Hot favourite Horcrux has continued the successful run of her sire Rommel and trainer Simon Miller with an on-pace victory in the Guinness Hcp (1200m) at Ascot.
Horcrux (4g Rommel – Magic And Danger by Stratum) stripped fitter for a first-up loss behind Sonoftheboss (Street Boss) over the same course and trip in January. He stalked front-runner King Adviso (Animal Kingdom) and put him away in the straight clocking a tick outside the track record in a sizzling 1:08.84s.
“He sweated up badly and melted behind the gates before that last start here,” Miller recalled. “His coat was off, too, so we sent him to the paddock for a couple weeks with Nigel Reid at Forge On Park. He’s been working well and this was the right race.”
Ridgeport Farm resident Rommel signed off another winning week when Horcrux (Photo / Western Racepix) improved his career earnings to $295,000 with Westspeed tipping in bonuses of $115,000 on Saturday. He was bred and sold by Mogumber Park for $105,0000 at the 2023 Perth Magic Millions to Miller and fellow part-owners Ray Meadowcroft, Rod Bavcevic and Peter Jones.
Rommel sired a February feature double with Maria Lucia (MM 2YO Classic) and the Miller-prepared Twisted Steel (MM 3YO Trophy) last month and he’s registered another four in the last four days with Roaming America (Wednesday), Final Flush (Thursday), Noble Connection & Horcrux (Saturday).
Miller was also celebrating a successful week that started last Saturday with Generosity in the G2 Challenge Stakes (1000m) at Randwick. She was one of several successful foal buys for the Ascot-based conditioner having graduated from the 2021 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale on the Gold Coast for $9,000.
Generosity (Divine Prophet) won over $800,000 in Perth including a LR Sheila Gwynne Classic (1400m) before she was sold by Miller and Xavier Franklin to trainer Chris Waller and Ricky Surace (B2B Thoroughbreds) in June last year.
Miller was also stationed at the Gold Coast Magic Millions March Yearling Sale last week with a winning $50,000 bid for a Yes Yes Yes filly that topped a dozen purchasers for WA-based buyers on Thursday.
Catalogued as Lot 46, she is from Sandown Lakeside winner Always In Moment (No Nay Never) who is a half-sister to seven winners topped by the Miller-trained Miss Conteki (Eurozone) who won over $500,000 and four black-type events including a G3 Prince Of Wales Stakes (1200m) at Ascot.
