A prestigious Group 1 race on the opposite coast is now the target for the consistent gelding Magnatear, with his connections electing to bypass The Gong in favour of a campaign aimed at the Railway Stakes in Perth.
Co-trainer Will Freedman has confirmed that the gelding will not be included in the nominations for the Kembla Grange feature. Instead, Magnatear is slated to depart Sydney on Monday, flying west to target the $1.5 million Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot on November 21.
“It’s a bit of an adventure for us all, and he’ll go and represent NSW in the Railway and he’ll probably stay on for the Gold Rush over there,” Freedman commented.
“He’s not quite up to the topliners in NSW and Victoria, and sometimes with these horses you’ve got to get creative.
“He’s proven he can travel interstate and perform well. Last preparation he had his first-up run in Queensland, came back to Sydney and raced, then went back up to Queensland for the Magic Millions, so he’s okay travelling.
“It’s a big trip. He gets on the plane on Monday, and we’ll see how he goes.”
Magnatear has been competitive in all three of his starts this Sydney spring preparation. He finished second to Skyhook in the Theo Marks Stakes (1400m) in September, was beaten just over a length when fourth in the Alan Brown Stakes (1400m), and was again near the pace when sixth in The Big Dance (1600m) on November 3.
In retrospect, Freedman indicated that the conditions of his most recent race were not ideal, but he expects Magnatear to be in peak form for his Railway Stakes attempt.
“His run in the Big Dance was good. He just wasn’t quite ready for the brutal nature of that race. They ran it in very quick time, and he was probably one run short of where we really wanted him to be,” Freedman explained.
“But hopefully after that run and a trip over to Perth, he’s cherry-ripe.”
Alysha Collett is the intended rider for Magnatear in the Railway Stakes and the Group 3 Gold Rush (1400m) at Ascot, scheduled for December 12.
Competitors from the eastern states have secured two victories in the past eleven renewals of the Railway Stakes, with Port Lockroy being the most recent winner two years ago.
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