Magic Millions day is an occasion where many old friends meet at the track in an annual pilgrimage.
2014 is also a time where so many favourites from past carnival days head back to the Coast and interestingly they aren’t coming from the twelve months just gone.
The most recognisable has to be 2009 2yo Classic winner Phelan Ready. He has an amazing CV in that he has only won two races in his 44 start career.
They are the Magic Millions 2yo and a little race called the Golden Slipper. It's not all bad to only have two wins as both were in excess of a $1m cheque to the winning connections.
He goes around in the Magic Millions Cup and if the rain continues who knows, he could well jag his third race win.
Another former Classic winner is entered on Saturday in the shape of Driefontein. She famously won the race on protest from her stablemate No Looking Back in 2012. She runs as a strong top weight in the F&M Hcp where every other runner is on the minimum.
In talking about the juvenile feature, we should also note last year’s runner up Sweet Idea tries to come back and win the Guineas. She tries to emulate an old Tulloch Lodger Ha Ha who was beaten in the 2yo then came back and won the 3yo.
One old warrior is Liam Birchley’s Pepperwood. He runs in the Stayers Cup – a race he won way back in 2009. He comes up every year and wins a race for his connections, usually at big odds.
Against him in that race is Onetimeatbandcamp who took out the Country Cup when it was run in 2012. The big horse managed to get himself around the small track to win by ¾ length.
Number One Gun is from the flying John O’Shea yard and he is another in the Magic Millions Cup. He led all the way in the 2012 Magic Millions Maiden which is always a tightly contested race.
An honourable mention has to go to the six year old Startsmeup. He possibly best exemplifies the Magic Millions concept. When he runs in that previously discussed Cup, it will be the fifth time in a row he has run on this day.
He was 5th in the Cup in 2013, 2nd in the Cup in 2012, 2nd again the previous year and 5th in the Classic way back in 2010.
Expect quite a few of the heroes from Saturday to be back at the Gold Coast once more in 2015.
