Top Melbourne jockey Craig Newitt will be back on board Magic Millions fancy Oakleigh Girl when she lines up in the Group 3 $150,000 B.J. McLachlan Stakes (1200m) at Doomben on December 28.
Oakleigh Girl and Michael Cahill winning the Calaway Gal Stakes at Doomben. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Oakleigh Girl kept her unbeaten record intact in winning the Listed $100,000 Channel Seven Calaway Gal Stakes (1010m) at Doomben last Saturday for leading Brisbane jockey Michael Cahill with Newitt having to stick to his Melbourne commitments.
Newitt steered the Danny Bougoure trained filly to a debut win down the Flemington straight on Melbourne Cup in the Group 3 $120,000 7News Plate (1000m) and was more than pleased with her Doomben performance.
“I was very happy. She got the job done,” Newitt told AAP.
“She went into the race underdone because he (Bougoure) hadn’t trialled her.
“She was always going to be well underdone and whatever she did she was going to take great improvement from.
“She actually didn’t look all that comfortable that way which was surprising. She looked like she was lugging out a bit but she got attacked pretty much the whole way and her class shone through late.”
Newitt says that Oakleigh Girl has all the attributes to win the Magic Millions and knows that the Snitzel filly will strip a much horse in the $2m Magic Millions 2yo Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast on January 11.
“I think she’s very good. Very foolproof,” Newitt said.
“She has good speed which you need and she’ll take a power of beating.”
Oakleigh Girl lost her spot at the head of Magic Millions betting and is now the second favourite at $6 behind Echo Gal ($5.50) after some race observers weren’t impressed with her one length Doomben win over Ambitious Blonde, but Eagle Farm trainer Danny Bougoure knows that his filly has plenty of improvement left in her.
“She put a bit of a scare into the camp, but she’s very tenacious and has a never say die attitude,” Bougoure said.
“She was a bit fresh today and a bit on the big side. Going to 1200m next time will tighten her up for the Magic Millions.”
While winning rider Michael Cahill was happy with her effort, Ryan Wiggins on runner up Ambitious Blonde is certain he can turn the tables when the fillies meet again over 1200m.
“Over six furlongs next start I will dead-set have the winner cold,” Wiggins said.
“She wasn’t going anywhere under the stick and when I put it away she came again in the last 50m. She’s a serious racehorse.”
Ambitious Blonde has put herself into Magic Millions calculations and has been marked a $12 chance alongside of the Mick Price trained Charge Forward colt Geromayo.
Other two year olds in the betting are Caulfield winner Nordic Empire, also from the Price stable, and Ballarat winner Sheer Style at $8 while the unraced Jetwings from the Gerald Ryan stable is at $10 just in front of $11 chance Unencumbered who has a Randwick win and a win on the Kensington track to his credit.
