A colt trainer Shane Nichols found hard to sell has emerged as a contender for the Magic Millions Classic at Flemington.

I Am The General, bought for $35,000 as a yearling, booked his ticket north for next month’s Magic Millions with his all-the-way success over odds-on favourite Chivalry in Saturday’s LeadWest Plate (1000m).

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The colt was taken to the front by jockey Jake Noonan and kicked strongly enough in his second race start to hold off debutant Chivalry ($1.70) by a neck with Notonyourlife ($31) another 1-1/2 lengths away third. 

I Am The General ($12) needed to race well at Flemington to ensure a start in the Magic Millions after his third on debut in the Clockwise Classic at Ballarat.

“I struggled to get him syndicated early and then when he showed a bit I sent an email out to my owners and said `this horse may go to the Ballarat race worth $200,000′, so I had a lot of interest then and sold him down,” Nichols said.

“It’s great that you can involve a lot of your clients in what is a nice horse.”

I Am The General moved to $14 for the Magic Millions and Nichols would love for him to draw an inside gate at the Gold Coast feature.

“We’re there and we’ll just try to keep him in one piece and see what happens,” the Mornington trainer said.

“But it’s good times.

“He’s just a true two-year-old racehorse. He’s sound, compliant and he’s pretty quick.”

Debutant Chivalry was held up behind the leader passing the 400m but got out at the 300m to make his run.

Trainer Mark Kavanagh said he would “find it doubtful on today’s effort” that Chivalry would go to the Magic Millions but said he would wait and see.

Kavanagh insists the colt will be better next season.

“I wouldn’t swap him for any other horse in the race,” Kavanagh said.