Gold Coast full racing preview & quaddie tips | January 14

Race 1: Magic Millions Country Cup (1200m)

The first race on Magic Millions Day will be the Country Cup worth $500,000, with our top tip – Ezekiel – coming through the Armidale Newmarket Handicap over 1100m where he smashed the field by 5.4 lengths. This son of Divine Prophet had been working up to a win in country New South Wales before going into town to run seventh in a Highway Handicap at Rosehill in October. After a five-week freshen, Cody Morgan decided to take this four-year-old gelding to the Armidale Newmarket, and it paid dividends as he sat behind the speed and peeled of the leaders back on the home turn to pull away and record an easy win. With his confidence up after that most recent win, this gelding should be very hard to beat with the booking of top jockey Jamie Kah and drawing barrier five on Saturday.

• 5

  EZEKIEL

• 10

  KING GUTHO

• 1

  BRAD

• 4

  YOU’LL BE MIST

Race 2: Magic Millions The Debut 2YO Plate (900m)

In the Magic Millions The Debut 2YO Plate, we will be siding with the Nathan Doyle-trained Rush Hour, who has won both of his trials at Wyong (845m) and Rosehill (900m) by slender margins, but he did it under a hold both times. This son of Russian Revolution has great barrier speed and will most likely hold a spot just outside the leader on Saturday, a perfect position for the 900m scamper. The race favourite – Getty – trialled on the same day as this colt at Rosehill and they ran the exact same time, so we have decided to go with the debutant with more value and more trial experience under his belt.

• 5

  RUSH HOUR

• 1

  GETTY

• 8

  ARISTELLA

• 7

  TRICKETEER

Race 3: Magic Millions Subzero (2200m)

The Magic Millions Subzero will be the only race for the stayers on Magic Millions Day, as a full field of 14 runners will do battle over 2200m. Last start Wave winner, Deficit,= was very strong through the line over the 1800m in The Wave, and now that he gets into the Subzero with only 52kg on his back, this race on Saturday look to be very suitable. This son of Snitzel has never been to the 2200m in his career, but his last two starts over 1800m will have him fit enough to run out the 2200m, especially with the light weight and nice barrier (7).

• 14

  DEFICIT

• 12

  STREET DANCER

• 1

  SKY LAB

• 4

  BIGBOYROY

Race 4: Magic Millions The Syndicate (1200m)

The Magic Millions The Syndicate will be a weight-for-age race for the sprinters over 1200m and it will also feature our best bet of the day, Scallopini for the Steven O’Dea & Mathew Hoysted yard who will be first-up this Saturday. This son of Snitzel has a very impressive record when fresh, recording four wins and three placings from 11 first-up runs throughout his career, including a very close second behind Count De Rupee in the Group 2 Victory Stakes last preparation. After running in Group races to finish last campaign during the Victorian Spring Carnival at Caulfield and Flemington, this gelding should have come back to Queensland a much better horse than when he left. The booking of Mark Zahra is another positive, so if he can get some cover from barrier seven throughout the run, he will be very hard to beat.

• 2

  SCALLOPINI

• 1

  ELEVEN ELEVEN

• 13

  HIDDEN WEALTH

• 3

  RANGES

Race 5: Magic Millions Fillies & Mares (1300m)

After running a close second in the Magic Millions Rising Stars 3YO & 4YO Fillies & Mares behind Latakia, Bella Rogue from the Chris Waller stable is set to go one better on Saturday when she takes on the Magic Millions Filles & Mares. This daughter of I Am Invincible has drawn an awkward barrier, but that should mean Michael Dee will ride her to suit her natural racing pattern, which is settling at the back of the field and running on. Her stablemate and race favourite, Kiku, looks the horse to beat but if Dee can get moving before the home turn and find the outside early in the home straight, we are confident that Bella Rogue can outsprint her stablemate with the aid of the 3kg weight difference.

• 12

  BELLA ROGUE

• 1

  KIKU

• 6

  BAROSSA ROSA

• 8

  BROOKSPIRE

Race 6: Magic Millions Snippets (1200m)

The Magic Millions Snippets has been weakened by scratchings, with five of the 15 runners choosing or gaining runs in other races on the day. This leaves us with the short odds-on favourite, King Of Sparta, on top here after a very good return in the Listed Falvelon last start. After sitting in the back half of the field first-up, this son of I Am Invincible got to the outside in the home straight and lengthened very nicely to fly over the top of the leaders and run away for a nice victory over 1200m. James McDonald will take the ride on Saturday and if he can get this gelding to outside with 300m to go, he should replicate his win in the Falvelon and run away with another race win.

• 1

  KING OF SPARTA

• 3

  SHOOTING FOR GOLD

• 12

  SPACEBOY

• 14

  MAOTAI

Race 7: Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m)

The Magic Millions 2YO Classic is one of the three feature events on Magic Millions Day with a full field of 16 runners expected to clash over 1200m for the $2 million prize pool, with the winner taking home $1.16 million. Online bookmakers have marked the stablemates Empire Of Japan and Sovereign Fund $5.50 favourites over Skirt The Law ($7.50) and Platinum Jubilee ($9).

Click here for our $100 betting strategy and preview for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic

Race 8: Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (1425m)

The Magic Millions 3YO Guineas will see the boom three-year-old from the Tony & Maddysen Sears-trained Yellow Brick take on the 2022 Magic Millions 2YO Classic runner-up Russian Conquest from the Peter & Paul Snowden yard. Those two runners dominate the market at $4 and $4.60, respectively, with their closest rival, Spiritualised, marked at $8.50 with online betting sites.

Click here for our $100 betting strategy and preview for the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas

Race 9: Magic Millions Cup (1425m)

The third of the features on Magic Millions Day will be the Magic Millions Cup over 1425m, where the 2020 Magic Millions Cup winner, Vega One, will be trying to win the race for a second time in four years. His trainer Tony Gollan is looking to win a record breaking third Magic Millions Cup. Online bookmakers have marked the Desleigh Forster-trained Emerald Kingdom as the favourite at $4.50, followed by Holyfield ($5.50), Oscar Zulu ($6.50) and Vega One ($9).

Click here for our $100 betting strategy and preview for the Magic Millions Cup

Race 10: Magic Millions Open (1300m)

We will be looking to blast out in the last on Magic Millions Day with Very Intoxicating from the Chris Anderson yard. This four-year-old mare had a very good spring campaign finishing in the top two at all five her starts over 1200m and 1400m, with Stephanie Thornton in the saddle. Last start this mare finished sixth in the Magic Millions Rising Stars 3YO & 4YO Fillies & Mares, 2.2 lengths behind Latakia, after she didn’t get a lot of room in the home straight and worked home under her own steam over the last 150m. Thornton will continue her strong association with this girl on Saturday and with the weight and class drop from last start, she should get every chance from barrier two to return to the winners circle this weekend.

• 13

  VERY INTOXICATING

• 3

  ALPINE EDGE

• 1

  EF TROOP

• 6

  INDISCREETLY