Unbeaten Storm Boy puts unbeaten record on the line in Skyline Stakes at Royal Randwick

Magic Millions winner Storm Boy put his big boom on the line when he returns in the Skyline Stakes at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

The Gai Waterhouse-trained Storm Boy has won the $3 million two-year-old Magic Millions Classic on the Gold Coast. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

Coolmore Australia supremo Tom Magnier, mastermind of the world record $60m purchase of Storm Boy, won’t be trackside to watch the juvenile sensation in the Group 2 $300,000 Skyline Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Magnier left for Ireland earlier this week to attend a family wedding but given Coolmore’s massive investment in the unbeaten Storm Boy, he will be awake in the early hours of the morning in the northern hemisphere to watch the Sydney race.

“We will certainly be up for Storm Boy, there is no way we will miss the race,” Magnier said.

Storm Boy puts it all on the line in the Skyline - his extraordinary price tag, unbeaten race record and Golden Slipper favouritism.

Storm Boy thunders away in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic! ⛈️@GaiWaterhouse1@[e-mail]/pXRn6HkUPL

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 13, 2024

The wonder colt is racing for the first time since Coolmore acquired the controlling interest in the colt soon after his win in the Magic Millions in January.

But the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Storm Boy will still race in the colours of Cunningham Thoroughbreds, the managing part-owners of the colt’s original syndicate.

Storm Boy goes to Randwick after three brilliant wins from as many starts and is at prohibitive odds of $1.30 with TAB to win the Skyline.

Waterhouse is setting Storm Boy the identical program she gave Dance Hero 20 years ago when that youngster followed his Magic Millions win by racing away with the Skyline Stakes before completing the coveted Sydney juvenile triple crown with wins in the Golden Slipper, ATC Sires Produce Stakes and Champagne Stakes.

Dance Hero is also the last horse to win the Skyline Stakes and Golden Slipper double.

If Storm Boy can follow the trail blazed by Dance Hero and complete the triple crown this autumn, then Coolmore will make additional payments to the original ownership group which would value the colt at $60 million, a world record for a two-year-old.

“Gai and Adrian seem very happy with Storm Boy,” Magnier said.

“The competition is very strong this year, they are a very good crop of two-year-olds, and the Golden Slipper is still a long, long way away.

“But in fairness to Gai and Adrian, they have a formula with two-year-olds and we know it works.”

Storm Boy, already a dominant $2.80 favourite to win the $5m Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 23, will be ridden in the Skyline for the first time by champion jockey James McDonald.

McDonald did get to put Storm Boy through his paces in a runaway Rosehill barrier trial win two weeks ago and was effusive in his praise for the young sprinter when he later spoke with Magnier.

🇨🇭 Switzerland shows his class and overhauls a brave Shangri La Express in the @CoolmoreAus Pierro Plate!

The @cwallerracing colt is now 2 from 2 with @mcacajamez in the saddle for the first [e-mail]/uHWlNYKqOT

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) February 17, 2024

“James got off Storm Boy after the trial and said the horse gave him goosebumps,” Magnier said.

But whether McDonald stays on the colt through to the Golden Slipper is yet to be decided.

English superstar Ryan Moore has told Magnier he will return to Sydney to ride for Coolmore in the Golden Slipper.

Coolmore also races the unbeaten Chris Waller-trained Switzerland who McDonald partnered to win the Pierro Plate last start.

Switzerland will have his final Golden Slipper lead-up in the Group 2 Todman Stakes at Randwick next week and then Coolmore will confirm their jockeys for the world’s richest two-year-old race.

Storm Boy is by Coolmore’s unbeaten American triple crown winner Justify who is fast becoming a phenomenon at stud.

Justify is the sire of arguably the two most exciting colts in the world – Storm Boy in the southern hemisphere and their unbeaten three-year-old City Of Troy in the northern hemisphere.

Like Storm Boy, City Of Troy has only had three starts but has been so impressive winning each race by big margins he is already drawing comparisons to all-time great Frankel.

City Of Troy ended his two-year-old season with a runaway win in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket last October to earn an international classification of 125, just one point behind Frankel’s figure after his juvenile season in 2010.

Irish training genius Aidan O’Brien has such an opinion of City Of Troy he plans to set his colt for the English triple crown of the 2000 Guineas, Epsom Derby and English St Leger – a treble last achieved by the legendary Nijinsky in 1970.

My goodness she deserved that!

Kimochi finally gets a hard earned win in the Group 2 Light Fingers defeating a super Learning To Fly after a long lay off!

Jason Collett with a beautiful ride for @GaryPortelli. pic.twitter.com/B40yW0SHQ5

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) February 17, 2024

“The way City Of Troy is working at home has Aidan very excited about the colt’s three-year-old season,” Magnier said.

“Aidan has always said City Of Troy will be a better horse as a three-year-old.

“The day this horse won the Dewhurst the ground was very wet but it didn’t matter and Aidan said this colt has a ‘jet engine’. It just shows how good he is.

“There is talk of the triple crown but we will see how he goes in the Guineas at Newmarket (May 4).”

Justify is also the sire of Coolmore’s comeback filly Learning To Fly, the $3.20 favourite for the Group 1 $750,000 Surround Stakes (1400m) at the Randwick meeting.

Learning To Fly was having her first start for almost a year when narrowly beaten by Kimochi in the Light Fingers Stakes two weeks ago.

“It was an amazing run by Learning To Fly and full credit to Annabel (Neasham, trainer) and her team to get her back to the races,” Magnier said.

“We thought this filly would never race again never mind be going as well as she is going now.

“She didn’t get a good barrier the other day but she still ran a terrific race.

“I think autumn is going to be a very exciting time for Annabel, Chad (Schofield, jockey) and the whole team.”

As for Justify, the superstar stallion is due to return to Coolmore’s Hunter Valley property for the Australian breeding season in spring.

“Justify could have a massive weekend,” Magnier said.

“He was an unbelievable racehorse with a great ‘page’ and the best trainers have bought his yearlings. It is great to see this horse doing it in both hemispheres.”

Originally published as Unbeaten Storm Boy puts unbeaten record on the line in Skyline Stakes at Royal Randwick