different client of Hickmott and Whyte’s and could possibly find himself on the plane to Hong Kong sooner rather than later.

“He was a quality colt and he really stood out from all our inspections,” Hickmott said.

“The stallion is going so well in Hong Kong and interestingly enough certain sires always seem to fare better there than others. Hong Kong is quite a tough environment and good, sturdy horses survive and prosper there. Temperament is huge as well.

“Obviously they have to be strong, sound horses with plenty of bone and this colt is a big, strong horse from a great farm once again. What’s not to like!

“Whether he stays in Australia or not, we’ll leave it up to the client who purchased the horse at this stage. He’s a little bit undecided and there’s every chance that he may head to Hong Kong unraced.”

Multi-faceted

The trading of horses both internationally and domestically has been a key driver of Hickmott’s burgeoning operation, helping to finance his purchase of the historic Lakewood Stud back in 2020.

The Wellington property once occupied by Three Bridges’ Peter and Pauline Liston boasts a plethora of top-class facilities, something which allows the trainer and bloodstock agent to wear his many hats.

“We don’t just train horses, we trade and sell a lot of horses, which keeps the wheels ticking,” Hickmott said. “It’s one of the key differentials in my business and it’s very important from my point of view.

“Two years ago we purchased the farm, and selling horses allows us to continually improve the asset and the facilities that we can offer both our horses and our clients.

“We have 800 acres down here, a 1500-metre heavy sand track, a grass track that we’re continuing to renovate and should be in full operation by winter this year. We’re right on Lake Alexandrina, so the big positive for us is that we have irrigation, which is very uncommon for horse properties in South Australia.

“We’ve got everything from mares in foal right through to horses that have retired. It’s pretty much a one-stop shop.”

Feet on the ground

In addition to his two purchases with Whyte, Hickmott signed for a further five yearlings on the Gold Coast last week with the aid of trainer turned bloodstock agent Andrew Campbell, whom Hickmott regards as “one of the best judges in New Zealand”.

Campbell, who masterminded the race career of the late Cambridge Stud stallion Tavistock (NZ), has regularly helped source imports from across the Tasman for the Hickmott stable, though the trainer remains keen to keep a lid on his numbers despite the success the last few years has brought.

“We have facilities for up to 50 horses in work, but at this stage I’ve just capped that to 30 whilst we’re continuing to develop,” Hickmott said.

“When we increase we’ll do it nice and gradually, building up slowly, but I don’t have any ambition or desire to ever have 100 horses in work. I’d just like to keep the numbers around the 40 mark, that would be ideal.

“I want to be able to provide one on one attention to both our clients and our horses, and still be able to provide a service to Douglas in Hong Kong.”

Gallery: Michael Hickmott and Andrew Campbell's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchases, images courtesy of Magic Millions

Regardless of how long the $1.1 million Snitzel colt remains in Hickmott’s care, the arrival of such an expensive purchase to a South Australian-based stable is sure to bring some welcome positivity to a racing jurisdiction that has lost some of its major participants to rival states in recent times.

Six-time Champion Adelaide trainer Tony McEvoy and his son Calvin announced last year that they would be shutting down their Angaston operation to focus on their new facilities at Ballarat in Victoria, while leading trainer Phillip Stokes has also reduced his numbers in the state in recent years.

There is plenty of cause for optimism as far as Hickmott is concerned, however, with the young trainer pointing to a recent policy change as a step in the right direction.

“If everyone plays the same fiddle, you’re going to get the same song, but if you think slightly outside the square and have a positive mindset, you’ll get positive results,” he said.

“People look at our prizemoney and scowl a little bit, but with the change in the way they provide the SA Racing rewards system now, the fact that we can qualify horses for those rewards even if they’re not bred in South Australia means we’re racing for $50,000 to the winner for 2- and 3-year-olds on a Saturday.

“I think that, comparative to the class of horse they are racing against, is quite good money.

“The other thing is that the black-type in South Australia is still very well respected. There are plenty of people out there wanting black-type in South Australia, especially for fillies. Once you’ve got it, you’ve got it forever.”