'For it all to come together on Saturday, it was a huge thrill for everyone': Clarke celebrates milestone

Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions (Michael McInally)

Stefi Magnetica (All Too Hard) lived up to her pedigree and provided her connections a fitting result when she outbattled a tenacious Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) to claim victory in Saturday’s $3 million G1 Stradbroke H. at Eagle Farm.

In the aftermath of the celebration, The Thoroughbred Report had the opportunity to chat with co-purchaser and the proud Queenslander Jim Clarke of Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA). Clarke shared his excitement and pride in Stefi Magnetica’s performance and reflected on his first impressions of the daughter of All Too Hard.

Filly lives up to billing

Stefi Magnetica was bred by the outstanding nursery Cressfield, owned by Bruce Neill and managed by Wayne Bedggood. Her sire, All Too Hard, won four Group 1 races and is the half-brother to the unbeaten Champion Black Caviar (Bel Esprit).

The filly is the fifth foal from Mid Summer Music (Oamaru Force), who fittingly won the G1 Stradbroke Handicap, the G3 Bletchingly S., the G3 Cockram S., and the Listed Kevin Heffernan S., among her 11 victories. Cressfield presented Stefi Magnetica at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA), alongside Cunningham Thoroughbreds and Bjorn Baker Racing, paid $140,000 to secure the filly.

Reflecting on the filly as a yearling, Clarke remarked, “All Too Hard is a very good sire, and in my opinion, he’s a little bit underrated by the market. She was bred at Cressfield Stud, and they’ve got a fantastic record of breeding good horses.

“Bruce Neill and Wayne Bedggood have been huge supporters of Bjorn (Baker) going back to the days of Egyptian Symbol, who was a very good mare. We’ve had a lot of success buying horses and racing them from Cressfield.

“So, it was sort of the icing on the cake to have a horse bred by Cressfield in the Cunningham colours with Bjorn winning a Stradbroke H.”

Stefi Magnetica is the fifth individual Group 1 winner and the second Stradbroke Handicap victor sired by All Too Hard, who stands at Vinery Stud for a fee of $38,500 (inc GST). Additionally, Mid Summer Music has proven to be a more than adept broodmare.

Her first foal, a full brother to Stefi Magnetica named See It Thru, won six races, while her second, a filly by Fastnet Rock named Fast Summer Rock, was a winner in New Zealand. Mid Summer Music’s third foal, Euphoric Summer (Not A Single Doubt), won the Ballarat Magic Millions 2YO Clockwise Classic and was placed in the G3 BJ McLachlan Stakes and the Listed Debutant Stakes.

Euphoric Summer was followed by Hellfest (Fastnet Rock), a rare public auction $600,000 purchase by Godolphin. She won the G3 Typhoon Tracy Stakes. Stefi Magnetica came after Hellfest and, quite amazingly, emulated her dam by winning a Group 1 in the same race.

Clarke added, “We also just liked her as a type, and she obviously had a lovely pedigree. Her mother was a Group 1 winner and was a young mare that had made a pretty promising start as a broodmare.”

At $140,000, it’s hard to argue that it wasn’t an astute purchase by the trio. “In hindsight, it turned out to be very good buying. You don’t know at the time how it will turn out, but when the hammer came down, we thought we’d bought Stefi Magnetica pretty well given her pedigree. Thankfully, that’s proven to be the case.”

Stefi hints at future

Clarke, Baker, and the Cunninghams understood that they likely weren’t buying a sharp, precocious 2-year-old who would be a major player in the spring. They were content with the fact that time would likely be Stefi Magnetica’s friend.

However, the daughter of All Too Hard hinted at her ability early. She made her debut in the aptly named Magic Millions The Debut at the Gold Coast, where she finished fifth on a Heavy 10. Returning to Sydney, she contested the G3 Widden S., where she was unplaced behind Learning To Fly (Justify {USA}).

She wouldn’t contest another race until late June, in a Hawkesbury maiden where she finished third, followed by another third at Warwick Farm before breaking her duck at Wellington in country New South Wales.

