$2.8m Colt The Next Episode Breaks Maiden at Warwick Farm

Alex Marsh

Editor

Last updated: Wed 11 Mar 2026 04:03

Alex Marsh 11 Mar 2026

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The Next Episode impresses at Warwick Farm on March 11
Ciaron Maher's $2.8m colt shows remarkable improvement at start two
He was the second-highest priced yearling at 2025 Magic Millions

Humma Humma and Sunlight produced the two highest-priced yearlings at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. (Getty)

The Next Episode produced a breakthrough performance at Warwick Farm on Wednesday, with the $2.8 million colt delivering on strong market support when resuming.

Heavily backed for the first-up assignment, the Ciaron Maher-trained galloper travelled a little greenly in transit but still showed his class when it mattered most. The son of Snitzel spotted a narrow gap in the straight and produced a nice turn-of-foot.

It was a far more polished showing than his racetrack debut last spring when well supported in the Group 3 Golden Gift. On that occasion the colt failed to fire, but there were genuine excuses after he pulled up lame and was slow to recover from the run.

The Next Episode carries a lofty price tag, with the son of Snitzel purchased for $2.8 million by Ciaron Maher Bloodstock at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

The colt was the second-highest priced yearling of the sale, offered through the Widden Stud draft and secured after strong competition from buyers.

Only one lot surpassed that figure across the week, with the Home Affairs–Sunlight filly topping the sale at $3.2 million when purchased by Japanese trainer Mitsumasa Nakauchida.

Bred on a strong sprinting pedigree, The Next Episode is the second foal of multiple stakes winner Humma Humma, with her first being Price Tag, a twice stakes-placed juvenile.