Eleven Eleven in great order ahead of The Hunter

Greg Hickman says winning The Hunter with Eleven Eleven at Newcastle would be “just a bonus” as he looks to have him “100 per cent peaking” in search of an unprecedented fourth consecutive Magic Millions triumph next year.

But that’s not to say the $9 winning chance with online bookmakers is not in with a decent shot at the $1 million feature sprint over 1300m.

The six-year-old finished a competitive fifth in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes last start at Moonee Valley on October 22.

He has only flourished on the track since then.

So much so, Hickman says he is looking very similar to the week leading up to his third-straight Magic Millions triumph on the Gold Coast back on January 15.

Eleven Eleven won the Cup for a second consecutive occasion, after taking out the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas in sensational circumstances in 2020, following first-past-the-post Alligator Blood’s disqualification.

Queensland’s Horse of the Year, Apache Chase, finished third in this year’s Magic Millions Cup, before his memorable breakthrough Group 1 triumph in the Kingsford Smith Cup on May 28.

Apache Chase is a $6.50 winning chance on Saturday, with In The Congo the $4.60 favourite for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, but Hickman says he has a sprinter who can match it with them.

“I believe he’s going as well as he’s ever been going,” he told HorseBetting.com.au, with Tommy Berry set for the ride.

“Our main aim is to head to the Magic Millions, and to win something along the way would be a bonus.

“Not that he won’t be trying, but he’ll be peaking 100 per cent come Magic Millions Day (on January 14 next year).

“But in saying that, going into (Saturday’s) race I couldn’t have him any better.

“He looks wonderful in the coat and his demeanour is good.

“He’s probably improved a bit this week.”

Along with his respectable run in the Manikato Stakes, Hickman was impressed with Eleven Eleven’s win in an open trial over 1045m at Randwick, finishing in 1min05.61sec on September 26.

This means the star sprinter has well and truly moved on from his last place – while acting like “a wild buck” – in the Stradbroke Handicap on June 11.

“If he came out and ran really well in the Stradbroke, you’re talking about a completely different story altogether,” Hickman said.

“We had bad luck in the barriers, which put him out of the race completely.

“He trialed super the other day. I just think there are more positives than negatives going into this race.

“This is where he’s at in his racing career. He’s a horse who’s won nearly $3 million.

“He’s come a long way. When I had him in the stables in Queensland, he was jumping out of the gates and they couldn’t hold him.

“They rode him like a wild buck up there. Since we brought him back to Sydney, he’s been a better horse.”

This bodes well for Hickman and Eleven Eleven as they start to dream of winning what would have seemed an improbable fourth consecutive Magic Millions title a few years ago.

“He just keeps on improving. So it would be a real feather in our caps if we could win that fourth Magic Millions,” Hickman said.

“It’ll take a bit of beating one day.”

Champion jockey Hugh Bowman – who piloted Eleven Eleven to his Magic Millions Cup victory this year – was originally booked for the ride on Saturday.

That was before he confirmed he would be leaving for a three-month stint in Hong Kong in search of the lucrative prizemoney on offer.

“Hughie was supposed to ride, and then his manager rang and said he was going to Hong Kong,” Hickman said.

“That was the only reason Tommy got the ride. But then Hughie changed his mind and decided to leave for Hong Kong on Sunday, instead of Saturday (now set to ride Gem Song for Kris Lees in The Hunter).

“But Tommy is a great replacement. We have a great rapport and he knows what I expect from him.”

Hickman said The Hunter concept – now in its fourth year – was just one of many brilliant race days on the Racing NSW calendar.

“It’s a great concept. For a long time we struggled for prizemoney increases, and since we’ve got them it’s made life a lot easier for trainers across the board,” he said.

“In the old days you had to have a bit of money to own a racehorse.

“Nowadays you don’t have to.

“You need more people because the game is getting bigger and bigger.

“These horses like Eleven Eleven are changing people’s lives.”

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