With $13.5 million in prizemoney up for grabs, the racing universe will be glued to the Magic Millions program at the Gold Coast on Saturday.
Interest will emanate from the Northern Territory with last year’s Darwin Guineas (1600m) winner Tubthumper lining up in the final race on a spectacular 11-event program.
The four-year-old mare, who won the Guineas for prominent and successful NT trainer Phil Cole when the Darwin Cup Carnival kicked off last July, will take her place in the $1 million event over 1300m for the fillies and mares, but unfortunately she will jump from the outside barrier.
Originally accommodating 18 runners and two emergencies, the field for horses aged three-year-olds and upwards had been reduced to 16 by Thursday night, with Tubthumper returning to the Gold Coast for the first time since relocating to the Top End.
Cole also entered Tubthumper in the $1 million Magic Millions Cup (1400m), but she was the second emergency and a subsequent start was not guaranteed.
The daughter of Zoustar had five starts for trainer Annabel Neasham, who has stables in Queensland, NSW and Victoria, from April-November 2022 for a second (1100m) and a third (1200m) in Gold Coast maidens, as well as a second in a 1350m Ipswich maiden.
Cole then purchased the filly and she won a 1200m maiden on debut at Fannie Bay and then over 1600m (0-58) last June before winning the $75,000 Darwin Guineas.
Tubthumper was fourth in the NT Derby (2050m) in late July before heading to the paddock after finishing eighth over 1600m (BM72) on Darwin Cup Day in early August.
Returning to action in December, the mare posted two very impressive wins in open company against decent opposition over 1200m which basically sealed her Gold Coast ticket.
“She’s been racing in great form this preparation, I think that she’s definitely lift the bar and we decided to give her a shot at the Magic Millions,” Cole said from Darwin on Thursday.
“She’s a young mare, if she can mix it a bit over there with them it might make her a valuable broodmare later on.
“Great prizemoney on offer, you can’t win it if you’re not in it.
“The barrier draw hasn’t been kind to us, we got the visitor’s draw – we’ll just have to see how it unfolds on Saturday.”
Continuous showers this week will make for a soft Gold Coast surface on Saturday, with Cole admitting that Tubthumper doesn’t have any wet track form – and of course the wide gate doesn’t help.
However, she has proven in Darwin that if she can get to the front it’s not easy to run her down.
The mare is also competitive first up after a spell, but regardless of Saturday’s outcome, it’s exciting times for Cole and fellow owners.
“As an owner or trainer, this is the biggest race I’ve been involved in,” Cole added.
“I used to have a share in a horse called Sassbee – he ran second in the Group 1 Goodwood Handicap in Adelaide in 2006.
“There’s a lot of unknowns, we’ll just have to wait see how Tubthumper goes on Saturday.
“The plan is that she won’t be in a rush trip back to Darwin.
“She’ll have a few runs over there in Queensland and see where she measures up.”
Since arriving at the Gold Coast, Tubthumper has been in the care of Sunshine Coast trainer Natalie McCall with Brisbane-based jockey Damien Thornton securing the ride on Saturday.
To ensure that Tubthumper got a start at the Magic Millions, it took a lot of perseverance on Cole’s behalf, which is not uncommon as he is renowned for making long trips when it comes to purchasing or dispersing horses.
For the last two years, he has even taken a team of horses to outback Queensland for the Simpson Desert Racing Carnival at Birdsville, Betoota and Bedourie – he has also made pit stops at Winton and Longreach.
“There were no transport companies running over Christmas, so I did a trip to Adelaide in late December,” Cole said.
“I ended up moving some 24 horses around South Australia, then Tubthumper had to get to Queensland.
“There were still no transport companies operating, so I had to then drive to the Gold Coast before flying back to Darwin.
“My wife Rhonda and I are flying to the Gold Coast on Friday for the races, there’s a couple of owners from Darwin going over as well, and one from Perth.
“Rhonda and I are staying with friends in Brisbane before we drive the vehicles back to Darwin.”
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