EXCLUSIVE: A bidding war for superstar two-year-old Storm Boy could see him become the most expensive horse in Australian history as leading studs line up for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner.
A host of major farms have inspected the Justify colt in the past few days and his stud future is now at the centre of a bidding war.
The Straight understands that Coolmore Australia is in prime position to win the battle for Storm Boy, who is the ruling favourite for the Golden Slipper.
Offers are understood to be in the realm of $20 million already for the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained colt, with a significant kicker, or bonus to be paid out if Storm Boy were to win the Golden Slipper in March.
It is understood a bonus of at least $25 million would be paid should that eventuate, while should he win the two-year-old Triple Crown, a further $10 million will be handed over to his owners.
There are also more kickers built in for feature wins in his three-year-old season.
An unbeaten sweep of the Sydney two-year-old features would therefore value Storm Boy at above $50 million. That would likely make him the most expensive horse in Australian thoroughbred history, overtaking what was believed to be $40 million paid Vancouver in 2015.
JUSTIFY may have produced the best juvenile in Australia for the 2024 racing season. Watch STORM BOY dominate the Magic Millions 2YO Classic. pic.twitter.com/zK37mcQMbO
— Sky Racing World (@SkyRacingWorld) January 13, 2024
Vancouver was also trained by Gai Waterhouse (before she entered partnership with Adrian Bott) and also purchased by Coolmore.
Other farms believed to have made substantial offers for the colt are Yulong, owned by Chinese billionaire Yuesheng Zhang, and Newgate Farm, who already stand Golden Slipper winners Stay Inside and Capitalist.
One bloodstock insider told The Straight:
"Storm Boy is easily the most exciting colt that is on the market for stud duties at present, but even so, a valuation of $20 million is pretty remarkable. He's been incredibly impressive - both in the way he won the Magic Millions and how that was backed up by the clock - but it is still a lot of money for a horse that has, as yet, only won a restricted listed race.
"That said, he is an incredibly impressive physical specimen and given how well Justify is going, it may turn out to be good business in the end."
The looming sale will be subject to extensive veterinary checks.
"He is an incredibly impressive physical specimen and given how well Justify is going, it may turn out to be good business in the end."
Bred by Coolmore, Storm Boy was a $460,000 purchase as a yearling from last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale, where he was sold by his breeder as part of its draft.
Waterhouse, who purchased the colt in partnership with Bott and bloodstock agent Bruce Slade of Kestrel Thoroughbreds, sold off 20 per cent of Storm Boy after parading him to a group of Western Sydney businessmen at a pub in Penrith last year.
However, the major beneficiaries of any sale would be the Cunningham family of Cunningham Thoroughbreds, in whose colours he races.
Racing and Sports Newswire
Coolmore would be especially keen to buy Storm Boy back given he shapes as the best Australian two-year-old son of Justify, who has made a rapid start to his breeding career on both sides of the world.
Justify himself was a record buy, when Coolmore stumped up a reported US$60 million to acquire his services when he retired after he completed the American Triple Crown in 2018.
Justify shuttled to the Hunter Valley for three seasons before taking a break in 2022. He returned to Australia in 2023, where he served his biggest ever book, 187, at a fee of $77,000.
However, given his tremendous success from his Kentucky base has seen his 2024 fee rise to US$200,000, he may prove too valuable a stallion prospect to keep shuttling.
