Promising Wootton Bassett colt Gallo Nero will be looking to get himself into the Magic Millions picture on Saturday off an impressive barrier trial on Monday but he’ll have to get past the favourite to do so.
In one of the most interesting juvenile races of the season, we see a field which includes Magic Millions favourite Memo, her conqueror in the Wyong Magic Millions Classic, O’ Ole, displaced MM favourite Tempestuous, along with unraced trial winners Derivative and Apocalyptic.
Gallo Nero had trialled strongly prior to his debut on November 30 where he raced a bit greenly and looked open to improvement in the fourth placed finish, beaten just over a length by The Playwright and last week’s Group III B.J. McLachlan winner Icarian Dream.
So the formlines are good, and on Monday morning he gave notice progress had been made with an impressive barrier trial effort when second to Sanctified.
He was a $370,000 buy for Team Hawkes from Glenbeigh Farm at the Magic Millions Gold Coast, one of two by the sire they signed for.
The other was West Of Swindon, which created a big impression on debut when second to North England in the Group III Inglis Golden Gift and currently sits equal atop the Golden Slipper market.
Saturday will also be an important run for the other Magic Millions hopefuls, of which there nine, with only O O’le assured of a run.
Memo sits at the top of the Gold Coast market but is currently 12th in the order of entry, about $13,000 above the current cut-off so missing out would shock but any prizemoney here will be nice, and even nicer for Tempestuous who is 15th in the current order.
As a lead up race there’s something of a sobering stat however.
Of the last 15 winners, only two did not have their final lead up run in Queensland, and both of those, Capiltalist and Karuta Queen, came out of the Magic Millions Wyong Classic.
The raw figures are 145 lead up runs in Queensland for 13 winners, and 98 non-Queensland lead ups for two winners.
