Two industry heavy hitters, Coolmore and China Horse Club, have over $3,500,000 worth of horseflesh sitting on the bench for Saturday's $1,000,000 XXXX Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm.
Coolmore has the $1,900,000 Magic Millions sales-topper, Basquiat requiring two scratchings and the $900,000 Easter Yearling Political Debate needing four.
China Horse Club has two sons of Zoustar, the $425,000 Inglis Classic yearling Ringmaster requiring one scratch and the $340,000 Easter Yearling Metallicity needing an unlikely five withdrawals.
Political Debate has opened up the second favourite in a wide-open market, and the race for the seasons leading sire may hinge on his participation.
The stunning son of So You Think could counter the Group 1 victory of Lombardo in last week's Goodwood, which vaulted I Am Invincible back to the top of the standings.
We will take a chance on Basquiat gaining a run.
The Chris Waller-trained, son of Snitzel has been runner-up at his two starts at Warwick Farm and Hawkesbury behind two nice juveniles in North Star Lass and Burgunder.
Basquiat is the first foal of Bonny O'Reilly, who has been a windfall for a series of owners from the time she made $100,000 to the bid of Bjorn Baker Racing/Michael Wallace at the 2014 NZB Premier Yearling Sale.
From one of Waikato Stud's most revered families, Bonny O'Reilly was the first of five consecutive foals for the Pins mare Pretty.
Bonny O'Reilly's younger sister Dahooil is the dam of the budding superstar Espiona. Following Dahooil came the Ocean Park filly Pretty To Sea, a Listed stakes-winner and runner-up in the Group III Adrian Knox Stakes.
The winner of a Ballarat maiden in four starts for Danny O'Brien, Pretty is a half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner Glamour Puss and Vision and Power and the Group II Stan Fox Stakes winner Rare Insight.
Rare insight is the dam of Group 1 Coolmore Classic winner Steps in Time, whose son I Am Lethal lines up in Saturday's Group III Fred Best Classic at Eagle Farm.
Bonny O'Reilly rarely ran a bad race. She won half of her 16 starts and ran up a sequence of five wins culminating in the Listed BRC Helen Coughlan Stakes, the race that concludes a brilliant programme at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Consigned by Attunga Stud to the 2018 Magic Millions National Broodmare, Bonny O'Reilly was an $825,000 purchase for Jadeskye Racing/Samaco Racing.
Back in the same ring a year later and carrying a positive test to Snitzel, Bonny O'Reilly made $1,200,000 to the bid of Widden Stud/David Redvers Bloodstock.
Two year's later, that hefty investment returned $1.9million with the sale of the Snitzel colt Basquiat to Tom Magnier.
Danny O'Brien had the final say at $430,000 for Widden Stud's Zoustar x Bonny O'Reilly colt at the recent Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
The till will continue to tick over as Bonny O'Reilly has a weanling I Am Invincible colt and revisited Snitzel last spring.
