THE GOLD COAST WRAP - MAGIC MILLIONS DAY
By Graham Potter | Saturday, January 13, 2024
NB- SEE SEPARATE STORIES FOR ...
THE MAGIC MILLIONS TWO-YEAR-OLD CLASSIC (STORM BOY)
THE MAGIC MILLIONs THREE-YEAR-OLD GUINEAS (ABOUNDING)
THE MAGIC MILLIONS SNIPPETS (KING OF SPARTA)
THE MAGIC MILLIONS SUBZERO (SO UNITED)
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ZOUMETEOR LEADS THEM A MERRY DANCE IN THE MM COUNTRY CUP
Queensland trainers were on the front foot early on Magic Millions race-day with the Stuart Kendrick trained Zoumeteor taking out the first race on the card.
Zoumeteor’s end to end win in the $500 000 Magic Millions Country Cup ... under Angela Jones ...came via a bold effort from the worst of the draw (sixteen out of sixteen) which saw the four-year-old son of Zoustar prevail to score by a diminishing, but comfortable enough 0.50 length margin from Velvet Haze ($9). Zoumeteor was passed in at the MM Sale at $140 000 with the reserve being $150 000.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Stuart Kendrick: “We drew the outside gate which obviously put a bit of a damper on it for us when we saw the barrier draw, but Ange (Jones) did a great job. She got him out quickly and got across. He was tough. Ange kept him beautifully balanced. He is a massive, big horse and he just got into that really nice rhythm he has got. The 1200m was always the thing (the gelding had won over 1000n at his previous start) and when he drew the wide gate it made it difficult ... but, when he got across, I thought we are there and in with a chance now. Coming to the turn he had his ears pricked and I was pretty confident. I thought he would be pretty hard to run down from there. He had a few kicking up trying to beat him, but he gave a good kick. In fact, he probably never looked like being beaten the whole run. He was excellent."
Zoumeteor is owned by Mrs T Kendrick, Mr S D Armstrong, Mr D Long, Mr C W Macleod.
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TOO DARN LIZZY IS TOO DARN GOOD IN THE $500 000 THE DEBUT (2YO FILLIES)
The Gai Waterhouse / Adrian Bott trained Too Darn Lizzy proved to be too strong for her rivals in the $500 000 Magic Millions The Debut Two-Year-Old fillies Plate over 1000m.
The daughter of Too Darn Hot won a trial leading into her debut outing where she beat the Ciaron Maher / David Eustace trained Froebel Star by 1.50 lengths with the race result itself producing a carbon copy of the trial with Too Darn Lizzy again beating Froebel Star by 1,50 lengths.
This was jockey Tim Clark at his front-running best, guiding Too Darn Lizzy in a narrow lead over Froebel Star for the first half of the race, letting his main rival think it was in with a chance, before laying down the law and extending in the straight to leave the rest only in a race for the minor placings.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Jockey Tim Clark: “It was a good effort from her. She came here just off one trial which is something different. Gai does like to give them a couple of trials to have them really ready to go, but her class shone through late. She handled the day really well. She is definitely a filly with a good bit of ability.”
Too Darn Lizzy, a $1 million purchase, is owned by Lord Lloyd Webber, Ms L Spender.
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LEAD ME ON IMPRESSES IN THE $500 000 THE DEBUT (2YO COLTS AND GELDINGS)
It’s been a marvellous start to 2024 for trainer Chris Anderson.
Anderson was the slot holder when Rothfire won the King Of The Mountain on January 1 and he had Deniliquin win on The Wave race-day and now, on Magic Millions day, he saddled a two venue double winning with Lead Me On in the $500 00 The Debut at the Gold Coast ... and at Ipswich where Smath Resolution saluted.
Lead Me On was given a confident ride by Michael Rodd who put the son of Brutal right in the race from the break after which he proceeded to hold a prominent position before putting the acid test on his opposition in the run home where he proved his superiority.
