Mornington horseman Jason Warren believes his in-form galloper Bel Sonic will be ideally suited to the 1400m of the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas at the Gold Coast and could prove the value bet in the race.
Bel Sonic is a genuine chance in his maiden 1400m run in the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas at the Gold Coast. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
Scheduled to run as Race 7 at 3:15pm (AEST) on the bumper nine-race Magic Millions Day program this afternoon, the Restricted Listed $2 million Gold Coast Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (1400m) features a full field of 16 hopefuls.
Markets on the set weights plus penalties clash at Ladbrokes.com.au have Gregory Hickman’s Vo Rogue Plate winner Pierata, drawn the rails, as the clear $2.80 favourite.
Further down the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas odds at a double-figure quote of $16 punters can find Warren’s Bel Esprit gelding Bel Sonic chasing his third win on the trot.
Making his Gold Coast debut in the lucrative feature race, Bel Sonic comes off successive sprint wins in Victoria including most recently a narrow success carrying 58kg in the $120,000 VOBIS Gold Carat (1200m) on December 23 at The Valley.
He and jockey Ben Melham, retaining the ride, come back to 56kg for the Magic Millions Guineas with the up-and-coming horse having his first look at further than 1200m.
Lightly-raced having had just five career starts so far, Bel Sonic jumps from barrier 11 and will be able to stay out of trouble from the gate giving him every chance to run a strong 1400m.
“I think it [the 1400m] will suit him as he’ll be able to find his feet,” Warren told the Herald Sun.
“He’ll be able to settle midfield and not get out of his comfort zone.”
The Magic Millions race is also the first official start for Bel Sonic the right-handed way of racing, but Warren is unfazed about the change of direction having given the horse plenty of work the clockwise way in the lead-up.
“He was in a jumpout at Eagle Farm and he handled it well and he’s since worked well at the Gold Coast on the course proper,” he said.
The Magic Millions 3YO Guineas field also features the likes of Kris Lees’ All Too Hard filly Sasso Corbaro ($4.80) after her fourth win on the trot and the big market mover Whypeeo ($18 into $8.50).
Locally trained on the Gold Coast by Toby Edmonds, I Am Invincible gelding Whypeeo is out to atone for his last start eighth behind Pierata at Doomben on December 30 in the Group 3 $200,00 Vo Rogue Plate (1350m).
As for Sasso Corbaro, she benefits from the booking of triple Melbourne Cup winning hoop Damien Oliver and just needs a touch of luck from her barrier 12 draw.
“It just depends on what type of run she gets from the wide gate,” the Newcastle-based Lees said on Friday.
“It’s a bit of a sticky gate, but that said they often come to the middle of the track. Especially after they race last week and a long day tomorrow. So time will tell as the day progresses.”