Frothy Macaw secured a big victory for trainer Matthew Seyers, marking his first win for well-known owner John Singleton at Morphettville on Saturday.
Seyers, who had already celebrated a double win at the Mount Gambier Cup on Friday, claimed his third victory in just over 24 hours with the two-year-old filly. Frothy Macaw was a $100,000 Magic Millions purchase.
The filly’s name hints at her famous owner—entrepreneur John Singleton, a passionate bird lover who is also known for treating people to drinks on race day. Given a $200,000 budget by Singleton, Seyers selected Frothy Macaw at the 2024 Adelaide Yearling Sale.
After finishing fifth on debut in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic, the filly was guided to victory by jockey Jacob Opperman in Saturday’s Benchmark 68 (1000m).
Seyers, who trains at Murray Bridge, shared how he got the opportunity: “Out of the blue, I got a call from Magic Millions telling me to contact Singleton. He wanted a horse to race in South Australia and gave us a solid budget to find one. That’s how we ended up with her.”
“It’s a fantastic result, and I’m grateful to Mr. Singleton for the opportunity,” Seyers said.
“She’s a beautiful filly by Anders. I told Jacob earlier to find cover early in the race. She started well but got left in front, which confused her a bit. Today, with a better run, she finished strongly.”
With the Adelaide racing carnival approaching, Seyers now aims to enter her in next month’s Listed Dequetteville Stakes (1000m).
“She recovered well from the Magic Millions. She’s smart and will improve even more in the next six months,” he added.
Meanwhile, Angaston trainers Aaron Bain and Ned Taylor continued their impressive form, securing two wins at Morphettville with Bakeel and Overextend.
Bakeel’s victory in a Benchmark 78 (1400m) marked his third straight win since moving from Singapore to South Australia. He is now being prepared for the Listed City of Adelaide Handicap in April.
Despite a poor start and some overracing, race favorite Immortal Bliss still proved too strong in a Class 1 Handicap (1000m) under jockey Teagan Voorham.
Trainer Peter Hardacre has bigger plans for him, as the three-year-old is set to compete in the Listed Redelva Stakes (1100m) next month.
Bain and Taylor shared the top trainer honors for the day with Michael Hickmott, who claimed victories with Ad Astra and Exalted Fire. Jockeys Taylor Johnstone and Jacob Opperman also had standout performances, each riding two winners on the nine-race card.