BROWNIE'S BLOG - LOOKING FORWARD TO GOLD COAST'S BIG DAY OUT AS MAGIC MILLIONS TAKES CENTRE STAGE

By Damian Browne | Friday, January 8, 2016

Damian Browne, reigning Queensland's Jockey Of The Year, is rated right up there with the best jockeys in Australia and, as such, his highly informed views make essential reading for anyone in the racing industry. Damian’s column, ‘Brownies Blog’ appears exclusively on HRO

I always look forward to riding Buffering wherever he might race and my excitement at doing so tomorrow at the Gold Coast is no different.

As I’ve said before he is the only horse I have ridden who gets cheered when he goes out onto the track and he deserves every accolade.

Because of Buffering’s class compared to the quality of the rest of the field, I know some people are expecting that the race will be little more than a track gallop for him but we have to remember that there are no certainties in racing.

There are always some concerns ... like the 61kg he has to carry and the fact that he has yet to win over 1300m ... but it is reasonable to think that his class would still make him too good for the opposition.

I think his rating is ten lengths better than the second rated horse so that does tell the story. In theory he would only have to be ninety percent right to take care of them.

We couldn’t be happier with the horse so we are just looking forward to tomorrow.

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I ride Punishing for Liam Birchley in the MM Two-Year-Old Classic.

Punishing has had a bit of practise from bad draws in his last two runs and, unfortunately, he has got one again. His results were not that good in those races, but his runs have been better than they have looked on paper.

Liam has got a great knack of timing the preparation of his horses to perfection with these sort of races in mind and he has added blinkers for this race.

Those two factors will be in Punishing’s favour but he is probably still going to need a touch of luck in the running from the wide draw.

The draw, in general, obviously does come into play but in essence its effect on individual horses really depends on their individual racing patterns.

If Capitalist had drawn wide he would have to do some work to get into a position he would have liked ... as Zelady’s Night Out will now have to do ... whereas Capitalist should now get a very good run from his inside draw.

If you are on a horse that goes back anyway though, the draw doesn’t really matter. The effect of the draw depends on your racing pattern for sure.

Peter and Paul Snowden have three horses in the race, including the favourite Capiltalist.

I’ve had success with the Snowden stable on big race rides before and Peter did give me a call and offered me the ride on Mooshakissa, but I’ve been committed to Punishing for quite a while now.

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I’m also really excited about riding Tinto tomorrow. I really liked her win the other day at the track.

Rex Lipp said she takes a little while to wind up at times but last time, when I gave her a little dig, I was surprised how quickly she got to the front.I went from midfield to attacking the leaders on straightening pretty quickly.

I was impressed by that and she is probably very well in at the weights too.

Obviously Centre Pivot had a good win in the Bernborough. They look to be the standout two in the race ... and I certainly wouldn’t be swopping her!

I also ride for Rex in the Three-Year-Old Guineas. In His Stride might not have flash form but he has drawn a good gate which will be a big help to him. He will be able to put himself into the race.

I do know Rex has got a good opinion of the horse and hopefully he will run well.

The three-year-old race has had a tendency over the years to throw up a roughie.

Not too many favourites have won the race. I won it a few years ago on Saluter and he was about 20-1

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My other ride for the day is on Havasay in the opening race, the $250 000 Maiden Plate, again for Liam Birchley.

Havasay is first-up since May, but he has been racing in fair company and making ground. His last run was in a Listed race.

Liam says the horse is working well. Like Punishing in the big one, Havasay’s also probably going to need a touch of luck from his barrier but I’m sure he is going to run well.

This race is one of those tricky ones because the horses that get into the race are those who’ve had more starts and got more money.

Well, if they were that good they probably should have won one by now ... so it is not always the best maidener that gets in ... but maybe the outcome comes down to great placement by the trainer and then luck in the running.

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I was one of the ten riders who rode horses on the beach at the Gold Coast before the draw for the Magic Millions took place early on Tuesday morning.

The weather was obviously disappointing and that made it difficult at times but I think it was a good experience. I think all of the riders that were there enjoyed it ... well, maybe not Tye Angland, he got a bit wet when he came off his horse.

No he wasn’t pushed and he didn’t jump. The horse stumbled ... but that didn’t make any difference to us. We all gave him a hard time watching him come back doing the walk of shame.

Overall it was an enjoyable experience and it was great for the public to get so close to the horses on the beach. Obviously Magic Millions have built on this year from last year and hopefully they can do the same going onto next year.

You have got to take your hat off the Gerry Harvey and his team. They certainly know how to get bums on seats and give people what they want to see.

Whatever anyone thinks about Magic Millions, and there are some detractors, the bottom line is that the day has arrived and it is there to be enjoyed by all who want to do so.

I hope you are one of those people and that you have a fantastic day!

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