Healey hoping stars align for Cosmic Fire in Magic Millions
Juvenile ‘a different horse’ this preparation as he prepares for tilt at $1 million National Classic
Cosmic Fire captured trainer Billy Healey’s attention the moment he laid eyes on the horse at the Magic Millions sale on the Gold Coast last January and his first exposure to the son of Cosmic Force (Deep Field) has meant he has become enamoured with the first crop Newgate Farm sire.
Juvenile Cosmic Fire, who won his maiden in style at Grafton earlier this month, will jump up a number of grades when he heads to Doomben on Saturday, but the lure of the $1 million Magic Millions National 2YO Classic (1050m) was too hard for Healey to ignore.
Sunshine Coast-based trainer, who paid $80,000 for Cosmic Fire in conjunction with Furlong Bloodstock and On Fire Racing out of the Sullivan Bloodstock draft, had contemplated next week’s BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) but nervous he may miss out on a start in the Group 2 race, he instead chose to bring forward the horse’s third start to the restricted million dollar race.
“He’ll be better over further in time and I think he’ll be a horse who will be better ridden with a sit. He’s very versatile, I think you could sit him pretty much anywhere and he’ll be strong late,” Healey told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“You’d like to draw a nice soft alley and get a trail behind the speed and hopefully he’s thereabouts at the finish. It’s a big step up and there’s plenty of decent, well-performed horses but I definitely don’t think he’s out of the question.
“He’s a really nice horse and the stallion’s doing a good job. He’s just the ultimate professional, so that will take him a long way.”
Healey’s willingness to raise the stakes with Cosmic Fire at Doomben is nothing new. The two-year-old had his first start in the Aquis Gold Nugget (1100m) at the Gold Coast in January, finishing fourth behind Spywire (Trapeze Artist), a likely rival again on Saturday.
Cosmic Fire had won a Deagon barrier trial in the lead-up to his first start and since that brief first preparation the horse has been gelded.
“We actually went straight to the Deagon trial, he never had a jump out or anything and we thought we’d throw him in that Magic Millions race when it was quite low on nominations,” the trainer revealed.
“I thought he was solid enough [in the Gold Nugget] and … he’s a completely different horse to the one who raced at the Gold Coast and that probably gives you a little bit of confidence.
“Spywire’s in the race and no doubt he’ll be pretty strong in the market and our horse wasn’t disgraced behind him in January.
“It’s a big step up, but they’re only two once and you’ve got to find out where they sit a little bit going forward.”
Andrew Mallyon, who rode Cosmic Fire in his 4.36-length Grafton romp over 1115 metres on May 16, will retain the ride in the Magic Millions National 2YO Classic.
Healey described Cosmic Fire as a “ripping type”.
“He’s got everything you look for in a two-year-old. I loved him from the first time I saw him and I didn’t think it [$80,000] was a lot of money, I thought it was quite reasonable really,” the trainer said.
“I guess you’re taking a punt on a first season sire, however, that looks like it’s paid off.
“I’ve got a couple of others in my barn and I like them all actually. Some aren’t quite ready yet, but I’d definitely put my hand up to buy another one, that’s for sure, based on the stock that I’ve had by the stallion.
“They have great brains on them, they’re very trainable, which makes them easy racehorses [to work with].”
Cosmic Fire might turn out to be an $80,000 bargain and, at the other end of the scale, the $2.6 million sister to Sunlight (Zoustar), the Yulong and Coolmore and Georg Von Opel-owned Clean Energy, could also turn out to be good value based on the early signs of her ability.
The two-year-old is nominated for the $1 million Magic Millions race, but connections are in favour of starting the filly in the $160,000 Bill Carter Stakes (Listed, 1200m) on the same Doomben card.
Yulong’s racing manager Troy Stephens said it’s more likely than not that Clean Energy, a dominant debut winner at Warwick Farm earlier this month, was on a hit-and-run mission to Queensland.
“The Bill Carter is a nice race for her. It’s only her second start, she’ll be racing against her own sex and she profiles well for it, so I think it’s definitely a winnable race for her,” Stephens said on Tuesday.
“She has a lot of residual value there already and if we can secure some of that two-year-old black type with her, it just solidifies her [value].”
Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Clean Energy had her first official barrier trial last November but she was reserved for the late autumn and winter carnivals rather than targeting Sydney’s Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) lead-up races.
When she was eventually taken to the races, on a Heavy10 surface, Clean Energy made an immediate impression.
“She didn’t draw perfectly [in barrier 11] and the track was wet that day, but she showed that she’s got a lot of quality and ability,” Stephens said.
“We’ll just take our time with her and hopefully we can get a little bit of black-type up in Queensland and then she’ll come back and be a much stronger three-year-old.”