MAGIC Millions managing director Vin Cox won’t be leaning on trainer John O’Shea to change his mind and contest next January’s $2 million juvenile feature with impressive youngster Faustus.
As much as he would love to win ‘his own race’, Cox, who shares in the ownership of last Saturday’s impressive debut winner, is leaving the colt’s programming to O’Shea who has ruled out a trip to the Gold Coast in favour of a Golden Slipper campaign.
”John’s trained far more Group 1 winners than I have had anything to do with so I’ll leave it to the expert,” Cox said.
Faustus is a son of More Than Ready who as well as siring two Magic Millions winners, put his stamp on consecutive Golden Slipper winners Sebring and Phelan Ready.
Sebring was sold soon after for a reported figure of $28 million reflecting the high stakes game that the Slipper is when it comes to fashionably bred colts.
”If we can get it right, you can get it horribly right – if you get it wrong it’s oh well….,” says Cox.
Faustus is one of four horses selected, owned and managed by the Cox-Mitchell Venture, a combination of Cox and former multiple Group 1 trainer Bill Mitchell.
The pair manage four horses including Faustus plus colts by Redoute’s Choice (placed with Hawkes Racing), Fastnet Rock (Peter Moody) and a second More Than Ready housed by Grahame Begg.
Faustus was the only one of the four purchased at the Magic Millions Yearling sale costing the pair $290,000.
The colt’s dam, Living Hell, is a Danehill daughter of Jezabeel and won her first two starts in scintillating fashion before soundness issues got the better off her.
”Lee Freedman trained Living Hell and as soon as we bought Faustus, he came straight over to Bill and said the mother was a machine.
”Hopefully we can get a few more starts out of Faustus than they did the mother.”
Faustus is the 46th individual winner in Aus/NZ bred on the More Than Ready/Danehill mare nick joining the likes of Group 1 winners Benicio, Perfectly Ready and Dreamaway.
”It’s a freakish cross,” Cox commented,”freakish.”
