Magic Millions: Cast your vote for the greatest 2YO Classic champion

Every year it’s a question that always pops up pre or post race. Just who is the greatest Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner of all time? Have your say in our poll.

Testa Rossa winning the Magic Millions on the Gold Coast.

After just 34 years, the Magic Millions 2YO Classic boasts a winning honour roll that many Group 1 races would be happy to emulate.

There’s been 13 winners of the race go on to win Group 1 races and another five winners that were Group 1 placed subsequent to their Gold Coast heroics.

That’s a pretty handy strike rate for a sales restricted race.

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But just who is the best Magic Millions winner of all?

The difficulty in such a question is around how you frame it.

Because a horse like Clan O’Sullivan is never going to match up to the feats of what, for instance, Testa Rossa did later in life, but there have been precious few more impressive winners of the race than when ‘The Clan’ stopped the clock at 1min08.4sec in 1992.

Then there’s the popular vote. Brave Warrior was an instant public idol in Queensland after winning on debut by nine lengths in December 1993, but fell out of favour a little with punters when he was deemed less impressive winning his next start. Yet on MM day, he was able to get down the subsequent Champion two-year-old of that year St. Covet, with Neil Williams stepping in for Chris Munce, who was in hospital after a fall earlier in the day. It was one of Queensland’s most memorable wins.

Then of course, punters will always have their own little soft spot for a winner that lined their pockets.

This week, the Courier Mail aims to canvas the thoughts of the punting public and a panel of experts in deeming just who is the Greatest Magic Millions winner.

Will it be the inaugural hero Snippets or the winner of two years ago Sunlight, who has amassed earnings that exceed any other horse that has won the race.

Post a comment under this story, or email [e-mail] with your vote.

HERE’S THE KEY CONTENDERS:

SNIPPETS (1987)

Will always have a special place as the first winner, but put the Magic Millions Sale on the map, going on to win three Group 1 races before becoming an outstanding sire.

Snippets set the standard by winning the 1987 Magic Millions.

ST JUDE (1990)

The first of three wins for the great Bruce McLachlan, he later won three Group 1 races from 1400m-2000m.

BOLD PROMISE (1991)

Also won the fillies division, with her two Gold Coast wins coming by a combined margin of almost nine lengths.

CLAN O’SULLIVAN (1992)

As Terry Spargo said “spreadeagled the Magic Millions field” in a time that is still the race’s benchmark before his heartbreaking second in the Golden Slipper.

BRAVE WARRIOR (1994)

Never won a Group 1, but he went close. Beat a genuine star in St Covet to win on the Coast.

Brave Warrior (outside) managed to the better of St Covet in 1994.

GENERAL NEDIYM (1997)

Beat the top class Special Dane and later became the nation’s premier sprinter, with his Lightning-Newmarket double in 1998.

TESTA ROSSA (1999)

Won the Millions by more than four lengths and went on to six Group 1 wins as well as a couple of mighty clashes with Redoute’s Choice.

ASSERTIVE LAD (2000)

The first of four wins for Gai Waterhouse, he became Champion 2YO of his year and won a Doncaster by a space as a three-year-old.

EXCELLERATOR (2001)

Placed in the Golden Slipper (which was won by Ha Ha, who was in his wake on the Coast) and trained on as an older horse, winning an Epsom among other races.

REGIMENTAL GAL (2003)

A home grown hero for Shaun Dwyer, she blossomed the following season as a three-year-old winning the Lightning and Australia Stakes at Group 1 level.

Chris Munce and Dance Hero took out the 2004 edition.

DANCE HERO (2004)

Ran sub 1:09 on the Gold Coast and then became the first MM winner to land the Golden Slipper. Also took the Triple Crown that year and won a Group 1 as an older horse for good measure.

PHELAN READY (2009)

Won the Millions as a maiden after only just scraping into the field and then gave Bruce McLachlan and his son Jason a fairytale win in the Golden Slipper.

CAPITALIST (2016)

The third horse to do the MM-Slipper double, he was totally dominant on the Gold Coast.

Jeff Lloyd and Houtzen did it in style in 2017.

HOUTZEN (2017)

Emerged on the scene only three weeks before the big race and overcame the outside gate to win comfortably.

SUNLIGHT (2018)

Blossomed in the Queensland sun and trained on to place in the Slipper before being a triple Group 1 winner at three. Current earnings are $6.5 million.

Super filly Sunlight left them all behind in 2018.

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