By Craig Kerry
English insurance magnate Phil Cunningham needed just 10 minutes to break the Magic Millions sales record on Thursday when he made a $2.8 million splash on a Snitzel colt on the Gold Coast.
Top Australian trainer Ciaron Maher bought the colt, out of group 3-winning Denman mare Humma Humma – a $1 million broodmare buy for Widden Stud – for Cunningham’s Rebel Racing on day three of the yearling sales.
Phil Cunningham, second from right.Credit: PA Images via Getty Images
The price broke the record set in 2023 for an I Am Invincible-Anaheed colt, which went for $2.7 million to Coolmore’s Tom Magnier.
“I knew a colt of that quality, bred on a good farm, he was a standout for us, and those top-line colts, you always know you’ve got to bid up for them,” Maher told Sky Racing.
“It was probably a little bit more than I expected, but those quality horses, you always know you’ve got to pay up.
“We’ve got one filly for [Cunningham] that we were hoping to have back here this year [to race] … but this fella, he looks fairly precocious.
Leading Australian trainer Ciaron Maher.Credit: Getty Images
“This is his first trip down to Australia, and he only just arrived here to the sales 10 minutes ago, and he’s bought the sales topper, so he’s having a good time. Hopefully, this colt will be back here [at Magic Millions race day] next year.”
Cunningham, the owner of insurance firm Direct Commercial, is already a major player in English racing and has his own training centre at Newmarket.
Antony Thompson, from Widden Stud, said it was a stunning result.
“We bought Humma Humma through this very [sales] ring with our broodmare investment fund,” Thompson told Magic Millions media.
“Paying a million for Humma Humma at the time was a lot of money, but we loved her and we love her even more now.
“We were excited by this colt and we had enormous belief in him. We thought he was the perfect Magic Millions horse, and that result’s just stunning.”
The next biggest price paid at the week-long sales has been $2.3 million for an I Am Invincible-Eloping filly on Wednesday. Laguna Partnership and John Sargent Racing won the bidding for the Segenhoe Stud offering.
Maher had earlier picked up a Written Tycoon-Away Game filly for American breeding tycoon John Stewart’s Resolute Racing for $1.8 million. Magnier paid the same price for a Written Tycoon-In Her Time colt on Thursday.
