Quality Perth filly Night War added another feature race to her growing list of achievements when she scored a popular win in today’s $100,000 R.M.Williams Magic Millions 3YO Trophy (1400m) at Ascot.
Perfectly ridden by proven big race rider Patrick Carbery, Night War sat just behind the leaders throughout and gained an inside run in the straight – she took it sweetly and cruised home for a soft win.
Her main rival – proven Melbourne group winner Bliss Street – raced close throughout and narrowly missed running second with Excites gelding Flag Officer splitting the pair.
A $90,000 purchase for trainer Simon Miller at the 2010 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the Baramul Stud draft, Night War was second in last year’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic before winning the rich Karrakatta Plate.
“She’s done everything right this time in,” Miller said.
“We set her for a Group Three and she won that and every time she’s raced she’s done us proud – she’s a model of consistency.”
Miller went into the race with a great deal of confidence with the filly sizzling on the training track after an encouraging third against the older rivals recently.
“On the turn I could see she was in the zone. He (Carbery) kicked back to the fence when the leader rolled off.”
“It was a gem of a ride. When he knows they are going so good he just sits back smoking a cigar and knows when to go.”
Miller spent a slice of time based in Melbourne when a foreman for Robert Smerdon and he is now almost certain to head to Victoria with a key runner in his own right.
“If she pulls up well I will take her across to Melbourne for the Angus Armanasco and the Kewney – they are two nice races for her – and then we’d pull up stumps and send her for a spell again.”
“I’ve been waiting for the right horse to go back to Melbourne and I think she is the right one,” Miller summed up.
Night War is raced by former champion Fremantle AFL footballer Peter Bell and his business partner Ray Meadowcroft and not surprisingly both were over the moon with the result.
“Magic Millions put a lot back into racing – not only here in Perth, but around Australia and being able to win one of their races is a great thrill,” Meadowcroft said at the presentation.
The win completed a significant feature race double for Night War’s dam Samar following the win of her year younger daughter Samaready in today’s Blue Diamond Prelude for fillies at Caulfield.
Samaready, also bred by Gerry Harvey, will almost certainly jump favourite in the $1 million Blue Diamond Stakes in a fortnight for Mick Price.
Her older half sister Night War has already earned over $572,000 from just nine starts – five of which have ended in victories.
Night War is one of 37 individual stakes winners for General Nediym and like today’s earlier stakes winning juvenile General Rippa is a graduate of Baramul Stud.
Her dam Samar, a twice Sydney winning daughter of Secret Savings, is a half sister to Queensland Derby, Metropolitan Handicap and Sydney Cup winner County Tyrone – an earner of over $2.3 million.
Winner: Night War
Breeding: General Nediym-Samar (Secret Savings)
Race: WATC R.M.Williams Magic Millions 3YO Trophy (1400m)
Sold for: $90,000
Sale: 2010 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
Vendor: Baramul Stud
Buyer: Aquanita Racing
Earnings: $572,421
Owner(s): PF Bell & RD Meadowcroft
Trainer: Simon Miller (Ascot)