Lead Me On covered the 1000m in 56.71 seconds, compared to the 57.07 recorded by Too Darn Lizzie in the Fillies edition of The Debut one race earlier.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Chris Anderson: “Great ride Michael Rodd. I didn’t think he could be outside the leader early from the widest gate, but Michael got there and rated him beautifully. We brought him down here a month ago to trial and have a good look at the track and I think that has really paid off for us.
Jockey Michael Rodd: ‘These meetings, it’s tough (for the locals) to get a winner when the Southern Stater’s bring up all their expensive colts and fillies. It is a great incentive they put on for this race. It’s very good for Chris Anderson. He is a great trainer ... a very underrated trainer. You won’t ever hear him talk himself up for sure. He had won one runner in the stayers race last week (Deniliquin) ... and he won that, now he’s won with a two-year-old.”
Lead Me On, a $50 000 purchase, is owned by Werrett Bloodstock Pty Ltd, Whitby Bloodstock Pty Ltd, Cinco Star Racing.
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TWO FROM TWO - A PERFECT DAY OUT FOR MATTHEW DUNN
For Murwillumbah based trainer Matthew Dunn, Magic Millions race-day 2024 provided the stage for the stable to gain the perfect result ... two winners from two starters, both in $1 million races.
It doesn’t get much better than that!
The four-year-old gelding Boom Torque ($7.50) took the honours in thrilling fashion in the Magic Millions QTIS Open (race 5) over 1300m arriving with a late flourish to finish over the top of Better Get Set ($26) who had looked all over the winner inside the last 100m.
Dunn is the third trainer to have Boom Torque in their care, and the son of Spirit Of Boom has been a revelation since walking into the Dunn yard, for whom he has now won five out of six starts.
Two races after Boom Torque’s win, Dunn was at it again, this time sending out Derry Grove, first-up, to claim victory in the $1 million Magic Millions The Syndicate.
This win was even more heart-stopping than that of Boom Torque, with Derry Grove diving late and getting up in the very last stride by the narrowest of margins.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Jockey Michael Dee (Boom Torque); “Initially we sat up three wide with cover, which I was happy about. I saw Rothfire up ahead and I thought we would go up and tack on him ... and he took us right into it. To my guy’s credit ... a super effort to run down the leader. He showed a great turn of foot on a track where not many horses have made up that sort of ground. It was a great effort. It is a great feeling. This is my first winner here.”
Jockey Nash Rawiller (Derry Grove): “I wasn’t so sure of the result ... we were very far apart. I couldn’t even get a look across ... I was head down, bum up. It was never easy. Experience helps a bit ... the horse was really uptight in the gates. He jumped forward. We got him out ... trotted him around a bit and he went back in a different horse. Going into that first turn, if I gave him an inch to try and hold his spot I would have ended up over the rail, so I thought well, we are back here now, let’s see how the race pans out. I was still pretty confident from there. My bloke showed a lot of determination. He was fighting for me at the end. He was still putting his head out and trying to find the line, on empty, mind you. Full credit to the horse. He has always shown us he has a ticker.”
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SEMANA SLAYS THEM
Semana scored a facile win in the $1 million Magic Millions Cup, making a mockery of her starting price of $14 when coming home two lengths clear of a wall of chasing runners with less than a length separating the next five runners across the line.
The run from Barrier 13 was always going to take some negotiating, and Semana was held three wide in the all the way to the home turn, but she did improve her position from some seven lengths back early to be within a length of the leader on straightening, perfectly poised to strike.
She then joined issue with the joint $5 race favourite Zarastro in the first half of the straight, but Semana’s sustained finish saw her take full control of the race inside the final 150m as she raced away to claim the sixth win of her career from only fourteen starts.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Co-trainer Ciaron Maher: “She’s been a real revelation this mare since she has come into the yard. The owners have always had a lot of faith in here and ... geez, that was a pretty big win. She had no cover all of the way. She looked like she worked most of the way and she was very strong to the line. Dylan (Gibbons) has got a very good association with her. Ah, it was fantastic. We were professional place-getters until that (today) ... so it was good to get the win.”
