Showtime & Real Steel yearlings debut at Magic Millions

At first glance, Showtime & Real Steel have little in common, apart from their Arrowfield provenance and the fact their first yearlings debut at Magic Millions 2022.

What they share is a connection through Arrowfield’s long relationship with Japan’s powerhouse Yoshida family; they are both by dominant Champion Sires; they both have outstanding Group 1-winning full sisters; and they were both serious competitors at top level.

Showtime (by Snitzel) is a grandson of two-time Group 1 winner Electronic, an early Australian broodmare purchase for Katsumi Yoshida, and his dam Flidais has played a major role in the success of the Arrowfield-Northern Farm breeding venture.

Her seven winners include two 7-figure Magic Millions yearlings (Showtime and his city-winning sister Evening Slippers) and three stakeswinners: Sweet Idea, who counted The Galaxy G1 among her five Group victories, Showtime and Listed winner Rush.

Showtime’s race record is one of consistent performance as a sprinter-miler in quality company from start to finish. In fact, 14 of his 19 starts were in Group races, including victories in the Stutt S. G2 at The Valley, and the P.B. Lawrence S. G2 at Caulfield where he defeated Hartnell and six other Group 1 winners.  

Flidais is still going strong with a striking yearling colt by The Autumn Sun in Arrowfield’s Magic Millions 2022 draft and a colt foal by Castelvecchio.

And Snitzel’s sire sons are beginning to make their mark in Australia. Shamus Award (17 SW inc. 4 Group 1 winners from his first four crops) is second on the current General Sires’ list, while first season sires Russian Revolution, Invader & Menari have already posted a combined 7 winners from their total of 19 runners.

Arrowfield’s Lot 511, the colt out of She Loves You (by Husson), is a good starting-point for an inspection of Showtime’s 12 Magic Millions yearlings. He’s a well-grown, athletic colt with plenty of substance, very like his sire, and he has thrived during his sale preparation.   

Lime Country (Lot 697) & Hopetoun Farm (Lot 1046) are also offering yearlings by Showtime. 

A$10 million earner Real Steel (by Deep Impact) has timed his first Australian yearlings perfectly, in the wake of outstanding results by Japanese sires Maurice and Real Impact. He is arguably the best-bred stallion of the trio, as a great-grandson of European Champion, 10-time Group 1 winner & celebrated broodmare Miesque whose five stakes-winning progeny include two Group 1 winners, one of them also a Champion Sire, Kingmambo.

Like his superstar full sister Loves Only You (a triple Group 1 winner in the US and Hong Kong this year), Real Steel was trained by Yoshito Yahagi, winning the 2016 Dubai Turf G1, and returning two years later to finish third in the same race behind Champions Benbatl and Vivlos.  

In Japan, Real Steel won twice at Group level, beating Duramente and Satono Aladdin, and was Group 1-placed at three and four to Champions Duramente, Kitasan Black and Maurice.

Real Steel has three colts and two fillies at Magic Millions, all but Bowness Stud’s handsome colt out of Lacey Lonhbreak offered by Arrowfield. Lot 295, a lengthy, stylish filly out of Ms Rodarte (by I Am Invincible) is a good example of what Real Steel has left to Australian-bred mares.