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Next member of the Victorian Alliance set for Flemington debut.
Millane is not the only million-dollar colt in the Victorian Alliance stable, but there have been few members of the team it has been more eager to see at the races.
Some of the biggest names in Australian breeding will get to do that when the son of Zoustar takes his place in the $160,000 Listed The Australian Childhood Foundation Plate (1000m) at Flemington.
The group's enthusiasm for the debut of the $1.15 million Inglis Easter Yearling purchase has been led by encouraging words from trainer Peter Moody.
"We've got a careful eye on all our horses, but there are ones that you probably ring the trainer about more than the others and he's been one of them," Rosemont Stud's Anthony Mithen said of Millane.
"Everyone's excited to see him go around because 'Moods' has shown a bit more spring in his step about this horse."
Millane is part of the Rosemont Stud-led Alliance's 12-strong stable and it will race the colt from the Snitzel mare Fireworks in partnership with his breeder John Camilleri, who also bred Winx.
The only more expensive yearling bought by the Alliance, who has named all their purchases after champion Aussie rules players, was Doull (Snitzel and Bulbula), who was a $1.2 million purchase at Easter.
Millane will be the fourth to race, following G3 Maribyrnong Plate (1000m) winner Brereton, a $1 million Zoustar yearling, Hafey ($525,000), who won on debut at Bendigo before finishing down the track in last week's Blue Diamond, and Quinlan, who trialled well before failing to handle the occasion on debut in the Maribyrnong Plate.
"If I complained I'd be hard to please," Mithen said.
"We've had three to the races and we've had a Group 3 winner before Christmas, we've had a runner in the Blue Diamond and the other one who ran in the Maribyrnong Plate, which was a bridge too far for his level of experience, not his talent.
"If we could get multiple Group-class horses out of a dozen throws at the stumps, that's a pretty good effort and one we should all be proud of."
Millane's debut has been delayed by minor blood count issues, but Mithen was buoyed by an encouraging track gallop with Group 3-winning three-year-old filly Gimme Par on Tuesday morning.
"Moods has got some nice horses around at the moment, so he's got a good ability to get a benchmark on his horses, which is proven in the amount of winners he's getting at the moment," he said.
"If he says, 'let's go down the straight at Flemington in a Stakes race first up', we're more than happy to oblige."
Millane, named after Collingwood's 1990 premiership wingman Darren Millane, is a $7.50 chance in a Ladbrokes market headed by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Snitzel filly Wee Nessy at $3.50.
