Magic Millions 3YO Guineas preview & betting strategy

The second of the Restricted Listed features will be the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas, which will feature many of the runners that ran in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic last year. This year’s edition of the 3YO Guineas sets up to be a cracking edition, with runners coming through form races from Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland earlier this year. The winner of the Guineas will pocket $1.17 million in prize money.

Online bookmakers have the King Of The Mountain winner, Yellow Brick as their favourite at $4, closely followed by the runner-up in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic last year, Russian Conquest ($4.60). Next in the market is the Tony Gollan-trained Spiritualised ($8.50) and Hell I Am ($9) followed be the Victorian visitor from the Ben & JD Hayes yard, Tijuana ($11).

The speed map for the Guineas should see Spiritualised and Soothsayer cross to the front from their wide barriers, with Latakia, Stroll and Yellow Brick following them through from their middle to inside gates to sit behind the speed. We expect the speed to be on for most of this 1425m event, so it should set up for the backmarkers like Russian Conquest, Tijuana, Kings Consort and Tyresa to run home strong and be in the finish.

Continue reading for HorseBetting’s top selections and $100 betting strategy for the 2023 Magic Millions 3YO Guineas.

Peter & Paul Snowden have a strong contingent of runners in the 2YO Classic, but they only have the one runner in the 3YO Guineas, with their runner up from the 2YO Classic last year, Russian Conquest, returning to the Gold Coast to try and go one better in 2023. This daughter of Russian Revolution has been running in Listed and Group races over her last seven starts across New South Wales and Victoria, including the Group 1 Golden Slipper and Group 1 Thousand Guineas in the autumn and spring of last year. This three-year-old filly ran in the Gosford Guineas first-up over 1200m, where she ran on from last to only go down by half-a-head on the line after finishing strong down the outside in the final 200m. The Snowden team would have been happy with the run, albeit she didn’t win the race, but it was a great trial for the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas this Saturday over 1425m. James McDonald trialled this filly before her first-up run and the fact that he has chosen to ride her in the feature on Saturday, fills us with more confidence that she will be ready to produce a massive run this weekend in her target race.

Tony & Maddysen Sears may have a star gelding on their hands in the form of Yellow Brick, who most recently beat the older horses in the $750,000 King Of The Mountain at Toowoomba over 1200m on New Year’s Eve. This three-year-old son of The Mission has won five of his six career starts, with all six starts of his runs coming in Queensland and his only loss came on a Heavy track on the Gold Coast and his second career start. First-up at Toowoomba, this gelding sat on the speed and raced away from his rivals to record his biggest victory of his career, which will give him plenty of confidence going in the Guineas on Saturday. Ben Thompson will stick after riding him to victory last start in the King Of The Mountain, continuing his strong relationship with the gelding after riding him at four of his six starts to date.

Ben & JD Hayes will have a runner in the 2YO Classic and 3YO Guineas, with their star three-year-old colt Tijuana returning from a spell to run in the Guineas first-up with the benefit of one trial over 900m on the Gold Coast on January 3. This son of American Pharoah has been racing in Victoria at all seven of his career starts and has recorded a Listed and Group 2 wins as well as a Group 3 and Listed placing. The only worry we have with this colt is that he comes into his biggest race of his career first-up after having a 10-week spell, which leads us to believe that he may not be as race-fit as our top two selections who have had one start before Saturday.

Tony Gollan will bring two of his star three-year-old’s to the Guineas on Saturday and we think that the filly is the better of the two, with Latakia being the pick of his runners after a tough win in the Rising Stars 3YO & 4YO Fillies & Mares last Saturday over 1300m. Her main benefit over her rivals is that she has been racing and in work since late October, but the negative is that she is a three-year-old filly on a seven-day backup, which could prove her downfall if she peaks on her run in the final 100m. However, going off her last win, she could run another big race and surprise a few if she gets a cosy run in transit.

2023 Magic Millions 3YO Guineas selections & best bets

• 14

  RUSSIAN CONQUEST

• 4

  YELLOW BRICK

• 1

  TIJUANA

• 15

  LATAKIA

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