Trainer Scott Collings believes his stable star Mogo Magic only needs to hold his form through his next couple of starts to secure a place in this year’s $2m The Kosciuszko.
It's easy to forget the four-year-old had only raced six times when started $7 in the 2023 edition and had his chances taken from him shortly after the gates opened.
With two runs under his belt since that race last October, Collings says if Mogo Magic can put that '1' against his name in Saturday's Thank You ATC Members Handicap (1100m) at Randwick on Saturday, or at his next start, he'll feel content he's done enough.
"Getting to the Kosicuszko is our target but I don't think we need to go out this year and try and prove too much,'' Collings said.
"His fitness is right where we need it to be now because he was coming off a long break and this looks like a nice race for him.
"He's coming along super, I couldn't be happier with him.
"In the next one or two starts if we can put that win straight on the board I'd nearly reckon that would get him a spot in the Kosciuszko."
Mogo Magic, $3.10 with TAB on Friday, is on the $15 line in The Kosciuszko market.
One of his owners, Matt Cowling, won two slots when the tickets were drawn last year and selected his horse plus eventual runner-up Opal Ridge in the race.
No doubt connections will again be buying up the $5 sweepstakes tickets but in the event nobody linked to the horse wins one of the 14 slots, Collings doesn't want to leave a lot to chance.
So that's why he'd also like to use this preparation to put to bed any doubt over the 1200m of the Kosciuszko course.
"More than likely his next start will be the 1200m to tick that box then he can have a let up and get ready for that race,'' he said.
"I've never thought that 1200m would be an issue. In the Kosciuszko things didn't go to plan for us, we were poleaxed at the start and put straight out of the game."
Collings said the two runs back from a spell, for placings behind The Black Cloud at Randwick and Jedibeel at Canterbury, have the gelding right where he wants him fitness wise to strike in his next couple of runs.
Mogo Magic meets Jedibeel again on Saturday and has a 1kg turnaround in the weights for a length defeat where Collings felt the pattern of the day played against him to a degree.
"The horse that beat him went very well on that day, take nothing away from the winner, but Tim (Clark) thought the better going was in the middle of the track,'' he said.
"As soon as he got him away from the fence the horse got himself beaten by trying to get back to the fence.
"The horse will take up his normal role, he'll either lead or sit outside the leader. In the ideal world we'd like to be up against the fence at some stage and I think that will help him."
The $5 tickets in The Kosciuszko sweepstakes are on sale to NSW residents via TAB at agencies, the TAB app, pubs and clubs and at race meetings around the state.
