Promising two-year-old Warwoven has stamped himself as the horse to beat in the A$3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) as the son of Cambridge Stud stallion Sword Of State remained unbeaten in two starts with a facile victory at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Carrying 59kg topweight, the Bjorn Baker-trained youngster relaxed beautifully behind the speed and accelerated when a gap presented at the top of the straight for rider Rachel King to score by just over three lengths from runner-up Lumbini.
“It’s always great to win and it’s not so much about today, it’s just about having a good hit-out in terms of two weeks and getting to the Magic Millions,” Baker said.
“The one thing he did do today which I was very happy with, he paraded beautifully. He was lovely and relaxed and if you didn’t like him pre-race, after his parade, you would have had to.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have won the Magic Millions twice before, where they’ve had great attitudes and he’s definitely got that and it just carries you so far, particularly in a high pressure race, at a high pressure time of the year.
“It’s very exciting, we’ve got a lot of very important clients in this horse including the Cunningham family, my great mate Keith Ferrel amongst others and of course a great purchase by Jim Clark.
The colt was sourced by Baker’s bloodstock agent Jim Clarke at the Gold Coast Yearling Sale where he was offered by breeder Kia Ora Stud and knocked down for A$380,000.
Warwoven, who is now $2.20 favourite for the Magic Millions, is the first foal of the Makfi mare Needle And Thread, who was the winner of the Gr.2 Royal Stakes (2000m) and placed at Group Two level in the Sir Tristram Fillies’ Classic and Eight Carat Classic.
First season sire Sword Of State has enjoyed a terrific start to his stud career., with just the two runners in Australia to this point, the other being stakes winner Torture. That Lindsay Park-trained juvenile won the Listed Debutant Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield in October and closed well for fourth in the Geelong Diamond (1100m) on Saturday in a prep run for the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m).
Sword Of State also sired the quinella in a two-year-old race at Te Aroha on Saturday, where State The Obvious defeated Imperial Rose.
A Group One winning son of Snitzel, Sword Of State is well represented at January’s Karaka Yearling Sales, with a total of 50 yearlings by the emerging young sire catalogued across Book 1 (21), Book 2 (25) and the Summer Sale (4).