The upcoming Magic Millions QTIS Yearling Sale received an important stakes winning boost on Saturday when promising youngster Excitable Boy won the listed Festival of Racing Stakes (1000m) at Flemington.

A highly talented two-year-old, Excitable Boy was able to show his true colours in the listed event with a trouble free run, much different to his previous outing.

Trainer Danny O’Brien was confident his charge would be hard to beat after his most recent run when second last in the Talindert Stakes.

“He had a train wreck last time,” O’Brien said. “Nothing went right and he got in real trouble the whole race.”

“Noel (Callow) kept him out of trouble today and it was good to see him really let down like a nice horse.”

O’Brien said feature juvenile races in Adelaide and Perth, including the $500,000 Karrakatta Plate, could be on the cards for the quality youngster.

“He’s a tough two-year-old and has got a few more runs in him,” O’Brien added.

Excitable Boy, a graduate of Ron and Debbie Gilbert’s Highgrove Stud in Queensland’s Darling Downs, was purchased by O’Brien for $75,000 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

The 109th stakes winner for champion Southern Halo sire More Than Ready, Excitable Boy is the first runner to date for his unraced dam Sequential.

A daughter of renowned running sire Lion Hunter, Sequential is a half sister to the stakes winning juvenile Get to Work.

Excitable Boy’s third dam Subterfuge has produced eight winners including stakes winners Shania Dane, Scintillation and Risk Aversion and stakes placegetters Danevade, Liatris and Puzzle Book.

A half brother to Excitable Boy by leading Arrowfield Stud based sire Charge Forward will go under the hammer at the upcoming Magic Millions QTIS Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast.

Another graduate of Highgrove Stud, the bay colt is catalogued as lot 200 and will go under the hammer during the latter stages of he first session on March 17.

Winner: Excitable Boy
Breeding: More Than Ready-Sequential
Race: VRC Festival of Racing Stakes LR (1000m)
Sold for: $75,000
Sale: 2012 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
Vendor: Highgrove Stud
Buyer: Danny O’Brien Racing
Earnings: $86,200
Owner(s): DT O’Brien, Surace Bloodstock (Mgr: R Surace), P Susnjara, S Calafatis, P Harbord & V Battaglia
Trainer: Danny O’Brien (Flemington)