NEED SOME LUCK TAKES OUT THE BUFFERING. EARNS WILDCARD ENTRY INTO THE $2 MILLION MM CUP

By Graham Potter | Saturday, January 3, 2026

Trainer Peter Snowden seldom comes away from the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival without a feature race win and this season that arrived courtesy of the Rubick gelding Need Some Luck in The $300 000 Buffering over 1400m at Eagle Farm.

As the winner of The Buffering, Need Some Luck gained automatic entry into the $2 million Magic Millions Cup at the Gold Coast on January 17.

The five-year-old wasn’t sighted in the finish of $1 million Meteorite at Cranbourne over 1200m in his previous start, but he was a winner before that, taking out the Listed Fisher Stakes over 1200m at Flemington on November 8, so there was form to recommend him … and, if you looked back far enough you would have found that Need Some Luck had won both of his previous starts over 1400m.

In The Buffering, he would keep his unbeaten record over the distance intact.

Jumping as an equal favourite with Rothfire at $5, Tommy Berry settled Need Some Luck on the rail in sixth place, but only two lengths off the lead, in a busy opening to the race.

Need Some Luck was up to fourth, still saving ground, on the approach to the home turn where Sandpiper ($21), Rothfire and The Three Hundred ($26) were still cutting at each other in the leading line … and, with the leaders moving away from the fence on straightening, a made-to-order inside run presented itself for Need Some Luck, and Berry wasted little time in urging his mount to take that run.

Need Some Luck duly lengthened his stride and quickly moved forward to take the lead early in the home straight, but then the Snowden trained runner had to maintain a sustained run from there to get the job done … and he did that with some aplomb, holding the runner-up Robusto ($12) who had looked a likely threat when quickening nicely enough halfway up the straight, by a touch under a length.

Tuned ($17) edged out Rockribbed ($5.50) in a phot-finish for third place.

"He's got the golden ticket, we're in," enthused Snowden post-race..

"This is the first time he's been up against those really hard-nosed campaigners. He had to step up today and I thought he acquitted himself really well.

"He's a half-brother to Chautauqua. He's not a Chautauqua but he'll do me."

"He's brilliant on soft ground. With rock-hard tracks he feels it a little bit, but when the tracks have a bit of give in them, he excels again," continued Snowden.

"Seven furlongs is the right trip and if it happens to be a wet day (at the Gold Coast) then he'll jump out of the ground."

‘Seven furlongs is the right trip’. Unbeaten at 1400m. The $2 million Magic Millions Cup is over 1400m.

Point noted.

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