Merry Christmas to all
Wishing everyone a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Straight Six Racing!
Thanks for all of the support over the year. We look forward to celebrating many successes at the track in 2026.
NEWS
2025 delivers continued success on the track and in the sales ring for horses selected by Straight Six Racing’s Michael Ward
2025 has been another exciting year for Straight Six Racing’s Michael Ward, who has seen great progress from the yearlings he purchased at the Magic Millions sales earlier in the year and exceptional results from horses he selected previously.
In its first year of operation, Straight Six Racing has delivered on its promise of offering quality horses to a great group of owners. Using his 20-plus years of experience in selecting outstanding racehorses, Michael secured two athletic yearlings at the January sales – Home Missile, a colt by Home Affairs out of Royal Missile, and Volcanic Vixen, a filly by Pinatubo out of Glamorous Miss.
Both horses, trained by Annabel and Rob Archibald and Bjorn Baker respectively, are coming along nicely and working towards their debut runs in the Autumn.
“We’ve got two great groups of owners who have enjoyed watching the progress of their horses over the year,” Michael says. “Excitement is now building as further preparation gets underway in readiness for the horses’ first racing campaigns.”
“At Straight Six Racing we aim to deliver a boutique syndication offering, with fewer numbers but higher quality horses, unmatched communication and a sense of camaraderie among owners that, when combined, ensures a positive racing experience.”
Michael’s knack for selecting winning racehorses has been on display on the racetrack and in the sales ring throughout 2025.
The most successful example is Mazu who competed in his third Everest and became the second horse selected and syndicated by Michael in partnership with his brother Chris to win prizemoney in excess of $10 million. The 7 year-old gelding follows in the footsteps of the $16.4 million earning dual-Everest winner Redzel, the highest syndicated prizemoney earner in the history of horse racing in Australia.
“To have two of our horses exceed $10 million in prizemoney, and be in the top 20 Australian prizemoney earners of all time, is an absolute boon for the owners and an endorsement of the selection process,” says Michael.
Another horse selected by the pair who enjoyed success in 2025 was Firm Agreement, whose prizemoney reached $801,200 after he finished second in the Group 1 ATC Derby at Royal Randwick.
In addition to winners on the track, three mares bought by Michael and his brother were sold at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in May for a combined total of $2.58 million. The mares – Revolutionary Miss, Miss Helfire and Aemelius – were sold for $1.6 million, $640,000 and $340,000 respectively. The sale prices and prizemoney earned by the mares delivered a total return to owners of $5.2 million from a combined purchase price of only $385,000.
New ownership opportunities
Michael will be heading back to the Magic Millions sales in January to once again apply his carefully-honed selection skills to secure additional quality horses for the Straight Six Racing stable. These horses will be offered for syndication in the new year.
To register your interest in becoming an owner enter your details on the Contact page of this website. Alternatively, call Michael Ward directly on 0412 747 224.
The VRC Derby: Quality Versus Spectacle
The Victorian Spring Carnival never fails to deliver great storylines, and the 2025 edition has been no exception. One highlight was the success of the blue army, Godolphin, the global racing powerhouse that injects millions into the great sport. This year their crowning moment came on "Derby Day" when winning the stallion-making $2m VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes, followed immediately by the feature $2m VRC Derby, all within the space of 40 minutes. Though while applauding their remarkable achievement, Straight Six Racing's Michael Ward got thinking about what impact the time-honoured VRC Derby has on future form.
Observer, the 3YO colt by Ghaiyyath, was the $2.45 favourite for the Derby after winning the Group 2 Vase at Moonee Valley the prior week and duly saluted in dominant fashion. Like many winners of the race before him, including Efficient and Mahogony, Observer is sure to stamp his class again in the future and have a bright career ahead.
However, how does the quality of the race stack up as a Group 1 event and does the current format deliver as a spectacle?
The VRC Derby is the first time that these horses have attempted the 2500m distance of the race, which creates an unknown factor as to whether they can see out the trip. This fact alone gives the race an element of excitement, with the connections of each entrant able to speculate as to why their representative may prevail on the big day. However, in 2025, the eventual finishing margin of 15 lengths between first and last highlights the divergence of quality in the field.
There can be no doubt that those who finish at the pointy end of the race are athletes of significant ability, as are a few of those who finish behind them. Although the divergence of quality in the field exists due to the mixed composition of runners. In this year’s field of 16 runners plus 4 emergencies, only 5 horses had won more than one race, while 6 horses were still maidens, having never greeted the judge. If one delves deeper into the form, it becomes evident that Super Paradise, a final acceptor, had only a Warracknabeal maiden win to its name, while Deal Done Fast scraped into the field with total prizemoney of only $20,310.
The form out of the previous year’s race seems to back up the notion that the depth of the VRC Derby field is varied. So far, only three runners from the 2024 edition have subsequently gone on to win another race at metropolitan level, including Rosehill winner King of Thunder, Flemington winner Politely Dun and Moonee Valley winner Hot Too Go.
With the bar arguably set low for making it into the field, it has some people questioning whether the field size of 16 contributes to the varying quality of entrants. While that may be true to some extend, in my opinion I would have it no other way. At the end of the day, there is something romantic about seeing 16 horses thundering down the wide expanse of the Flemington straight carrying the hopes and dreams of their connections. The hopes of many will be dashed, but the dream of winning is priceless!
Mazu eclipses $10m in prizemoney
Mazu has blasted through the $10 million prizemoney barrier after finishing third in the Russell Balding Stakes at Randwick Racecourse on Saturday.
The 7 year-old gelding has now become the second horse selected and syndicated by Straight Six Racing’s Michael Ward and his brother Chris to achieve prizemoney in excess of $10 million, following in the footsteps of the $16.4 million earning dual-Everest winner Redzel, the highest syndicated prizemoney earner in the history of horse racing in Australia.
Purchased for $180,000 at the Inglis Classic Sale in 2020, Mazu has excelled on the track and delivered significant returns to his ownership group, with total prizemoney and bonuses now sitting at $10,565,950. His career achievements include seven wins at stakes-level and three tilts at The Everest in 2022, 2023 and 2025 – placing third in the 2022 edition of The Everest, the world’s richest race on turf.
“Mazu has been an absolute beauty for his connections,” says Michael Ward. “To have two of our horses exceed $10 million in prizemoney is an absolute boon for the owners and an endorsement of the selection process.”
“It’s also a clear demonstration of the significant rewards on offer these days for racehorse owners.”
Straight Six Racing will be returning to the sales ring at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale in January. Go to the Contact page of this website to express your interest in becoming an owner in our next syndicated horse.