Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions
The Darley stallion roster was running red-hot on Friday night with second season sires Too Darn Hot (GB) and Blue Point (Ire) posting winners in both features races on the Gold Coast.
Victory for Vein Girl on debut
Being sent out the favourite, off of the back of two commanding trial wins, is no guarantee of victory, but Vein Girl (Blue Point {Ire}) put any doubts to rest on Friday evening with a 0.2l victory in the $250,000 Magic Millions The Debut at the Aquis Park Gold Coast track. The first night meeting under the track’s new lights might be a daunting task for a debutante juvenile, but the 2-year-old filly, trained by father-son duo Chris and Corey Munce, found her feet in time to hold off the fast-finishing Torque To Be Sure (Shamus Award).
Her win gains her automatic entry to the $3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic next month on Magic Millions Race Day. Making it all the sweeter is that she is also eligible for the $500,000 Ladies Bonus.
Co-trainer Corey Munce, who entered into partnership with his father at the beginning of the racing season, spoke to the Daily Telegraph post-race.
“It’s only my first year as a trainer, so I am absolutely thrilled with tonight,” he said. “I don’t want to be getting ahead of ourselves, so we will enjoy tonight and see where we end up.
“If we can get to the race on Magic Millions Day, it would mean so much to me. She has always shown us really good speed, so we didn’t want to give that up tonight after drawing a good alley.
“It’s only my first year as a trainer, so I am absolutely thrilled with tonight (Friday). If we can get to the race on Magic Millions day, it would mean so much to me.” - Corey Munce
“She is a very smart horse. We don’t think she has to be ridden that way every time either.”
Bred by Mr G Johnson and S Liston, Vein Girl was passed in at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale. When Three Bridges Thoroughbreds returned with her the following January, Munce Racing and Arthur Hoyeau paid $60,000 to take the filly home.
Vein Girl’s dam Last Vein (Unencumbered) is a winning daughter of Champion 2YO Filly Victory Vein (Mr Henrysee {USA}), and amongst Last Vein’s half-sisters are the dams of G3 Glenlogan Park S. winner Sookie (Casino Prince), herself the dam of G1 Spring Champion S. and G1 Randwick Guineas-winning Shadow Hero (Pierro), and seven-time winner Sofie's Gold Class (Hard Spun {USA}), who was runner-up in the Listed Sunshine Coast Cup.
Last Vein’s yearling colt by Palace Pier (GB) has yet to appear in a sales catalogue, and her breeders astutely returned her to Blue Point later that season. Vein Girl landed her Darley-based sire, who flew home on Monday, a 29th Southern Hemisphere 2-year-old winner from only two crops of racing age.
Arabian Summer scorches home in GC1000 return
Keeping the Darley theme running in the following race, Arabian Summer the daughter of Too Darn Hot put on a blistering performance to win the $125,000 GC1000 3YO Plate by 3l over Cosmic Fire (Cosmic Force). The 3-year-old Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained filly was a winner of three of her starts at two, including the $1 million Magic Millions National 2YO Classic in May at her last start, where she downed the Snowden Racing duo of King Of Roseau (Capitalist) and Embassy (I Am Invincible).
G1 Caulfield Cup-winning jockey Harry Coffey flew in for one ride, and one ride only, and he was not leaving the Gold Coast without Arabian Summer (Too Darn Hot {GB}) crossing the line first.
And the way that the filly continued to accelerate through the line promises more in store from her 3-year-old season. Coffey has partnered her to every win so far.
“When they travel like she does and are better than their opposition, they make your job very easy,” Coffey said.
Confirmed to appear in the $3 million Magic Millions Sunlight 3YO Plate next month, representing the Wheaton and RMA Bloodstock slot, Arabian Summer will have no doubt given her rivals reason to worry.
“That was very exciting,” co-trainer Tony McEvoy said. “Lovely to see her back. We went to Adelaide and had a mishap at the barriers, which was very frustrating.
“So to have her back now in that form a couple of weeks out from her grand final was lovely.”
“That was very exciting. Lovely to see her (Arabian Summer) back... to have her back now in that form a couple of weeks out from her grand final (Magic Millions Sunlight) was lovely.” - Tony McEvoy
He continued, “She’s got her feistiness about her, but she handled herself beautifully today. She loves it up here on the coast, and Toby Edmonds and his team have done a fantastic job looking after her.”
Bred by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, Arabian Summer was a $220,000 from the Coolmore Stud draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for her trainers and Belmont Bloodstock Agency (FBAA). After her third placings in the G3 Ottawa S. and Listed Debutant S., she is the first stakes performer for her dam Maraam (Street Cry {Ire}), a half-sister to New Zealand-based sire Derryn. Their dam Munhro (Lonhro) is a half-sister to G3 Proud Miss S. winner Boognish (Sooboog) and G3 SAJC Breeders' S.-winning Colour (More Thank Ready {USA}), dam of G3 Canonbury S.-placed Chamarel (Exceed And Excel).
The McEvoys returned to the Gold Coast in January to spend $475,000 on Arabian Summer’s half-sister, now named Filigree Shadow (Wootton Bassett {GB}). Maraam’s yearling, a full sibling to the latter filly, was sadly born dead, but she successfully foaled a colt by Wootton Bassett (GB) this spring. She supported Coolmore’s G1 Golden Slipper S. winner Shinzo’s book this spring.
Too Darn Hot's presence was sorely missed in Australia this breeding season, however the stallion covered 58 mares on Southern Hemisphere time at his home base in Newmarket, promising that his progeny won't be gone from our shores next spring.
