MY CALL - WICKED INTENT TIGHTENS GRIP ON MM FAVOURITISM ... BUT IS HE UNDER THE ODDS?

By David Fowler | Tuesday, December 16, 2014

David Fowler is the principal thoroughbred caller for Radio TAB. David, who is a keen form student and punter, has enjoyed a lifetime involvement in the racing media. His personal blog, ‘My Call’, appears exclusively on HRO.

Is Wicked Intent currently “under the odds” for the Magic Millions in just under a month?

His grip on favouritism tightened a little further when last Friday night’s impressive Moonee Valley winner Secret Agenda was ruled out of the MM to concentrate on a Blue Diamond campaign.

Wicked Intent’s three wins from as many starts can’t be faulted. There are good times and healthy margins to underline the hat-trick of victories.

But the one remaining question is will he run a strong 1200m in the pressure cooker environment of a Magic Millions.

He may do it on his head, but he might be swamped at the 50 metres.

That question will be answered in the Bruce McLachlan at the Gold Coast on Saturday week, a race that has so often reshaped the MM market with reputations sometimes damaged after failing to cope with the 1200m.

Presently, Wicked Intent is trading between $3.5 and $3.8 in MM fixed odds betting.

I’ll wait until after the McLachlan.

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The Liam Birchley MM onslaught could be strengthened even further at Doomben this Saturday.

Pepperano emerged as a genuine winning possibility with a debut win at Doomben late last month and another debutante, Flamenco, made the MM cut winning the Calaway Gal on the weekend.

She can’t win the big one in my book as her time was nearly a second slower than Wicked Intent but as Birchley correctly summed up … “getting another win keeps another one out.”

It could become a triple pronged MM attack if Saga Of The Storm happens to win at Doomben this weekend.

Her debut third last Saturday week was a strong effort and, most significantly, was at 1200m.

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The other key race in the MM jigsaw puzzle is the Wyong Magic Millions this Thursday.

I’ll be most interested in the performance of Single Gaze who got up at bolters odds at Rosehill last time out.

I don’t know about the opposition but I know he gave them eight lengths start at the midway point before rounding them up.

All I’ve seen on display in the MM lead up so far is speed runners. Single Gaze offers a different dimension.

The strength of the Rosehill race will be put to the test at Wyong but at $26 fixed, he might be worth a ticket now just in case he blows them away again.

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I can’t recall 11 races or more being run at a thoroughbred TAB meeting in Queenland, other than once back in 2009 when the Sunshine Coast hosted a gala twelve race card when eight races were run on the grass and four on the cushion track.

Well, tomorrow there are eleven races at Ipswich with an 11am start and a 5.03 finish.

Full marks to RQ for dividing three races from a large acceptance and keeping faith with stakeholders.

Colleague Paul Dolan told me there were 11 races at a Gatton TAB meeting back in 1981 but the opener was a non TAB event as the system could only cater for 10 races at the time.

Until next week.

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