Top Victorian trainer David Hayes is quietly confident his two year old Gracious Prospect can turn the tables on the short priced favourite Assail in the $2m Jeep Magic Millions 2yo Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast tomorrow.
Hayes said that Gracious Prospect was out of luck on the tight turning Wyong track when sixth to Assail in the $200,000 Wyong Magic Millions 2yo Classic (1100m) on December 20.
“He just found it all too fast and too tight, the track,” Hayes said.
“He had no luck last start and ran a very, very good second behind Champagne Cath the start before, he goes well on the Sydney leg and he’s travelled up here extremely well, so he’ll run well.
Gracious Prospect will jump from barrier seven and Hayes is sure that the colt will get a good run just off the pace for apprentice Chad Schofield and with a bit of luck in the straight will be closing in on the leaders.
“I think the 1200 tempo will be better”
“I think he’s more of a 20-1 shot and they’ve got him down as an 80-1 shot, which really surprises me.”
Gracious Prospect’s best result to date was a second to one time top Magic Millions fancy Champagne Cath over 1200m at Rosehill on December 8 and Hayes is going on that run in assessing his chances.
Hayes is yet to win the two year old Magic Millions Classic but has been runner up on five occasions dating back to 1990 when Mahaasin was beaten by the Geoff Murphy trained Dancer’s Joy and the frustration continued into the 2000s with Churchill Downs finishing second to Mirror Mirror in 2006 followed by a narrow second to Mimi Lebrock with Husson Lightning the next year.
St. Covet, ridden by Shane Dye, 1994, and Zodiac Miss, ridden by Michael Clarke, 1992 were Hayes’ other placegetters.
The Clarry Conners trained Assail has held the top spot in the market at $2.80 with Clevadude the second pick at $4.60.
Queensland fillies Missy Longstocking ($8), Real Surreal ($9) and Greytfilly ($12) are next in the betting while Gracious Prospect is one of the outsiders of the field at $101.
The Gold Coast track is currently rated a Good 3 after receiving 10mm of irrigation overnight, taking the week’s watering to 70mm and with no rain predicted in the next couple of days the track is likely to stay at the same rating.
