The locally-owned Mogo Magic will resume at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. Image: Bradley Photos.
He is one of, if not the most exciting young galloper in NSW, and all eyes will be on Mogo Magic when he returns in either the 1100m Benchmark, 72 Handicap or 1100m Class Three Highway Handicap at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Trained by Scott Collings in Goulburn, the three-year-old debuted late last year, and with local product Nick Heywood in the saddle, he won by a combined ten lengths at his first two starts, firstly dominating his rivals in a 1000m maiden at the Sapphire Coast before his second win at Wagga in a 1065m Class One Handicap for colts and geldings.
After a freshen-up, he resumed in the $120,000 Class Two Highway Handicap (1000m) at Royal Randwick on February 25, starting a $2 favourite before he put 2.2 lengths on the field. Following a 14-week break, Nick Heywood rode the unbeaten son of Duporth out of Zoumagic in an 800-metre trial at Goulburn on June 5, and he bounced out from the gates before registering a dominant 5.5 lengths win.
He is most likely to head towards the $120,000 Highway on Saturday, although part-owner and Harden and District Picnic Race Club President Nathan Scofield confirmed that the barrier draw could change Collings’ mind, with the $150,000 Benchmark 72 a good fallback option.
The Highway will turn into a fantastic race, with fellow up-and-coming stars Remember Jack (Stephen Jones), Emperor (Matthew Dunn), and Smokeshow (Danielle Seib) entered in the same country-only event.
“On paper, it looks like being a pretty strong Highway, but that’s where he will go, and we’ll see how he handles it,” Schofield said. In seven outings, including four trials, Mogo Magic has never been headed, and while connections are trying to keep a lid on the excitement, many pundits consider the unbeaten galloper to be a lock for one of the 14 Kosciuszko slots if he wins on Saturday.
While the $2 million race isn’t run until October 14 at Royal Randwick, bookmakers have installed the youngster as the $6 third-favourite, with the Luke Pepper-trained Opal Ridge the current $4 favourite, and Collings has already confirmed that they intend to get him in the Kosciuszko.
“Bloody oath,’ Schofield replied when asked if it was exciting to be involved in the Mogo Magic ownership group. “When you see the times that he’s producing in trials and races and watching him do what he did last prep, it’s hard not to be excited – he won that Highway the way he did, and it’s all on raw ability.
“Everyone keeps saying he could be a Kozi horse or maybe something better than that, and we hope it all works out, but as they say, we’ll just take it one step at a time.”
According to Schofield, there is no better person to train their superstar sprinter than Collings, with the Goulburn stable in terrific form of late. “Scott does what’s best by the horse, and we couldn’t be happier for him and the team to have a horse like Mogo Magic and Ten Bells, and he deserves everything he gets.”
With Mogo Magic off to town, along with stablemate and back-to-back Goulburn winner Master Joe, Schofield, and other local owners in the horse will be heading to Sydney.
“We’re going to go down and have a look, and hopefully, we are celebrating,” Schofield said.
