Yellow Brick has Team Sears excited in Magic Millions Guineas

By Glenn Davis

Everyone loves a contest but none more so than Toowoomba co-trainer Tony Sears.

Sears, who trains in partnership with daughter Maddysen, is excited about the prospects of Yellow Brick in the $2 million Magic Millions Guineas at the Gold Coast on Saturday.

Yellow Brick is coming off a last start win in the inaugural King Of The Mountain slot race at Toowoomba on New Year’s Eve and is primed for another big performance in the Magic Millions Guineas after drawing perfectly in barrier five.

“He’s pulled up well and has taken natural improvement as he was first-up in the King Of The Mountain,” Tony said.

“He galloped well on Tuesday morning and I expect he’ll run very well again.

“I’m more than happy with the way he’s going and I wouldn’t expect to see him lead as there looks to be enough speed in the race.

“But, I’ll leave that up to his rider Ben Thompson and hopefully he can take a sit in behind them.”

Sears’ biggest wins since he started training at Toowoomba in 1981 was in the King Of The Mountain with Yellow Brick and a hometown victory in the Listed Weetwood Handicap with Choice Bro in 2016.

The Magic Millions Guineas has been dominated by interstate raiders since the race was first run in 2001 and "Team Sears" is hopeful of becoming the latest Queenslander to claim the 1400 metre feature.

In that time Queensland-trained horses have won the Guineas only five times.

However, this year, Queensland has a strong representation with the Tony Gollan-trained pair Spiritualised (barrier 16) and Latakia (barrier three) and the Steven O'Dea and Matthew Hoysted-trained Stroll (gate 10) joining Yellow Brick as genuine chances.

TAB markets have Yellow Brick as a $4.20 favourite while Gollan's Spiritualised is a $9 chance with Latakia at $10 while Stroll is also at $10.

Only four favourites have won the Magic Millions Guineas since it was first run in 2001 with Ha Ha in 2002, Mahuta (2016), Pierata (2018) and Sparta last year.

Yellow Brick has been a bargain buy for the Sears' after he was purchased for $22,000 at the Magic Millions June sales by well-known bloodstock agent Paul Moroney.

“Maddy and I had a big opinion of him a long way out,” Sears said.

“I got him when Paul Moroney rang me from the Magic Millions June sales.

“We weren’t at the sales but Paul buys a lot of horses for us and he rang to say we have to buy this one for $22,000.

“He showed us ability from day one and he’s a half-brother to Ballistic Boy.”

Gold Edition was the first Queenslander to win the Guineas in 2007 followed by Heart Of The Citi (2008), Punch On (2012), Saluter (2013) and Boomsara (2019).