Bright Track Weekly
In a world where challenges often take centre stage, we will bring focus on the positive. Bright Track Weekly highlights a selection of racing and breeding snippets, celebrating the vitality of our great sport.
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City of Troy ignites excitement
Coolmore and their partners have long coveted victory in the US$7m Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic on dirt, coming agonisingly close in 2000 with "The Iron Horse" Giant's Causeway going down by just a neck to Tiznow, who would go on to defeat another European star, Sahkee, in 2001 by a similar margin. Their latest star, City of Troy (by Justify), has now put together a trio of Group 1 wins as a 3YO in the Epsom Derby over 2400m, the Eclipse Stakes and the Juddmonte International, both over 2000m.
Demonstrating the meticulous planning of Coolmore Ireland's master trainer, Aidan O'Brien, City of Troy was sent for a racecourse gallop at Southwell in the UK this week, with the team not only sending City of Troy and a field of stablemates to simulate a race, but also a set of American starting gates, along with the bell that will ring as they open, to further expose their colt to what he will face against America's best at Del Mar on Saturday 2nd November.
On what was not a race day at Southwell, a large crowd turned out to watch him in what was a great display of the appeal of horse racing, and the connection that fans build with its stars. City of Troy put on a great show for those that travelled to see him, powering well clear of his companions, and it will be with great excitement that he lines up at California in November for his date with destiny.
You can view footage of his track gallop at the link above.
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A greyt week for Silver Spirit
Rob Love's broodmare Silver Spirit (pictured above with her 2021 Capitalist filly Spirit of Wealth) secured by JHB for $60,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale from Bhima Thoroughbreds (sold on behalf of GSA Bloodstock), has been something of a quiet achiever with her progeny, and looks like breaking through in some style with her latest pair of flying fillies.
She was bought in foal to Capitalist, with the resultant filly, Greyt Mumma, retained to race by Rob and a group of his friends, to whom she provided a great journey. She took the ownership group to many super days at the track, winning three times, including at city level.
Next came the very speedy Pariah filly Martini Mumma, also retained by Rob to race and she has been a revelation with Goulburn trainer Matt Dale. She won twice in the country by big margins, before heading to town and again impressively taking out a strong Highway at Rosehill before running a brave fourth in the Listed Denise's Joy Stakes at the Scone Cup Carnival. She returned in great order recently at Randwick with a strong third at BM78 grade, and again returns to that level tomorrow at Rosehill where she will get her favoured soft ground conditions and can hopefully put herself on notice for one of the remaining slots in the $2m Kosciuszko at Randwick on 19th October.
Silver Spirit's latest three-year-old filly looks to be well on the path of following her sisters' hoof prints. Sold to Darby Racing and trained by Michael Freedman, she is named Spirit of Wealth and has impressed hugely by winning both of her starts, including in city grade on Wednesday at Warwick Farm, again trucking along near the lead and showing her rivals a clean pair of heels in the straight. She looks every inch a black type filly in the making, so well done to her connections. We look forward to heading to the Gold Coast in January with Silver Spirit's lovely King's Legacy colt in the Newgate Farm draft.
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New Magic Millions 'super session' of selling
The Magic Millions' $14.5m race day, which in 2025 will be held at the Gold Coast on Saturday 11th January, has by all measures been a runaway success. It is a wonderful day of top-class racing, with huge prize money up for grabs for the participants.
It has, as pointed out by Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch, become quite arduous after a long day at the races, to switch focus to an evening of selling horses for buyers and sellers alike.
Magic Millions should be applauded for, as always, listening to the feedback and innovating a new approach to the final session of selling by essentially moving the Saturday night session, and creating a 'super session' on Friday 10th January, giving all involved the chance to thoroughly enjoy a day of quality racing on Saturday.
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