Rolling Magic delivered a surprising but satisfying result for trainers Richard and Will Freedman on Saturday, bouncing back in style to claim victory in the Midway Handicap (1300m) at Rosehill.
The gelding hadn’t shown much in his early starts, nearly earning a spot on the Inglis Digital Sale list before a rejuvenating spell turned things around. Last spring, he found his stride with three consecutive wins in provincial company and a notable placing in the Four Pillars.
“After his first prep, he was only a stone’s throw away from the Inglis Digital Sale,” Will Freedman said.
“We tipped him out for five months and he has come back a fifty times better horse than what he was.
“As soon as you threaten the box door, they put in a good one.”
Although a foot abscess sidelined him for a while, and a pair of poor trials did little to inspire confidence, Rolling Magic defied expectations when he surged late to overtake Khumbila ($8.50) and win by a narrow margin. He went around at $7 with Josh Parr in the saddle.
“I probably got it wrong because I told, not only the press, but the owners it was quite unlikely he’d win,” Freedman admitted.
“He is getting closer to where he was when he had a good run of form. He has always looked really well, he just hasn’t been able to finish off his trials that well and some horses just don’t trial that well.
“There is certainly a lot of improvement left in him.
“If he didn’t win today, we were going to have another crack at the Four Pillars but that probably gets thrown out the window with the ratings points.”
Josh Parr was also impressed by the horse’s effort and sees scope for further development.
“His coat is quite woolly and he was really fresh pre-race in the mounting yard and even in the barrier,” Parr said.
“I think there is good improvement to come but thankfully he has got the job done today.”
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