Unbeaten 3YO set to resume at Rosehill
Scott Collings is excited about where Mogo Magic might take those associated with the Duporth gelding, but he won’t let that impact his first-up ambitions with his stable star this weekend.
The unbeaten three-year-old has been nominated for two races at Rosehill, the benchmark 72 for three-year-olds over 1100m and the Class 3 Highway over the same distance, with the Goulburn horseman leaning towards running in the latter.
Flying machine Passeggiata and in-form pair Amnesty and Deep Expectation are among the others nominated for the three-year-old event, which helped convince Collings the Highway might be the smarter play this weekend.
“He’s still eligible for a Highway, so we’re probably silly not to go that way,” he said.
Mogo Magic is already a Highway winner, proving too speedy for his Class 2 rivals over 1000m at Randwick on February 25.
His only two other starts produced a 6-3/4-length debut win at the Sapphire Coast and a 3-1/2-length win at Wagga in November.
The longest of those races was the 1065m Wagga event and while he rises to 1100m this weekend, Collings is confident he will win races over further than that later in his career.
“I’d like to think this preparation we can get him to 1200,” he said.
“He doesn’t seem to overrace in his races, in the last Highway he got a little bit strong mid-race, but normally he doesn’t seem to overrace, so I can’t see why he won’t get 1200 metres.”
Collings has one particular 1200m race in mind with the $2 million The Kosciuszko, which is restricted to country-based gallopers, to be run on October 14.
“There’s had been a little bit of Kosciouszko talk there early in the piece but we’ve got to keep putting the wins on the board to get there,” Collings said.
“We’ll get through this Saturday first and then work out what we’ll be doing from thereon.
“But we’re very excited how far he’s going to take us. His record speaks for itself, really.”
More Racing News
Caulfield Cup winner Duke De Sessa share up for grabs
A share in last month’s Caulfield Cup winner Duke De Sessa is being offered on Inglis Digital. The five percent share is one of the headline lots that form a Halo Racing unreserved reduction, offered on behalf of the late Colin McKenna, who died last month. Also up for grabs is five percent...
Despite rating, 2024 WA Guineas hope high for Andrews
As a three-time champion of the WA Guineas (1600m), top line trainer Trevor Andrews has a good handle on what it takes to win the Group 2 feature. Trevor Andrews will have two bites of the cherry at winning his fourth WA Guineas on Saturday and despite what the market says he...
Cranbourne Cup 2024 wait and see for Maher quartet
The Ciaron Maher stable is still deciding which of their quartet of acceptances it will take up the challenge with in the Listed Cranbourne Cup. Three of the runners in Saturday’s 1600m contest are also among acceptances for the Listed Kilmore Cup (1600m) on Sunday. Nugget, Cosmic Vega and Flash Flood have accepted for Kilmore...
Sydney form to pay off for trainer Chris Waller
To run or not to run is a question hanging over many stables as a heavy track presents itself at Doomben. The two listed race features – the Recognition Stakes and the Tattersall’s Classic – could yet be impacted by scratchings but it is in another race on the card where...
Air of confidence surrounds Maher’s The Gong squad
Big Dance winner Gringotts is the clear top pick of Ciaron Maher’s squad for the $1 million The Gong, but the leading trainer won’t be surprised to see the horse’s biggest threat comes from of a stablemate. Gringotts had three-quarters of a length to spare over barn mate Vivy Air in the Big...
Rey shooting for stars in The Meteorite
From the time two slot races were announced by Southside Racing, the Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock stable knew they wanted to be a part of it. Griffiths was born and bred in the Cranbourne area and was one of the first to establish a barn at the Cranbourne Training...
Dan Morton keeps faith with 2024 Railway Stakes mare
Trainer Dan Morton has shrugged aside Super Smink’s horror barrier draw and still thinks she can win the Group 1 Swan Draught-Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot on Saturday. A layer of complexity was added to Super Smink’s Railway Stakes bid after she was handed barrier 18, but Dan Morton is keeping the...
Timing right for Port Lockroy in G1 Railway Stakes bid
He’s one of five interstate raiders and the outsider of the quintet, but co-trainer, Rob Archibald believes there is a sense of timing about Port Lockroy in Saturday’s Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot. Rob Archibald, who shares training duties with Annabel Neasham, says Port Lockroy put himself into Railway Stakes...
Royal task for Gilded Water at local debut
A benchmark race on The Gong undercard will add some Royal flavour to the stand-alone Kembla Grange meeting when a horse owned by His Majesty King Charles III makes his local debut. Four-year-old Gilded Water has been sent to Australia to continue his racing career, having started just four times in the...
Jason Collett hoping to find Express lane in The Gong
Jason Collett is resigned to the fact that he will be more reliant on luck than good management as he tries to coax another win out of Territory Express in the $1 million The Gong at Kembla Grange. The Provincial-Midway Championships Final victor in the autumn, Territory Express has a get-back racing pattern...