Breeding latest

The growing popularity of Queensland bred horses, and their ongoing phenomenal performance on the track has been highlighted during the Magic Millions Gold Coast Carnival.

The prestigious event wound up yesterday, leaving the Vendors grinning from ear to ear with Queensland progeny highly sought after by keen purchasers and big names from right across Australia and overseas.

“We can confidently say that the old “Queensland stigma” has finally been broken,” said Thoroughbred Breeders Queensland Association President, Basil Nolan.

“We are dominating on the track and had enormous success in the ring.”

Glenlogan Park, Darlington Park, Lyndhurst Stud, Wattlebrae Stud and Raheen Stud were leading the way.

Their yearlings were pulling upwards of $100,000 with the top Queensland seller a Show A Heart filly, knocked down to Gai Waterhouse and James Harron Bloodstock for an impressive $320,000.

“It just shows that if you breed a nice Queensland horse you can be well rewarded for your efforts,” said Mr Nolan.

On the track, Lyndhurst Stud sire, Sequalo, had winners and placegetters everywhere during the Carnival, including the first four in the Bat Out of Hell Handicap, while Spirit of Boom took out the Goldmarket and Magic Millions Cup.

It was a Queensland quinella in the 3yo Magic Millions Guineas with Raheen Stud breeding the winner, Punch On, and second-placegetter, Easy Running by Wattelbrae Stud sire Easy Rocking.

But the magic didn’t stop on the Gold Coast for the Queenslanders last week.

Overseas, a Raheen-bred colt wrote himself into the record books. Gimmethegreenlight, was the first ever 3yo to win South Africa’s prestigious Group 1 Queens Plate (1600m) at Kenilworth and Oaklands Stud sire, Chateau Istana had a winner in Hong Kong.

On top of those fantastic results, there were the ongoing winners at metropolitan and provincial circuits right around the country at virtually every meeting – just too many good winners to name.

“If that doesn’t give the buyers something to seriously think about for the March QTIS sale, I don’t know what will, especially when most Queensland Studs have kept their best horses for this sale,” stated Mr Nolan.

Some of the big advantages of purchasing from the March sale are that the QTIS bonus prizemoney has been extended to include 3 year olds, and the yearlings are also eligible for the Magic Millions Series.

The catalogue is now available, and unlike previous QTIS Sales, this year has a limited number of entries and they are only the highest quality stock.

The catalogue is now online for the QTIS Yearling Sale to be held on the Gold Coast in March.

Queensland horses were highly sought after at the January sale with many local studs recording their most successful sale in years, and Queensland bred runners continue their dominance on the track both nationally and overseas.

One of the most exciting aspects of the new QTIS scheme is that it has been extended to include 3yos, giving you better odds at winning that great bonus prizemoney.

The catalogue has been limited to 440 prime lots and there is no better time to buy a Queensland bred yearling than now.

Queensland bred gallopers would have picked up half the Eagle Farm program on Saturday, however luck went against Gold Rating (pictured).

The Michael Nolan trained 6yo, by Canadian Silver, was controversially disqualified after apprentice Patrick Keane weighed in light.

The Sunday Mail reported Gold Rating was handicapped on 57.5kg and should have carried 55.5kg after Keane’s claim and the 1kg allowance for the jockey’s safety vest.

The clerk of the scales recorded Keane’s weigh-out weight at 55.60kg but he weighed in at 54.74kg after the race.

Under the Australian Rules Of Racing, the clerk can afford the rider half a kilo but that still left Keane under his correct weight and chief steward Wade Birch promptly disqualified the horse.

“We can’t establish how that loss of weight has occurred,” Birch said.

Keane blamed the high humidity and a hard ride for the weight loss and Gold Rating’s trainer Michael Nolan stormed out of the stewards’ room in disgust.

You have until the end of February to voice your concerns over Hendra Virus. Biosecurity Queensland has developed a Hendra virus survey aimed at understanding the practices of horse owners. Information obtained from the survey will help improve responses to Hendra threats in the future. You can access the survey via the Biosecurity Queensland website. https://www.research.net/s/Horse_Owner_Survey_on_Hendra_virus