Jockey Dylan Gibbons: “She jumped ok. The other day they rode her cold and that probably showed us how to ride her. Albeit I was three wide with no cover, she was just smoking where she was. When I presented, I thought this is not pretty ... we are getting there a bit soon but, look, she is just absolutely flying. Had to argue with the boss to get here because he couldn’t understand why. He’ll see why now.”
Semana, a $200 000 purchase, is owned by Vantage Thoroughbreds, Charas Bloodstock Pty Ltd, Mr C Charalambous, Mrs N Charalambous, Mrs R Charalambous, Mr H Charalambous, Mr J N Allen, Mr D Hanlin, Mr E J Nathan, Mr J M Tinning, Mr D A Warner, Mrs J L Oliver, G1G Racing & Breeding, Dahlia Bloodstock, Mr S C Lamont, Mr c Ho, Mrs I Murphy
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LADY LAGUNA TICKS A NEW DISTANCE BOX
The Anabel Neasham trained Lady Laguna pulled out all the stops to get the chocolates in the $1 million Magic Millions Fillies and Mares ... the last race on the card.
A number ten barrier draw didn’t make things easy and. although landing close to the leading line at the break, James McDonald took the four-year-old mare back to just worse than midfield early, racing some seven lengths off the leader.
The daughter of Overshare continued to be held three wide all the way to the home turn where she then cornered five wide, the widest runner on the track, with just under five lengths to make up on straightening.
McDonald immediately set Lady Laguna about making up the deficit, and she never missed a beat in a sustained run home. Miss Hellfire did try to go with her, but that quickly became an unequal battle with Lady Laguna stout effort carrying the day to improve her record to an impressive five wins and ten places from her twenty-one career starts.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Anabel Neasham: ‘So tough. She had a tricky alley, but you are always confident when you’ve got James (McDonald) on. He said, ‘I’d like to be midfield with cover if I can get a bit of luck’ ... and that’s exactly what happened. It was her first time out to that trip, and it was no issue at all. I’m just so lucky to have a tough, little filly like her. I think she has improved. She was quite a small two-year-old and she ran well as a two-year-old. We wondered if she would train on and she did at three ... and we wondered if she would train on again at four and she has just kept on improving. I think she has got well over a million in prize-money, and I think she cost about $20 000, so she has been a phenomenal story for the owners."
Jockey James McDonald: “She was a star wasn’t she! She did it under her own steam and away she went. The distance was a box ticked, because going into it that was a bit of a concern, so we rode her off speed to see if she would get the trip. She got it with flying colours.”
Lady Laguna is owned by O T I Racing, Mr P D Williams, Mr J R Cahill, Mrs B H Gilbert, Mr J P Spence, Mrs J T Spence, Mr R Menchise, Mr P G Van Buynder, Mr J A Boyd, Mr A L Boyd, Mrs J Rubira, Persephone Racing, Mrs J Pilloni, Tight Lines Racing, Mr R Bow, B M P H, Ms L Gillespie, Mrs H Ridout, Madmartigan.
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* Four favourites ... Too Darn Lizzie, King Of Sparta, Storm Boy and Lady Laguna ... saluted on the day.
* Semana was the longest priced winner at $14.
* Six races were decided by a margin of under a length ... Derry Grove won by the narrowest margin – 0.1L.
* Storm Boy was the big winner in more ways than one ... his winning margin of 2.50 lengths being the most decisive result on the day.
* Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott saddled a treble on the day. Matthew Dunn saddled a double.
* Apart from winning with King Of Sparta, the Peter and Paul Snowden stable also claimed two second placings on the day.
* Tim Clark and James McDonald rode doubles on the day.
* Angela Jones was the only female rider to salute at the meeting. (Yes, I know all jockeys are equal, but there are those who follow this statistic).
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