MENARI MAGIC CLAIMS A SECOND SUCCESSIVE WIN AS SHE STARTS TO DELIVER ON HER EARLY PROMISE

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, April 26, 2023

On Wednesday April 26, Toowoomba hosted a midweek metropolitan meeting, a fairly rare occurrence at the top of the range and that setting provided the stage for the Paul Butterworth trained Menari Magic to claim a win in a BM 65 Handicap over 1200m.

It was the second win in a row (and a third career success) for the three-year-old daughter of Menari who has at last hit a purple patch of form ... the kind of performance level she promised when running out a fluent winner on debut in the featured Pat O’Shea Plate back on September 25, 2021.

That debut win, coincidentally, was the only other time Menari Magic had raced at Toowoomba, meaning his latest win left her with a perfect record at the track.

With the results on the Gold Coast Poly track not yet recognised as any real guide to future performance (except on the Poly Track), Menari Magic’s win on that surface in the run leading into this contest held little sway with punters who let Menari Magic go off at odds of $15.

The $3 favourite was the Tony Gollan trained Snow Boum, who had won on debut three weeks earlier with Honkytonk Diva next in the betting at $3.70 ... and it was $9 bar two.

The start was a hectic one with no less than half-a-dozen runners quickly becoming embroiled in a mad chase for the lead.

Recognising the danger in following that lead, after jumping well, Mark Du Plessis dropped Menari Magic out of that immediate speed battle, settling the Butterworth trained runner in midfield, but never more than three lengths off the leader, the favourite Snow Boum who clearly had every intention of running her opposition into the ground.

As it turned out Snow Boum’s tactics caught herself out. Whether it was the level of pressure, both from Snow Boum’s outside and rear, or the filly’s inexperience ... or a combination of both ... it was clear that she was already starting to struggle approaching the home turn.

Just as it had been at the start, there was a line of four spread across the track on straightening, while Menari Magic still loped along three lengths back ... then two lengths ... then only length as Du Plessis stuck to the rail while the leaders fanned out wider on the track.

That inside run became priceless when the inside lane was left clear by all of the runners ... and Du Plessis and Menari Magic needed no second asking.

The decision to pull out of that early speed battle and the line of attack that Du Plessis followed made it possible for Menari Magic to go past those in front of him, who had expended more energy early on, and Du Plessis duly drove Menari Magic into the lead with 200m left to run.

There was only one danger to Menari Magic now ... the second favourite Honkytonk Diva who was now sprinting hard and closing down the centre of the track after cornering the widest of all ... six wide in fact ... on the turn.

Menari Magic stayed resolute though and try as Honkytonk Diva might, Menaro Magic still held a 0.30 length winning margin at the line.

A good ride and a committed effort from the horse.

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