Unbeaten favourite to carry the flag for Sword Of State in Magic Millions
Richard Edmunds - Raceform • January 15th, 2026 11:29 AM • 3 min read
The A$3 million TAB Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast has so often been the realm of big-name Australian sires like Snitzel, Written Tycoon, I Am Invincible and Zoustar, but this season a first-season stallion from New Zealand has the chance to add his name to the honour roll.
The unbeaten $1.85 favourite for the two-year-old dash for cash, Warwoven, comes from the first crop by Cambridge Stud’s Sword Of State.
Himself the champion two-year-old in New Zealand in 2020-21 with victories in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes and Gr.3 Matamata Slipper, Sword Of State has made a spectacular start at stud and currently heads Australia’s first-season premiership. Saturday’s first prize of A$1.7 million would take him a big step closer to that coveted prize.
Warwoven is trained by expat New Zealander Bjorn Baker, who has previously won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic with Unencumbered (2014) and O’ Ole (2025).
A son of the Kevin Hickman-bred Makfi mare Needle And Thread – who won the Gr.2 Royal Stakes at Ellerslie and is a full-sister to the stallion Savile Row – Warwoven was bought for A$380,000 from the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale last year.
Warwoven was a smart two-length winner on debut at Randwick on December 20, then followed that up with an even more impressive three-length romp over 1200m at Eagle Farm on January 3. She was ridden to both of those victories by Rachel King, who retains the mount on Saturday.
“I’m very excited about him,” King told Racenet. “He’s done nothing wrong so far and he’s just a horse that’s going to keep improving with each run.
“I’ve been lucky to ride a few throughout my career, but he definitely ranks up there. He’s pretty special.”
Warwoven fared well in Tuesday’s barrier draw, securing barrier six, and Baker could not be any happier with how the build-up has gone.
“Very happy with the draw, I think it’s ideal,” he said. “I didn't want to be too close to the inside, and you don't want to be covering ground out deep.
“I think he's got good tactical speed and he's very laid-back. He should be able to jump and hopefully put himself in the first six or seven comfortably enough.
“Sometimes you can overanalyse, you don't know how the track's going to play, but at this stage, very happy with the gate.
“He had a nice gallop this (Tuesday) morning. He had a good gallop towards the end of last week, and this morning it wasn't so much about running time. It was just about finishing off nicely, following a horse, and he looked really good that last bit. He looked to recover well, I think he's fit and ready to go.
“I think the one thing, when I've been lucky enough to win the Magic Millions twice before, is that the horses have had great attitudes and he's definitely got that. It just carries you so far, particularly in a high-pressure race and a high-pressure time of the year.”
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