Step up in trip for King Magnus
Trainers Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock have long harbored the idea of testing King Magnus at 2000m.
That will finally become a reality on Saturday at Flemington when the rising nine-year-old contests the VRC Member Peter Drake Plate.
Griffiths and de Kock had been planning an earlier assault at 2000m, but the gelding pulled-up sore after running over 1700m back in 2022.
King Magnus was then off the scene for 12 months and has been a consistent performer ever since between 1400m and 1600m, winning three races, including one at Group 3 level.
“There has never been an opportunity to try him before,” Griffiths said.
“We ran him over 1700 metres one day, but he hurt his legs and had to go out for a rest.
“This is his first crack and because he got beaten in all the lead ups to the Winter Championship, with the claim (for Ryan Houston), he’s weighted OK to give it a go.
“If he had won one of those, he would have been having a little freshen, so we’ll give him a crack and see what he can do.
“He’s at that stage of his life where he needs everything to go right.
“There’s nothing wrong with him and this will be a good test and it is a pretty good race for an off-season race.”
Griffiths has described King Magnus as his ‘ATM’, winning 10 races from his 40 starts and just shy of $1.2 million in prize money.
A strong showing at 2000m could open further options for King Magnus down the track as the gelding potentially enters the twilight of his career.
Griffiths gets longevity with his horses, having Dandy Kid racing as a 10-year-old.
The trainer revealed the soon to be 28-year-old Dandy Kid was still proving a handful to catch in his paddock.
Griffiths said King Magnus would race on as a nine-year-old next season, and potentially further.
One thing Griffiths likes for King Magnus on Saturday will be the wet ground.
“The ground will be to his liking and if he wins on Saturday, it will probably open things up for him,” Griffiths said.
“It probably opens up options like the Ballarat Cup and those $500,000 country cups around that 2000 metres.”
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