Cover image courtesy of Michael McInally
It turned out to be the best-laid plans for Brian Siemsen’s Black Soil Bloodstock as Skirt The Law (Better Than Ready) proved far too good for her rivals in the rescheduled R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast on Thursday.
The daughter of Better Than Ready was the first horse raced by Black Soil Bloodstock eligible for the $500,000 Magic Millions Women’s Bonus, a plan that came about when Siemsen was having a chance conversation with his wife, Brooke.
“Last year we decided, purely because of the Women’s Bonus, we wanted to get a number of ladies to get into Black Soil Bloodstock after having massive success with the boys and Brooke, my wife, said to me, ‘If you like one this year that might be good for the ladies, I have a great bunch of wives who might be interested,’” explained Siemsen.
Skirt The Law, winning the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic | Image courtesy of Michael McInally
So, Siemsen, along with his bloodstock advisor Harry McAlpine, trainer Tony Gollan and John Foote of John Foote Bloodstock (FBAA), set about trying to find the right yearling with the perfect credentials to fit the bill and they fell across a daughter of Better Than Ready, who was catalogued among the draft of her breeder, Lyndhurst Farm.
“At the time, Spirit Of Boom and Better Than Ready were fighting it out for the Champion 2-Year-Old title by the number of winners and I wanted something that would get up early,” said Siemsen.
McAlpine, whose wife Jane is also among the ownership, told TDN AusNZ that when he saw the filly at the sales, he was immediately taken with her appearance and this coupled with her pedigree, meant she instantly shot to the top of Black Soil’s list.
“She was a really good sort at the yearling sales and we put together a bit of a shortlist at the yearling sales of the ones we liked, compiling a mixture of type and pedigree, with John Foote and Tony (Gollan),” said McAlpine.
“She is out of a half-sister to Masked Crusader and she was a pretty handy horse herself, by Exceed And Excel who is proving to be a really good broodmare sire. She was a tough, running type and probably had a bit more scope than a lot of Better Than Readys.”
McApline said the $170,000 they paid for the filly at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale last year made her a very attractive horse to syndicate.
Since the transaction, Skirt The Law proved a shrewd investment, taking out her first two races at Doomben and showed that to be no fluke on Thursday when shooting 1.5l clear of the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Platinum Jubilee (Zoustar).
Rated one of the best R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic fields in recent times, Siemsen was blown away by the ease of the victory and equated a lot of her talent down to her laid-back nature.
“She has turned into a horse that has banked close to $1.3 million in three starts and won a Magic Millions,” Siemsen explained. “She is such a dude and just lopes around. She just went out there today (Thursday) did her stuff and in the end actually won it quite comfortably. There was a lot of quality in that field today (Thursday).
“She (Skirt The Law) has turned into a horse that has banked close to $1.3 million in three starts and won a Magic Millions. She is such a dude and just lopes around. She just went out there today (Thursday) did her stuff and in the end actually won it quite comfortably. There was a lot of quality in that field today (Thursday)." - Brian Siemsen
“I thought that was one of the best Magic Millions fields in the past few years and she put paid to them quite easily, which was very impressive given she was one of the cheapest horses in the race.”
Black Soil Bloodstock were on the Gold Coast last week sifting through the catalogue looking for more yearlings eligible for the Women’s Bonus, purchasing two fillies by Spirit Of Boom, Cambridge Stud at $300,000 for one and Canning Downs Stud at $160,000 for the other.
Gallery: Two fillies bought by Black Soil Bloodstock at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
“The two horses we bought this year for the Ladies’ Syndicate and they have filled up pretty quick and they are in the same mould as Skirt The Law, really colty looking fillies who look tough and will go early,” said Siemsen.
“In Skirt The Law I have 11 ladies who have owned a racehorse before and they have very high expectations now. I said to them in the winner’s bar just now, ‘I know this is an amazing occasion, but it is very rare for this to happen like this - so savour the moment and have some fun with it’.”
It has not only been a big week at the sales for Black Soil, but also for Skirt The Law’s Lyndhurst Stud-based sire Better Than Ready, who enjoyed his best sales ring result when a colt by the sire was purchased by China Horse Club, Newgate, Go Bloodstock and Trilogy for $530,000. With this victory, the stallion’s total number of stakes winners moves to eight.
“The stallion is going absolutely unbelievably,” said McAlpine. “He is obviously a brilliant proven asset to Queensland and his talent has shone through this week, he has won two races today (Thursday) including the Magic Millions 2YO Classic, which is, I guess, a breeder's dream in Queensland, so he is going really well.”
As for Skirt The Law, with the Magic Millions now in the bag, the bar has been lifted even higher for the filly and the G1 Golden Slipper S. is now firmly on the agenda and Siemsen will be hoping beginners' luck can play a part once again.
“I just spoke to Tony before and we are lucky she is a big filly with a lot still to give and she is as tough as teak,” he said. “The plan is to give her one run into the Slipper.”
