Bloodlines: Women's bonus adds magic touch to Millions

The Melbourne Cup carnival is over for another year, but the highlights bowl along as Perth gains momentum this weekend and in eight weeks the Magic Millions extravaganza hits the Gold Coast.

Bloodlines has covered every Magic Millions dating to Snippets romping home in the inaugural running in 1987, and the growth of the race and the yearling sales has been quite extraordinary.

Next year's version will lack nothing and it was interesting to peruse the list of two-year-olds nominated for barrier trials at Rosehill last Tuesday.

With Magic Millions introducing a special $500,000 women's bonus last year for the first four horses home owned or leased by women, Bloodlines was keen to see how many two-year-olds meet the criteria next year, and the result was two, both prepared by Gai Waterhouse.

The bonus prizemoney split is $325,000 for first, $100,000 for the second, $50,000 for the third and $25,000 for the fourth - quite a handy windfall.

Unfortunately, only seven trials were held on the rain-affected track, resulting in the remainder of the heats being cancelled. In heat five, Spirit Of Joy went a step closer to the January 11 showdown, winning her heat by four lengths. However, her other Millions hope, Our Catch, missed out, after heat eight and another 11 trails were called off. Spirit Of Joy is a filly by Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown from the winning mare Ouija Board, an Elusive Quality mare which should not be confused with the champion European mare of the same name which won seven group 1s.

Spirit Of Joy was bred by Gerry Harvey's Baramul Stud and it is ironic that heading the ownership is his wife, Katie, who was responsible for the innovation of the women's bonus. They own the Magic Millions concept. Others in the ownership include Julia Ritchie, Kate Waterhouse and four other ladies who will already be thinking of what to wear on Millions day if Spirit of Joy gets to the post.

Our Catch is a Flying Spur colt, which is owned by Ritchie and Kate Waterhouse along with 10 others. They will have to wait until the Randwick trials on Monday to see if they could be Magic Millions-bound.

The first all women-owned runner this year starts this week-end at Rosehill, when the Chris Waller-trained Tantrum Testa makes his debut. The ownership is shared by Bob Ingham's daughter, Debbie Kepitis and two of her daughters, Shoot Out's co-owner Linda Huddy, Foreteller's co-owner Christine Cook and the trainer's wife, Stephanie, and two others.

No doubt there will be several other "all-women" contenders going through their paces in the next three or four weeks to try and qualify for the Magic Millions, so it will be intriguing to find out which is the best.

Coolmore go to War

Coolmore Stud's northern hemisphere stallion fees were finalised this week and the introduction of Declaration Of War to their Irish base is one of the most exciting from an Australian viewpoint next year. Declaration Of War is a son of the US bred War Front, one of America's newest and most sought after sires, and under Aidan O'Brien's tutelage won two of Europe's big races this year, the Queen Anne Stakes and the Juddmonte International. He also was third a fortnight ago in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita, but it is the stallion barn that is awaiting the four-year-old rather than another year on the racetrack. Possibly, Declaration Of War could be included in their shuttle-sire contingent to Australia. Coolmore has 40 stallions standing in Ireland and Kentucky, and 12 undertake shuttle commitments in Australia and New Zealand. Their two highest-priced Irish-based sires, Galileo and Fastnet Rock, once again have had their fees posted as "price on application".

No price hike for Frankel

The service fee for Frankel, owned by Juddmonte, will remain at £125,000 ($214,000) next year. Last year he served 133 mares and 126 tested positive in foal. Four mares in foal to Frankel sold in the US last week for an average of $US1,437,500 ($1.53 million). Stud mate Dansili rises from £80,000 to £95,000. His son, Dandino, ran great races in this year's Caulfield and Melbourne cups.

Treve takes honours

French filly Treve was anointed the Cartier horse of the year during the week following the unbeaten galloper's stunning performances, capped by her five-length romp in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp. She also won the champion 3YO filly award. Treve is prepared by Criquette Head-Maarek, whose brother Freddy prepared the older horse award winner Moonlight Cloud, the sprinter which ran Black Caviar to a nose in last year's memorable Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.

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