What a program on Saturday to bring the curtain down on a sensational Flemington Spring Carnival!
We will steer away from the three Group 1s on Champions Day and look at the Listed The Amanda Elliott for three-year-old fillies.
It's $7 the field, so the race is wide open and will rely on the Grahame Begg-trained Magic Time to provide Yarraman Park Stud's Hellbent with his first stakes winner.
Hellbent's old man I Am Invincible may be the spoiler with three bluebloods in Eponymous, Bonheur, and Atlantic Ocean.
The Chris Waller-trained Atlantic Ocean is an interesting one. Her dam My Amelia (Redoute's Choice), is a half-sister to Fitna (Fastnet Rock), whose extremely talented daughter Hypothetical (Pride Of Dubai) looks to be a major player in the final race of the day at Flemington.
Magic Time has not raced since making a winning debut over 1200m on the Pakenham Synthetic on October 14.
She could not have been more impressive in defeating Marxist (Capitalist) and Astelena (Pariah) by upwards of five lengths.
Magic Time carries the colours of her breeder, John Muir's Milburn Creek Thoroughbred Stud, after failing to make her $150,000 reserve at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
She is the first foal of the stakes-winning Nicconi mare Time Awaits, purchased by Belmont Bloodstock Agency (FBAA) for $300,000 from Edinburgh Park draft at the 2018 National Broodmare Sale.
Trained by Tony McEvoy, Time Awaits won the Group III SA Sires' Produce Stakes and Listed Cinderella Stakes at Morphettville.
In a ten-start career, the daughter of Nicconi finished second in the Group III Chairman's Stakes at Flemington, won by Group II Furious Stakes and Group II Silver Shadow winner Formality (Fastnet Rock) and was fourth in the Group III TBV Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes won by Shoals (Fastnet Rock).
Time Awaits is one of three named foals for Bon Ton (Danzero), a daughter of the Group II WATC Western Australian Oaks and Listed WATC Helena Vale Cup winner Mystic Chantry.
By the Group 1 AJC Epsom hcp and Group 1 VRC Cantala Stakes winner Chanteclair (Haulpak), Mystic Chantry is a half-sister to the stakes-placed dam of Stella Grande.
Trained by Lee Freedman, Stella Grande was the standout performer for Conquistador Cielo's Hollywood Gold Cup winner Marquetry (USA), who left 35 foals from his lone season at Vinery Stud.
Stella Grande won the Group III Tulloch Stakes and at his next start, separated Eremein and Railings in the Group 1 AJC Derby.
Magic Time is the first foal of Time Awaits.
Proven Thoroughbreds / Pride Racing shelled out $220,000 for the second foal, a Zoustar colt, at the 2022 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
Time Awaits has a yearling colt by Dundeel and foaled a Maurice (JPN) colt on October 14, the day Magic Time broke her maiden.
The first stakes-winner for Hellbent can not be far off, with Hell Hath No Fury, Hell Queen, Divine Fury and Awestruck all earning black-type in the first few weeks of the season. His first crop of two-year-olds last season included the stakes placed Warby and Bohemian Daisy.
We will put faith in Jordon Childs plotting a path from barrier 15 in Magic Time's first stakes test.
