Magic Millions: Royal touch to polo and showjumping spectacle
Recent storms were not enough to take the shine off one of the biggest events of the Gold Coast social and sporting calendar.
He’s accustomed to playing polo alongside royalty as a teammate of Prince Harry in California, but it was the Duke of Sussex’s cousin who threatened to rain on polo star Nacho Figueras’s parade at the Gold Coast on Sunday.
Zara Tindall, the niece of King Charles, opened the scoring in the celebrity polo match at the curtain raiser for the Magic Millions carnival and partnered with local hero Billy Slater to steer their team into the final quarter in a winnable position.
But it was the Argentine, Figueras, and his model wife Delfina Blaquier who ran away with the match thanks to two late goals as the rain came down.
Recent storms were not enough to take the shine off one of the biggest events of the Gold Coast calendar, with a crowd of thousands turning out for the Magic Millions polo and showjumping day.
They were joined by a throng of celebrities and horseracing aficionados who gathered on the Southport Spit to watch some of the best equine athletes in the country compete for the richest purse in Australian showjumping.
Among them was Spanish-born actor Elsa Pataky, who left her skiing family holiday with husband Chris Hemsworth early to return as a Magic Millions ambassador.
Before taking to the polo field, Tindall, the daughter of Anne, Princess Royal, saddled up to take part in the new off-the-track thoroughbred jumping competition, which is exclusively open to retired race horses.
A silver medallist in the teams equestrian event at the 2012 Olympic Games, Tindall showed her skill by completing the course aboard a former racehorse, Still Invincible, despite only practising aboard the horse twice for less than half an hour.
Another Olympian, Peter McMahon, was the inaugural winner of the off-the-track competition, defying the odds after breaking three ribs earlier in the week.
“I had a bit of an accident on Monday night but it certainly wasn’t going to stop me from coming and competing here today,” McMahon said.
“It’s a great event and Magic Millions do such an amazing job here and it’s getting bigger and bigger.”
McMahon, who competed at the 2008 Olympics, said the new event would help find a new home for thoroughbreds after their racing careers.
“All these thoroughbreds have finished racing, they all need homes and this is a great incentive to get people back into thoroughbreds and to find those nice thoroughbreds off the track and get a new lease of life,” he said.
Elite showjumping coach and commentator Martin Gostelow said the off-the-track competition and the $1.45m prizemoney on offer in the team showjumping competition had brought the sport a new level of interest.
“This has been absolutely top class. This is what showjumping is all about,” he said.
A week of equine events and horse sales will culminate on Saturday with the Magic Millions race day at Aquis Park, which will become the only race day in the southern hemisphere to stage eight races each worth more than $1m on one card, including two $3m races.
The serious business of the Magic Millions festival gets under way on Tuesday when the horse sales begin.
“With a bigger catalogue this year we’ve got great confidence in the horses the vendors have provided to us to sell on their behalf,” Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch said. “The racing industry in Australia is in great shape and we expect that to be reflected in the sales this week.”
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