By Adam Corndorf
From the minute I walked into the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale Friday, I felt the buzz. It was even more energetic than yesterday, and it's noticeable in the prices, it's been a very strong sale, fueled by the value of the American dollar and an amazing raceday for sale graduates is on tap Saturday.
To give you an idea of what's on offer, Johnny Velazquez rides in an $A250,000 maiden race — almost unheard of! That's got to be where some of the energy's coming from, it's something everyone wants to be part of. Everyone at the sale today hopes to be here next year, with a 2-year-old running in the $A2 million Magic Millions Classic, the $A2 million Guineas a year later and after that, maybe the Trophy, Fillies & Mares, Cup or Sprint — each worth $A1 million this year.
It's certainly something I'm now thinking about, it has caught my attention as a trainer. Plenty of Americans have already bought here and I see that Jon Kelly has Slumber Party in this year's 2YO Classic. With the way the U.S. dollar is right now, it's something that's very doable for Americans and when you see the prizemoney on offer in Australia, not only at the Magic Millions Raceday, but also every week in New South Wales and Victoria, it's only a matter of time before American participation starts to grow.
There's already plenty of activity in the opposite direction. In fact, walking around the sale, I'm very surprised by how many people I've met who have, or have had, a horse in training in the States. One example is Nigel Austin from Rosemont Stud, who had a horse racing at Churchill Downs the day Animal Kingdom won the GI Kentucky Derby.
This afternoon, Johnny and I addressed members of the Queensland Branch of the Young Presidents Organisation, a business and networking group for young business leaders. They were enthusiastic, genuinely interested in American racing and had a lot of questions, especially for Johnny, who's quite a celebrity over here. He's gained 50 Australian followers on Twitter this week!
Johnny has three rides at the Magic Millions Raceday tomorrow: With Pride for Gerald Ryan in the Maiden Plate, Black Jag for champion trainer Chris Waller in the Trophy and King's Troop for Ryan and Arrowfield Stud in the Sprint. People keep telling him how tight Gold Coast racing is, but that wouldn't be a surprise to him. I think it'll be very comparable to riding at home, but win or lose, Johnny brings a champion jockey's charisma and talent to the day.
See TDN Europe/International for more Magic Millions coverage by Kelsey Riley.
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