Fresh appears best for Robbie Griffiths’ Magnus gelding Rey Magnerio as the 6yo charged late to win the $300,000 Group 2 MRC Herald Sun Sprint (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday, his third win from four first up runs.
As the eight horses jumped away from the barriers, Grahame Begg’s Written Tycoon mare Rich Dottie went forward to lead with the Peter Snowden trained race favourite, and last start Warwick Farm track record breaker Zealously sitting not to far back in second.
With the field charging into the home turn, Tony and Calvin McEvoy’s leading fancy Arabian Summer was commencing to make her run down the outside, while Jye McNeil aboard Rey Magnerio was having trouble finding a run back in the field.
Zealously took over at the 200m mark and looked as if he would make it back to back wins, but McNeil and Rey Magnerio were squeezing through a gap back in the field, charging home at a rate of knots.
Coming along the inside was the Tasmanian vistor Geegees Mistruth, but she just missed as Rey Magnerio took the prize, recording his third black type victory.
Holding on for third was Zealously, just ahead of Arabian Summer back in fourth.
The Griffith team, headed by trainer Robbie was ecstatic after the victory.
“It was outstanding, he was going to be a tragedy beaten,” said Grifftihs. “So much of the straight, I’m thinking ‘oh no, oh no’, I don’t know how he did it, when he got clear with 59 (kilos) on his back, it looked like he had 49 on his back the way he motored home.”
“We've got a video of Jye McNeil trying to explain how he managed to run last in a trial. He slopped around, one of the owners said you’re wasting your time with this horse… he came out and bolted in.
“He knows when to put the game face on, he doesn’t have to worry about wasting energy in training.
“He's incredible; he comes up every preparation. Reid Balfour has strapped him today, rides his work, he thought he'd come up better than ever, and he was right.
“It was going to be a tragedy beaten, I thought he was going to go to line running fifth, come in with a sad face. I don't know how he did it because when he got out, he flew.
While the race may not have gone the way Griffiths expected, he had every confidence in jockey Jye McNeil.
“He (McNeil) knows him. He has faith in him. He said he wanted to work out to the centre, he thought that was the better part of the track, and a lot of the others had the same idea.
“So he just couldn't get galloping room, so Jye did a great job. He's been part of his journey all the way through; he's been a big part. Logan (McNeil) won on him first, and big brother pinched him, so hopefully there's a bit of cash transactions there.
“But it's great; it really helps the mood, when we lost our great mate Warren, he'd be up there cheering. There's a bit of a rort happening up there, something going on with Deano and Warren and Pete, and big Michael, I reckon they’re setting something up.”
“Last year you would recall we kicked him off in September, and he had 54 kilos, where this time he would’ve had 62. We thought, what's the point? Let's give him another trial, and he went into the 1000 metre race second up last year, this race, and he was only beaten a whisker.
“Then he won Derby Day and final day. We had him ready for late September, but when he had that sort of weight, we thought, let's just wait, give him another jump out. It's only 1000, he needs to be sharp, and he was.”
“So it was fantastic, very happy, and that was the reason for the late start. He'll more than likely go to Flemington on the Oaks day now because he'll probably get too much weight. I don't think he's up to championships, but we'll certainly enter and see what we think. But at the moment, we'll just celebrate today.”
While McNeil was locked up behind horse, he knew what Rey Magnerio was capable of when he got out.
“It was mainly patience, I guess. I was relying on him sprinting really well, which he did. Robbie and the team had him in fantastic order and he came into today with more weight than he carried in this race last year so to perform like that first up was a great effort.”
“Robbie never backs himself in, he had him in perfect order. He’s been so good to me, each prep keeps getting better and hopefully he’s in for a good campaign once again.”
Taking his record to nine wins and eight placed efforts from 23 starts with earnings of $1,124,100, the Group 1 Oakleigh placegetter was bred by South Australia’s A & J Nitschke.
A three-quarter brother to the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes winner Magnapal, Rey Magnerio is the best of two winners from four to race for the Testa Rossa mare Luchardo, herself a sister to stakes-placed Red For Lou, the dam of Magic Millions 2yo Classic winner Le Chef.
Luchardo has a yearling filly by Star Witness, foaled a colt by Shamus Award last spring and is due to foal this season to Widden Stud’s Zousain.
Rey Magnerio is one of 32 stakes winners for the late Widden Stud stallion Magnus, who died in 2023.
