Former world champion boxer hoping for Millions divine intervention

By Andrew Smith

Corey McConnell is used to searching for inspiration to beat opponents in the ring, and he's convinced Divine Di won’t have to look far for motivation at next Saturday’s Magic Millions Raceday.

The former world champion boxer is a part-owner of the unraced filly who will line up in the The Debut 2YO Fillies Plate at Aquis Park on January 13.

The 18-strong ownership group also includes several of McConnell’s family members, as well as Divine Di’s trainer Jay Bellamy.

It was a chance encounter at the 2023 Gold Coast National Yearling Sale last May where childhood friends McConnell and Bellamy came upon Divine Di.

“I’ve known Jay since we were kids and we were talking about getting a horse, so we went to go have a look at a horse at the sales and the one we went to look at wasn’t what we were after,” McConnell said.

“We were just walking back through and Jay said ‘let’s just have a look at this little thing that’s come out.'

“She came out and she was pretty ordinary – but we ended up getting her for $6,000 and that's how it came about."

Bellamy can attest to the initial lack of appeal in buying the Divine Prophet-Heartribute filly.

“She was yellow and she was little and she was an ugly duckling kind of thing,” Bellamy says with a laugh.

“But I just saw through that and could see the shape of her and that she’s going to make a nice horse.

“I said to Corey ‘do you like her?’ and he was just umming and ahhing and I said I really like her, I think she’s going to grow into a nice horse and we just decided to buy her.”

McConell’s mum Di had sadly passed away a week earlier at the age of 66.

With the former featherweight champion’s brothers, sisters and brothers-in-law all involved in ownership, there was no doubts over what name the group would bestow on the two-year-old.

"We’re all quite close and we all used to get to Mum’s place every weekend, and this is a big thing for us getting the horse and all of us going all in on it,” McConnell said.

“With Mum gone, we were looking at it as one way for us all to get back together again when the horse comes to racing.

“Because of the name out of Divine Prophet and Heartribute, we were going to go in and name it after Mum.”

McConnell had a lucrative career as a fighter, including WBU, WBC and WBA titles between 2013 and 2016, before a heart condition forced him into an early retirement.

While gutted to step away from boxing, he dived into his other love of riding horses and took on track work every morning.

He also helps keep jockeys and other members of the racing industry fit with boxing coaching.

With Divine Di training out at Fenwick Farm, McConnell needed to see the filly’s potential for himself.

“I went out to ride her and thought she’s a nice little horse, just so professional in her work and brilliant in everything she does,” McConnell said.

“I rang Jay and I said ‘I don’t want to sound like one of those owners, but I think we’ve got a nice little horse under us here - let’s run her and get her in.'"

Divine Di enjoyed a 1000m trial on the new Gold Coast surface just after Christmas.

“Since then she’s just been in Gold Coast work and she’s been doing everything right," McConnell said.

“Seeing her at the Yearling Sale, it was never the intention to get her to this Debut race - we would have just been happy for her to trial but she’s trialed over a thousand metres at the track and she’s working at the track now.

“She is bred to get over a bit of distance and in all honesty they might be a little bit too sharp for her for this race but I guess that’s what's pretty exciting about two year olds – you just don’t know on the day.

“A little horse like that - she never would have been ready for the Millions but she’s got an opportunity to race here.”

The Magic Millions The Debut for unraced 2YOs has been split into two separate sex divisions, each carrying prize money of $500,000.

Bellamy has one other runner nominated for the big raceday with Five Star Vixen in the 3YO Guineas.

The Gold Coast trainer knows Divine Di will be up against it but is keen to repay the faith shown in him by the McConnell family.

“I’m expecting her to run well but we’re obviously up  against Gai Waterhouse and big Sydney trainers that have probably paid half a million dollars for their ones,” Bellamy said,

“Sometimes the breeding comes into it but I think she’s going to run a good race, she learnt a lot off that trial.

“She’s a little professional, since her trial she’s come off really well, and it’s sparked her a up a lot in her track work as well.

“I’ve bee training horses for 20 years and Corey has seen that and installed this trust in me.

“He knows that I’m good with them and he just said to me ‘I want you to train this horse and be in it, you picked it out,’ so it’s a pretty cool story about how it’s come about.”

McConnell is convinced there may already be some divine intervention on the cards for the day with Divine Di drawing barrier one.

“I guess we are thinking, oh the old girl’s looking over us,” he said.

“To have it on one of the biggest racing days in Queensland it’s quite cool, and I guess we’re just pretty pumped about it

“Jay obviously knew Mum quite well so it’s all come together - it was like it was meant to be.”