Ciaron Maher knows exactly what is required to win the Magic Millions 2YO Classic and believes he has the depth to strike again this Saturday.
The leading trainer will be represented by Maribyrnong Plate winner Tornado Valley and impressive Caulfield debutant Unit Five in the $3 million 1200-metre feature at the Gold Coast.
Maher holds plenty of respect for Bjorn Baker-trained favourite Warwoven, who firmed into odds-on after drawing barrier six – set to become five if emergency Iransofar does not gain a start – but remains confident in his own runners.
“They’re very good chances, the favourite looks very hard to beat, but I think they’ll be thereabouts,” Maher said.
“Bjorn’s has drawn well and it’s the favourite for a reason – it looks a good on-speed, tough horse, and they’re hard to beat – but I’m very happy with ours.”
Maher’s previous Magic Millions Classic victories came with Away Game (2020) and Coolangatta (2022), both achieved while training in partnership with David Eustace.
Those wins followed Queensland lead-up runs, a formula Maher has again applied with Tornado Valley, who finished runner-up to second favourite Zip Lock in the Group 3 B J McLachlan Stakes (1200m) on December 27.
Prior to that, the son of Too Darn Hot captured the Group 3 Maribyrnong Plate (1000m) at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day and Maher expects the addition of blinkers to sharpen him further.
“I’m very happy with his preparation, it was the plan that we set out, and he’s definitely still very much on the up and will come on from his run the other day,” Maher said.
“We’ve put the blinkers on just help him focus that little bit, he is pretty casual, so I think we’ll get a twist there.”
Tornado Valley will jump immediately inside Warwoven, while Supido colt Unit Five came up with barrier nine.
With betting markets now well formed across leading Australian wagering sites, interest is building ahead of Saturday’s Magic Millions Classic.
Maher said he was comfortable with Unit Five’s draw and took encouragement from his strong Gold Coast trial on January 5, despite the historical challenge for Victorian lead-up runners.
“He trialled super, he came through his trial good, and while he hadn’t travelled before, that’s been no problem at all,” Maher said.
“I thought anywhere inside (barrier) 10 would be ideal and he’s drawn nine, so that’s not too bad.”
In-form Victorian jockey Thomas Stockdale will chase the biggest win of his career aboard Unit Five, while Ethan Brown retains the ride on Tornado Valley.
The post Maher sizes up another Magic Millions Classic first appeared on Just Horse Racing.