The midwives would have been lining up for autographs. Mum was a freak. Dad one of the best ever.
Baby was a bouncing 52 kilos. Heavier than some of the jockeys who’ll end up riding him.
Can you imagine how jealous the other youngsters at trackwork will be, when he lets on who his parents are?
They booked the Royal suite the night Lonhro put his best moves on Makybe Diva. What a match up.
They were two of the very best. Champions. And big shoes for junior to fill.
A confession here. I’m no breeding expert. I’ll back the progeny of my favourite sires, but that’s about it. I can tell you more about Mister Ed than Seattle Slew. Actually, Mister Ed could tell you himself. How did he do that?
Anyway, back to the Golden One. This is something special. A match the gurus are salivating over.
I enjoy it when dreamers fork out a million for a young horse at the sales. You have to admire their courage, and the thickness of their wallet.
It’s the ultimate gamble. No guarantees in this business. The size of the prize tag doesn’t mean you have yourself a winner.
So much can go wrong. Sometimes they don’t even make it to the track. Imagine trying to explain that to the missus.
John Singleton is one of the great breeding dreamers. Every match is carefully thought out.
He once showed me a strapping youngster at the Gold Coast sales. Bred from his beloved mare Sally Magic.
She’d run second in the 1999 Magic Millions two-year old classic. Beaten by the hulking Testa Rossa. Singo hates running second.
He decided the best way to win his own race, was to play matchmaker. With the placegetters. So Testa and Sally became more than good friends.
In Singo speak, this compared to getting Ian Thorpe and Giann Mooney together, so they could produce our next Olympic flyer. As convincing as he sounded, I’m pretty sure that never happened.
Anyway, the racing union produced the well performed galloper Publishing. He won a couple. But not the one Singo wanted.
And that’s the problem at the top end of the breeding business. As foolproof as a plan might be, it doesn’t always work.
Cheapies and no-names can still win. Even in our biggest races. Australians love that. We can buy a share with our mates, and dream. All without breaking the bank.
You and I won’t own the Lonhro-Makybe Diva colt. That’s ok. He has a long way to go. And there are plenty of others to go around.
He might be a champion. Or a dud. Time will tell. But can he talk? Now that would be worth a million.
Hold All Tickets 