Talented gelding Good Baby emerged as one of the new stars of Malaysian racing with a barnstorming win in yesterday’s 2011 Magic Millions Malaysian Classic.
A son of Hussonet, Good Baby is building up an imposing record for his connections – now having won five of his ten lifetime starts.
A lovely individual Good Baby was purchased by the Blue Sky Thoroughbreds operation for $110,000 from the draft of Swettenham Stud at the 2008 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale.
It certainly looks money well spent, with the exciting galloper capturing Malaysia’s richest race on the feature Penang Turf Club Gold Cup card.
“It was a big finishing burst from Good Baby over the concluding stages of the Classic,” Magic Millions Sales Director David Chester reported from the track.
“Irish Coffee, up from the Singapore stables of Steve Burridge, had burst to the front in the straight, but Good Baby was able to run him down late in a thrilling finish.”
“The field was outstanding according to the locals and is a great advertisement for the quality of horses sold to Malaysia by Magic Millions.”
Good Baby, trained by Kevin Coetzee, is raced by Richard Beh’s Golden Knight Stable.
“It was fitting that Mr Beh should win our rich race – he is the biggest Malaysian buyer we have and he’s been buying from Magic Millions for well over 10 years.”
“Mr Beh has a wonderful buying record and he won this race last year with his quality galloper Hot Butterfly.”
Good Baby was educated in Australia by Mr Beh’s good friend, renowned Perth horseman Joe Byrne and he trialled three times in the WA capital before being shipped to Asian last year.
He won his first two starts in Malaysia and has since built up an impressive record of five wins and three runner up places from just 10 runs.
He has already earned the equivalent of A$240,000 and looks to have an extrmely bright future ahead.
Good Baby is an extremely well bred galloper.
He is by the Cornerstone Stud based Hussonet, sire of stars including Weekend Hussler, Husson, Gold Trail, Host and Eagle Falls and hails from a family made famous by Swettenham Stud.
His dam, the Danehill mare Secret Haze, was a very smart mare – winning five races – all at metropolitan level in either Melbourne or Adelaide.
She is a three quarter sister to the stakes winning sire Springsteen and half sister to Voodoo Beat. She is also a three quarter sister to Email Me – dam of stakes winner Latin News.
It is also the family of influential sire Marauding and last season’s crack Tasmanian juvenile Triple Asset.
Good Baby is the 76th individual stakes winner for Hussonet, who was a welcome addition to the South Australian sire list last spring.
Winner: Good Baby
Breeding: Hussonet-Secret Haze (Danehill)
Race: Penang TC Malaysian 2011 Magic Millions Classic G3 (1200m)
Sold for: $110,000
Sale: 2008 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale
Vendor: Swettenham Stud
Buyer: Blue Sky Thoroughbreds
Earnings: M$752,175
Owner(s): Golden Knight Stable
Trainer: Kevin Coetzee
Photos courtesy of Penang Turf Club.