Two-year-old Storm Boy is the bookies’ favourite for the Golden Slipper Stakes at Rosehill Gardens next month after winning three Australian races in style, with the 2024 Gold Coast Magic Millions Classic the latest of those impressive triumphs. Those performances have caught the eye of one of the most prominent breeding operations in the world, Coolmore Stud, who are ready to break the bank to get the horse.
A Smart Investment
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained colt will reportedly fetch more than US$50 million which even though may seem like a lot, will be a smart investment if the two-year-old continues to pile up the wins.
Sired by Justify and the son of Pelican was actually sold by Coolmore Stud as a yearling for US$460,000. However, the world’s preeminent breeding operation of thoroughbred racehorses has no doubts that Storm Boy will turn into a superstar in the future and is willing to spend big to get him back.
Coolmore Stud knows what it takes to produce world-class runners and you only have to look at what they have achieved with Galileo to see what their plans are for Storm Boy. Galileo, who was a leading sire in Ireland and Great Britain, produced offspring that dominated Group 1 races for many years. So, Coolmore probably hope to do the same with Storm Boy.
Storm Boy and Switzerland to Fight for the Golden Slipper
However, for now, the goal for Storm Boy is to win the Golden Slipper. That won’t be easy, though, as another Coolmore colt will be attempting to win the coveted race.
Chris Waller-trained Switzerland won his first race in the Join ATC Membership Handicap at Randwick and Waller will try to add another victory to his name at the Golden Slipper.
The trainer said they didn’t ask too much of two-year-olds and they had the same approach with the son of Snitzel. However, Waller has been told by many of their track riders how talented Switzerland was so they had big plans for the “strong” and “well-bred” horse who he described as “the complete package.”
At the time of writing, Storm Boy is a $3 favourite to win the Golden Slipper, while Switzerland is right behind him, priced at $7.
