Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Among the Champion Sires represented are Exceed And Excel, Fastnet Rock, Snitzel, I Am Invincible, and Written Tycoon, with Exceed And Excel leading the group with three runners.
Excitement surrounds the first-season sires, including North Pacific, Farnan, Ole Kirk, Bivouac, and Wootton Bassett (GB). Farnan leads this group with four runners, including the high-priced Farcited, a $1.2 million Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase for Waterhouse & Bott, Kia Ora, Farnan Partnership and Mt Hallowell Stud, in Heat 5. Ole Kirk also makes a strong debut with three trialists, and Bivouac has two representatives to watch.
In the second-season sires category, Blue Point (Ire), Zousain, and Too Darn Hot (GB) stand out. Zousain fields two runners, while Blue Point is represented by Icarian Dream, a $300,000 Magic Millions purchase for Ciaron Maher Bloodstock, in Heat 2.
| Farnan | Grand Eagle - Heat 1, Farnished - Heat 3 , Farcited - Heat 5, North England - Heat 7 |
| Ole Kirk | King Kirk - Heat 3, Aerodrome - Heat 5, O’ Ole - Heat 6 |
| Sandbar | Glenn’s Legacy - Heat 1, Elasand - Heat 2, Shaggy - Heat 7 |
| Bivouac | Beiwacht - Heat 3, Bivacco - Heat 7 |
| Time To Reign | Crown The King - Heat 3, Timeless Grace - Heat 8 |
| Anders | Varejao - Heat 7 |
| Wootton Bassett | Mythology - Heat 4 |
| Prague | Medieval Mayhem - Heat 6 (now scratched) |
Table: First season sires represented by triallers
| Zousain | Sassy Abbey - Heat 4, Bellazaine - Heat 6 |
| Cosmic Force | Raging Force - Heat 5, Solar Dance - Heat 8 |
| Tassort | Siyoof - Heat 2, Scrumptious - Heat 8 |
| Blue Point | Icarian Dream - Heat 8 |
| Royal Meeting | Triumvirate - Heat 1 |
| Alabama Express | Alabama Charm - Heat 2 |
| Microphone | No Woman No Cry - Heat 7 |
| Too Darn Hot | Ripley - Heat 5 |
| Super Seth | Shirley's Tribute - Heat 8 |
Table: Second season sires represented by triallers
Newgate Farm's Capitalist is the most represented sire, with six runners across multiple heats. Other well-represented sires include Zoustar with four and Sandbar with three.
Leading trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott dominate with 18 runners, followed by Bjorn Baker (6) and Michael Freedman (5), ensuring fierce competition.
| Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 18 |
| Bjorn Baker | 6 |
| Michael Freedman | 5 |
| Peter Snowden | 5 |
| Ciaron Maher | 4 |
| Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald | 2 |
| Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou | 2 |
| Gary Portelli | 2 |
| James Cummings | 2 |
| Danny Williams | 2 |
| Nathan Doyle | 2 |
| John Sargent | 2 |
Table: Most represented trainers at the Official 2YO Trials
Among the top yearlings in action are Rosie Rouge (Zoustar), a $1.7 million Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase to Jes Sikura, Hill 'n' Dale Farm, Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott, William Johnson Bloodstock (FBAA) and Kestrel Thoroughbreds from the draft of Widden Stud. The 2-year-old filly is the first foal for Group 2 winner Madam Rouge (Zoustar), who was an expensive purchase herself, selling for $2.4 million to Widden Stud at the 2022 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
Tuscany (Zoustar) is another high-priced yearling, purchased for $1.55 million at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale by China Horse Club, Newgate, Go Bloodstock, and Trilogy Racing from the Widden Stud draft. The 2-year-old colt is out of Summer Sham, a Group 2-winning mare by Not A Single Doubt. Tuscany is a full brother to Schwarz (Zoustar), the G2 Missile S. winner, who is also nominated for the prestigious Golden Eagle in November.
Another seven-figure trialler is Valedictorian, another by Widden Stud's Zoustar, a $1.3 million Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase by James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership from the Segenhoe Stud draft. The colt is the second foal for Group 3 winner, Lady Cosmology (Universal Ruler).
Gallery: Most expensive yearling sale purchases trialling at the Official 2YO Trials
The trials are a critical step toward the G3 Breeders’ Plate and G3 Gimcrack S., will be broadcast live on SKY Thoroughbred Central, offering a first look at these young talents on the path to potential greatness.
