Western Breeders Alliance had all the bases covered this week from Ascot on Saturday, to Hong Kong on Wednesday night and Pinjarra yesterday.
Pearce Racing prepared both local winners to bookend WBA graduate Magniac in the Ho Man Tin Hcp (1200m) at Happy Valley. The Jamie Richards-trained 3yo expat was given every chance stalking pacemaker Classic Unicorn (Per Incanto) before accelerating under a hands-and-heels ride from Zac Purton.
Magniac (Photo / HKJC) went out a $2.10 favourite after being placed in all bar one of his first four starts and punters were on good terms from the get-go.
“I believe he can develop into a quality performer next season,” Richards predicted. “He got a nice run and there was good pace in the race. The little bit of rain around didn’t worry him, either.”
Richards has posted 27 winners in his debut season after making a deliberately slow start to his career in Hong Kong.
“Magniac is a very good-looking horse and has got a bit of upside. He’s acclimatised and settled in very well. He eats up and has a few things in his favour, so we’re looking forward to the future.”
WBA partner Darling View Thoroughbreds sold him for $65,000 to Trevor Andrews at the 2021 Perth Magic Millions. He raced as Final Series in Perth and completed a hat-trick at Belmont in June 2022 before being purchased by the EWO Syndicate.
Magniac was bred by Darling View’s Clive Atwell using resident sire Lucky Street over Top Show (Stratum). The dam won three times up to a mile at Belmont for Neville Parnham and was sold to Darling View off the track for $26,000 at the 2016 Magic Millions Winter Sale.
Her first foal for the new owners was $400,000 earner Brooklyn Pier (Magnus) and he goes around again on Saturday in the Cale Jacobs Hcp (1200m) at Ascot.
Pearce Racing landed the first-leg of the WBA treble with Deep Envy in the Schweppes Hcp (1100m) in the opening race at The Quokka meeting last Saturday. She led and slipped the field but was all out at the finish to fall in by a nose from Pot Shot (Demerit).
“We thought she would go early but it didn’t pan out that way,” co-trainer Dan Pearce revealed. “That was only her sixth start and she’s won three from four this prep.”
Deep Envy got some cheap sectionals to step up and handle Saturday class for the first time. She was also bred by Clive Atwell and hails from one of Darling View’s favourite families.
The lightly-raced 3yo chestnut filly by Deep Field was a $70,000 WBA graduate from the 2021 Perth Magic Millions. She’s from Jest Envy Her (Patronize) who is a half-sister to five winners including The River (LR Perth Stakes) and Indian Chant (Kalgoorlie Goldrush).
Deep Envy’s stablemate Ultimate Style also made it three from four this year when taking out the State Wide Turf Services Hcp (1500m) at Pinjarra on Thursday.
A big 4yo gelding by Nicconi, he settled one-out and one-back for apprentice Luke Campbell before peeling wide on the home-turn and then clicking up another gear to defeat Awesome Rival (Awesome Rock) by a length.
Ultimate Style was bred and sold by WBA partners Wayne and Jane Beynon (Einoncliff Park) to Pearce Racing for $40,000 at the 2020 Perth Magic Millions. They had purchased his dam Perfect Technique (Starcraft) for $13,000 from Glastonbury Farms at the 2016 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
Perfect Technique is an unraced half-sister to LR Canberra Black Opal Stakes winner You’re Canny and was sold carrying a filly by Sizzling. Named Hot Technique, she won at Northam and Ascot for the Beynons in a career restricted to a half-dozen starts before foaling a Long Leaf colt first-up for them in September last year.
Western Breeders’ Alliance was leading vendor for the fifth year running at the Perth Magic Millions in February with 28 yearlings grossing $2,305,500. Yarradale Stud was next best on $2,039,000.
