John Singleton pranks Gerry Harvey at Magic Millions with $1000 Holden
The offer of a Ferrari for the winning offspring of an elite horseracing stud gave ad man John Singleton the perfect opportunity to stick it to his mate Gerry Harvey.
NSW
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Larrikin ad man John Singleton has matched the offer of a free Ferrari at the Magic Millions with a beaten up Holden worth $1000.
Yesterday Singo parked the maroon banger next to the bright red $500,000 Ferrari at the sale yards on the Gold Coast co-owned by his best mate Gerry Harvey.
The Ferrari is being offered by the NSW based Coolmore stud to the owner of the first yearling by its American stallion Justify to win one of 16 qualifying races.
Not wanting his mate to be left out, Singo bought the old Holden and offered it to anyone who “won any race anywhere” with a horse bred by Harvey. “It’s got wind up windows and rego,” Singo said.
“And I can see Gerry getting out of that more easily than out of a Ferrari.”
He said he was considering auctioning the car at the end of the Magic Millions yearling sales this week “to help poor old Gerry pay his taxes”.
Mr Harvey said: “I think it is absolutely outrageous but at the same time it is very funny.
“For every 10 ideas that Singo has, at least one is good and this proves dementia is still a long way round the corner.”
Coolmore owner Tom Magnier said: “When Singo drove that in this morning it certainly caused a few laughs.”
The banter gave a boisterous start to the week-long Magic Millions Carnival which began with a $100,000 show jumping competition and professional and celebrity polo matches on the Gold Coast yesterday. Racing royalty including trainer Gai Waterhouse and celebrities including former Miss Universe Australia Laura Dundovic watched as new Queensland State of Origin coach Billy Slater led his team out onto the polo field.
On Tuesday Slater will be on the beach ahead of the Barrier Draw for Saturday’s $10.25 million race. In between the barrier draw on Tuesday and race day on Saturday, the yearling sales will seek to match last year’s record breaking gross of $211 million.
Magic Millions co-owner Katie Page said the announcement of a $1.5 million increase in prize money to $11.75 million for the race day for 2023 showed the confidence in the horse industry. “We keep growing. It is important to Gerry and I that every year we are making it better and better, whether it’s the sales, the race day, the polo or the show jumping,” she said. “And we are very lucky to be able to organise these events outdoors and safely and keep them going.
“A lot of the show jumpers have not been able to do very much for the past two years because of border closures.”
Jamie Barkley, chief executive of the Australian Turf Club, said the Magic Millions was a crucial part of an industry that pumps $1.4 billion into the national economy.
“At one stage racing was the only live sport still running in Australia,” he said. “Events like the Magic Millions and forthcoming Autumn Carnival in Sydney provide crucial jobs to thousands of people.”
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