After the whirlwind of the Magic Millions, there is no time to go for a spell as the industry begins preparations for the Autumn Carnival and sales.

Major stables such as Ciaron Maher Racing and Waterhouse and Bott had several key Group 1 and other key runners returning to the trials in Sydney and Melbourne this week – check out the summary on Reasonable, Jon Bon, and the NZ Stayers below.

While breeders pull their focus to the upcoming Karaka and Inglis Sales taking place over the next 4 weeks, check out BTX’s reflection of the Magic Millions sale ring and on the track below.

Reasonable’s Second Trial Shows Promise 

A fitter and stronger Reasonable returned to the trials on Wednesday at Gosford. The second of three planned trials for the daughter of Justify.

On a less-than-ideal surface, Reasonable finished comfortably in midfield, but presented on a track as a different specimen to what we saw last preparation. Her spring preparation was extremely encouraging, and she has mixed in with some of the best form that Sydney has to offer.

Head trainer Ciaron Maher stated, “She wanted to get out and get going…certainly, physically she looks well”. Reasonable has undoubtedly returned a different horse and owners should be encouraged by the maturity she has developed in the past 4-6 months.

Reasonable will have another trial on the 31st of January at Gosford before returning to maiden company in Sydney.

It has been a big week for the progeny of Justify, with Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Storm Boy proving a class above his rivals when powering to a dominant two-and-a-half length win over quality colts Highness and Spywire.

Justify posted sensational results at Magic Millions this week with all seven of his Book 1 yearlings selling at an average of $500,714 with his top seller the colt from Invincible Star making $1.3 million.

Reasonable at her 2nd Start

Stayer’s Pack The Opportunity Of The Summer

The BTX Stayer’s Pack is quickly becoming one of the most popular and best value opportunity available on the BTX Racing platform.

Ahab (NZ) had his second jump out of the preparation. A satisfactory piece of work, Track rider Zac was once again happy with his ability to settle and travel.  Joffrey (NZ) also had his first jump out of the preparation, in what was a simple educational first trial.  The pair will continue to develop naturally so that by the time they hit the track they are highly competitive.

An ownership of 4 horses for only $99 is an opportunity not to be missed, and from the evidence of the pair’s first two trials, their future racing prospects are very encouraging.

In With The Big Boys, Jon Bon To Be Tested On Monday

Jon Bon will take his second major step of the preparation when he takes to his home Randwick track for a second trial on Monday. The son of So You Think will step up to a more suitable 1050m in the Open Trial where he will meet stakes-tried stablemate Les Vampires,

Les Vampires, a bay colt by Pierro last stepped out on the 29th of December, whilst Jon Bon had his first trial on the 9th of January.

Stable trainer Adrian Bott is confident Jon Bon can level up to expectation, with the multiple Group 1 winning trainer satisfied with the development of the unbeaten gelding.

A jockey has not been elected yet for the half-brother to stakes winners Economics and Wolf Moon. A first race target has not yet been set for Jon with a number of potential targets in the first 2 weeks of February viable options.

A Look Back On The Magic Millions

The Magic Millions Sale goes from strength to strength each and every year, not only as a horse sale, but as an event. We take a look at the key highlights on track and in the ring.

The key focus of the week was the 2YO classic that was won in triumphant fashion by cracking colt Storm Boy. The son of Justify recorded one of the highest-ever ratings in the January contest. A 105 rating ranks him as the best 2YO Magic Millions winner in at least the past ten years and according to form analyst Dominic Beirne, the highest ever. 1.5 lengths better than the next highest-rated winner, Sunlight, who ran 101.5 in 2018 and better than 2YO Triple Crown here Dance Hero (2004). It’s also better than the 104.2 winning average for the Golden Slipper over the past ten years, with Stay Inside’s 105.7 rating win the only performance that tops what Storm Boy produced on Saturday.

Gai Waterhouse, who trained Dance Hero to become the only 2YO to win the 2YO Classic before going on to win the Triple Crown, has identified Storm Boy to be the one to join him 20 years later.  Waterhouse also trained the last winner of the 2YO Triple Crown, when Pierro won all 3 Group 1 autumn majors in 2012.

In the sales ring, at the close of trade on Saturday evening showed that Book 1 of the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale had grossed $223,475,000, only $5,000,000 short of the 2023 figure.

Magic Millions also broke their own record of million-dollar sales for the fourth year in succession. A total of 23 yearlings fetched seven figures, up three from the auction house’s previous record of 20 set 12 months ago.

Fresh from winning the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic with Storm Boy, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, together with Bruce Slade’s Kestrel Thoroughbreds, ended Book 1 as the leading buyer by gross for the first time since 2019, parting with $8,520,000 for 23 yearlings.  A big 12 months in store for all those who bought lots at the sale, and an extremely exciting 12 months for the Waterhouse and Bott Team.