SKY-HIGH 2Y0 SALE
Former commercial pilot lands $60m Storm Boy deal
Mitchell Cunningham used to land commercial planes for a living – now he has landed the biggest deal of his life with the sale of Golden Slipper favourite, Storm Boy.
The born and bred Queenslander, whose much-loved Mum Lorilie is in remission from breast cancer, was a key part of the racing power deal which could potentially be worth $60m in total, a world record for a two-year-old.
Cunningham Thoroughbreds were the managing owners of freak colt Storm Boy, owning a 20 per cent share in Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott’s outstanding Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner. Their share has now been diluted down to five per cent with the whopping sale deal with Coolmore, which could total $60m if the colt wins the Sydney two-year-old triple crown comprising the Golden Slipper, Sires’ Produce Stakes and Champagne Stakes.
Mitchell Cunningham has always had racing in his blood, but has taken the road less travelled to become a big player in the racing industry and a key plank in one of the most significant deals in Australian racing history.
“I finished university and got a cadetship with Cathay Pacific, I lived in Hong Kong and ended up flying 747s and other commercial planes all over Europe, Australia, New Zealand, all throughout Asia and Africa,” Cunningham told Racenet.
“In 2017, my father (Gary) and I started mulling over the idea of us doing something together in the racing industry.
“I was walking away from good money but I have always been a risk taker, I come from a long line of risk takers.
“It was daunting at the time. Being involved in what we do in racing is a hell of a lot more risky than flying a plane.”
Storm Boy is an incredible talent and if he shows even half as much fight as Cunningham’s Mum Lorilie, the colt will be in for a stunning racing career. Mitchell and Dad Gary might be the driving forces behind the Cunningham Thoroughbreds business and its offshoot, Ridgmont Farm, the breeding side of the business based near Scone in NSW.
But it’s Lorilie who is the heart and soul of the family business.
“To see Mum diagnosed with breast cancer was an incredibly rattling thing for our whole family,” Cunningham said.
“Mum has had quite a health battle and she went through a hell of a lot over an 18-month period. But she was still showing up at the races throughout the chemotherapy with a big smile.
“She is an incredibly sociable and fun loving person who people love being around. “Dad was the catalyst for the business, but Mum is really the heart behind what we are doing.
“The great news is she is now in remission and doing really well.”
Storm Boy was purchased for $460,000 at the 2023 Gold Coast Magic Millions Sales and the Cunninghams later got an email from racing’s first lady Waterhouse asking if they would like to buy into the colt.
They took a 20 per cent share and became Storm Boy’s managing owners.
Storm Boy is the $3 favourite to win the Golden Slipper on March 23 and is $3.50 to score the Sires’ Produce Stakes.