Adelaide trainer Lloyd Kennewell will set Viddora for a Magic Millions campaign after the mare scored a dominant win in the Group 1 $1m Crown Perth-Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) at Ascot in Perth last Saturday.
Winterbottom Stakes winner Viddora will now head to the Gold Coast for the 2018 Magic Millions Carnival. Photo by Jenny Barnes.
Viddora ($5) claimed her first Group 1 success following some handy Melbourne Spring Carnival form and also gave Kennewell his first Group 1 winning trophy with the one and a half lengths victory over the Lindsay Park trained Fuhryk ($12).
The first of the local sprinters to cross the line was the third placed Durendal ($26) while the $4.20 favourite Rock Magic wound up in fifth position.
Kennewell will head back to Adelaide where he will give Viddora a few days to freshen up before heading to the Gold Coast for either the $1m Magic Millions Sprint (1200m) or the $1m Magic Millions Fillies and Mares (1300m) n January 13.
“She’ll have three of four days at home and then head up there to the Gold Coast for either the sprint or the mares race,” Kennewell told the Herald Sun.
Viddora has performed well at the Gold Coast before when a close second to Target In Sight in this year’s running of the $1m Magic Millions Sprint.
Viddora had shown during the Melbourne Spring Carnival that she was not far away from a Group 1 win with a very close second to She Will Reign in the Group 1 $500,000 Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes (1000m) at The Valley on September 29 followed by a fourth to Hey Doc in the Group 1 $1m Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes (1200m) at The Valley on October 27.
“Her form has been nearly unbeatable in great races. To get a Group 1 is just sensational,” Kennewell said.
“We knew it was gonna happen, it was just a matter of time.
“Maybe it can be the leg up that I need. We were already going well but hopefully that opens the door for more.”
Viddora’s win in the Winterbottom Stakes was number seven from twenty-three starts and boosted her prizemoney total to $1,473,680.