Returning in the autumn as a 3-year-old, Stefi Magnetica was fourth in the G2 Light Fingers S. won by Kimochi (Brave Smash {Jpn}). She then tackled Group 1 company in the Surround Stakes, where she found Tropical Squall (Prized Icon) the better.

Stefi Magnetica was put away for the winter and returned to run fifth in the G1 Doomben 10,000, with the likes of Bella Nipotina and I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel) ahead of her. Baker then elected to return her to her age group in the G3 Fred Best Classic, won by fellow Stradbroke H. contestant Roll On High (Shamus Award).

“When we bought her, we didn’t think she was going to be a super sharp 2-year-old, but in her first couple of trials before Christmas, she trialled very well and showed plenty of speed and natural ability. Bjorn was keen to give her a crack and ran her in the 2-year-old race called The Debut on the Gold Coast.

“She ran a great race. That year it was a bottomless track, and they called the races off after the first race. She wasn’t great out of the gates and made up a lot of ground to run fifth, but it was a pretty good indication that she had a fair share of talent.

“However, it certainly wasn’t until last preparation that she confirmed it. Going into the Surround, she ran such a great race in Group 1 company, and then it all came to fruition on Saturday.”

Queensland's premier race

As a proud Queenslander who has attended the Stradbroke H. since his earliest days, it was a touch of fate that Clarke’s first Group 1 winner purchased as a yearling was achieved in the race often regarded as Queensland’s finest.

In fact, it was apt that the success also came with some of Clarke’s most loyal supporters, people with whom he has developed personal and professional friendships. Clarke humbly admitted he never expected or thought he’d ever be part of a winning team in the Stradbroke H., but the success has brought immense satisfaction on both personal and professional levels.

“I’m a Queenslander. I was born up there, went to school and university in Brisbane, and now I live up there. So, I’ve been going to the Stradbroke since I was very young. It’s a huge thrill for me on a personal level to win Queensland’s best race.

“I guess you don’t think you’ll win a Stradbroke H. It wasn’t until probably six or eight weeks ago that I thought there was a chance we would have a runner, let alone a winner! After the Surround, Bjorn opted to give Stefi Magnetica a short break and have a go at the winter rather than give her a long spell and aim at the spring.

“Thankfully, that was the right call. She’s a very tough filly, and she’s had plenty of racing this year and taken it all in her stride. To go from a benchmark race at Wellington all the way through to the Stradbroke in six months is a pretty phenomenal effort.”

Clarke, under his Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA), has tasted Group 1 success in his relatively short career, starting with the tried-horse purchase Arapaho (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) in the G1 Tancred S. However, thanks to Stefi Magnetica, he has now ticked the yearling box.

“She’s my first Group 1 winner that I bought as a yearling. I’ve had a Group 1 winner with Arapaho in the autumn last year, but he was a tried horse purchase. So, it was a pretty momentous occasion, and to do it with Bjorn and the Cunningham family, who have been my biggest supporters since the start of my business, is probably the thing that makes it extra special.”

Coming together

With such a milestone for Clarke ticked on Saturday, and fittingly surrounded by those who have supported him since starting Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA), he provided some insight into his relationship with the Baker and Cunningham families.

“I was Bjorn’s racing manager 10 years ago when he was in the infancy of his training business, and we had a great few years together in that role. However, I went overseas for a number of years and worked for Godolphin.

“I came back and started my career as an agent. Bjorn was the first person to give me a crack, and we’ve had a very good relationship for a long period of time, both professionally and personally. We’ve been buying yearlings together for a few years now.”

The Cunningham family, who race horses under Cunningham Thoroughbreds, had raced Storm Boy (Justify {USA}) in their colors until that colt was sold to Coolmore in a mega-deal. They are emerging players on the scene, having also inaugurated Ridgmont as their breeding arm. The operation is headed by Gary and Lorillie Cunningham’s son Mitch and his wife Stef, who was the inspiration for the filly’s name.

“The Cunningham family have been really important clients in my business since they first got into the industry, and they’ve given me a lot of support and also supported Bjorn. We’ve got quite a lot of horses together as a team. The Cunninghams have horses all over the country, but they’ve been great supporters of both Bjorn and myself.

“For it all to come together on Saturday, it was a huge thrill for everyone.”