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King of Sparta Loves the Gold Coast!

Tara Madgwick - Saturday January 13

Yarraman Park bred, sold and co-owned I Am Invincible gelding King of Sparta captured the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas in 2022, the Magic Millions Sprint in 2023 and returned to the Gold Coast on Saturday to do it all again scoring a commanding win in the $1million Magic Millions Snippets (!200m).

King of Sparta wins at the Gold Coast for the third year in a row! - image Grant Courtney

The Peter and Paul Snowden trained King Of Sparta was backed as though unbeatable and proved to be exactly that. Ridden by James McDonald he showed his class to cruise clear and win by a couple of lengths in 1:08.26 seconds.

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Peter Snowden had some anxious moments after the start when King of Sparta had drifted back in the field, but it all came together when it mattered.

“I said to J-Mac that he's better than these horses and he can afford to give them a bit of a start when you get him balanced but when he jumped and stepped like that I thought 'my God, I might have said too much there',” said Peter Snowden.

"But at the 600-metre mark he started to truck up and he went around them a couple of strides and he's a pretty talented horse. With the sorts of horses he's been meeting compared to today - without putting any of those horses down here today - he's been running against elite, Everest horses and running well.

"He thoroughly deserved the win.

"Someone asked this morning what we'd do after today and I said get him ready for next year.

"Some horses thrive on work and this horse is the opposite. The fresher he is the better and that turn-of-foot today was outstanding."

King of Sparta has won over $3million in prizemoney - image Grant Courtney

A $700,000 yearling purchase for China Horse Club, Newgate Farm and Starlight Racing from Yarraman Park at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale, King of Sparta was gelded after just four runs and his overall record is now seven wins and seven placings from 27 starts with prizemoney topping $3.2million.

After being gelded he had a change of ownership and King Of Sparta is now raced by a syndicate headed by Yarraman Park and is the fourth foal, and best performer to date for Group III winning Holly Roman Emperor (IRE) mare Octavia, who is back in foal again to I Am Invincible.

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Race Result - $1M It's Live! In Queensland Magic Millions Snippets 1200m

Gold Coast Track: Good(4) Time: 1:08.26
1
King Of Sparta
- 5g I Am Invincible (AUS) x Octavia (AUS) (Holy Roman Emperor (IRE))
Tnr: P & P Snowden Rdr: J B Mc Donald 57
2
2
Petronius
- 7g Redoute's Choice (AUS) x Cat By The Tale (USA) (Tale Of The Cat (USA))
Tnr: B J Lockwood Rdr: Jaden Lloyd 57
3
3.5
Rose Quartz
- 6m Written Tycoon (AUS) x Obsidian Dragon (AUS) (Hidden Dragon (AUS))
Tnr: G M Begg Rdr: M J Dee 56
4
3.9
Baller
- 8g High Chaparral (IRE) x Fuwa (AUS) (Encosta De Lago (AUS))
Tnr: T J Gollan Rdr: James Orman 59
5
4
Hard To Say
- 4g Exceed And Excel (AUS) x Malasun (AUS) (Red Ransom (USA))
Tnr: J C Deamer Rdr: Ashley Morgan 56
6
5.3
Noble Style
- 3f Needs Further (AUS) x Lustica (AUS) (Tale Of The Cat (USA))
Tnr: Ms P Barron Rdr: M R Du Plessis 52
7
5.8
Beaux Rumble
- 5g Maurice (JPN) x Money Talker (AUS) (Benicio (AUS))
Tnr: Ms G Heinrich Rdr: Ryan Maloney 56
8
6.2
Nettuno
- 4h I Am Invincible (AUS) x Saint Minerva (AUS) (Galileo (IRE))
Tnr: T J Gollan Rdr: Ben Thompson 56
9
6.6
Animate
- 7g Animal Kingdom (USA) x Flowerchild (AUS) (Redoute's Choice (AUS))
Tnr: K A Lees Rdr: Dylan Gibbons 56
10
6.8
Shooting For Gold
- 6g Shooting To Win (AUS) x Amber's Crown (AUS) (Excites (AUS))
Tnr: S O'Dea & M Hoysted Rdr: M Zahra 58
11
8.3
Spaceboy
- 7g Deep Field (AUS) x Miatoko (AUS) (Danzero (AUS))
Tnr: G Portelli Rdr: Cejay Graham 56
12
8.8
Smart Image
- 6g Smart Missile (AUS) x Shared Reflections (AUS) (Umatilla (NZ))
Tnr: Trevor & Peter Rowe Rdr: Damien Thornton 56
13
16.6
Bonaparte
- 8g Pierro (AUS) x Trafalgar Miss (AUS) (War Pass (USA))
Tnr: S W Kendrick Rdr: M Rodd 57
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