Gary Portelli’s smart colt Single Bullet will take his next step towards January’s Magic Millions Guineas on the Gold Coast via a Thursday run at Wyong this week.
Single Bullet heads towards the Magic Millions Guineas on the Gold Coast via the Wyong Magic Millions Race Day this Thursday. Photo: Steve Hart.
Original summer racing plans for the Not A Single Doubt three-year-old were to run him next-up in the Listed $150,000 Christmas Classic (1200m) at Royal Randwick on December 30.
That was to serve as the two week lead-up into the Restricted Listed $2 Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (1400m) at the Gold Coast Racecourse on January 13.
Warwick Farm-based horseman Portelli however has made the call to give his galloper an earlier run looking to return Single Bullet to better form in the $100,000 Wyong Magic Millions 3YO & 4YO Stakes (1200m) on Thursday.
From 10 career starts to date, Single Bullet has posted just the one win in the Group 3 $175,000 Pago Pago Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill back in March this year.
His debut was at Wyong Racecourse when runner-up to Madeenaty in last December’s $200,000 Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic (1100m) and this week will be the galloper’s first run at the track since.
Earlier in the spring Single Bullet looked on track for a second career win, but in a frustrating run he placed second three times on the trot.
The latest of those was at The Valley in Melbourne when runner-up to Eptimum in the Group 3 $150,000 Red Anchor Stakes (1200m) on Ladbrokes Cox Plate Day.
After a freshen-up Single Bullet returned on December 9 at Rosehill, but was luckless running dead last (10th) 11 lengths beaten by Test The World in the $100,000 Mark Hughes Foundation Handicap (1100m).
Single Bullet copped two checks during that disappointing run and the result sent Portelli back to the drawing board where he devised the plan to race the youngster again on Wyong Magic Millions Day.
“He was a slow into stride. He got sort of sandwiched at the gates, then horses came across, carved him up at the first turn and he got spat out the back,” Portelli explained to AAP.
“He basically lost all position. I think he got a fright than more anything. A young colt in that situation against the older horses, it’s hard to recover.
“We’ll push on and go to Wyong, see how he goes and then make a decision on whether we head for the Gold Coast or freshen him up and come back for the carnival in Sydney.”
The latest pre-field Magic Millions 3YO Guineas odds at Ladbrokes.com.au have Single Bullet listed as a $51 outsider.
Portelli has also nominated for his Congrats four-year-old Hutcho in the Wyong Magic Millions 3YO & 4YO Stakes.