Magician will have his first start back in Tasmania since winning the $80,000 Beautide when he lines up in the More Confidence Consulting Discretionary (2090m) in Hobart on Sunday night.
The win in the Beautide saw the gelded son of Sweet Lou secure Tasracing’s slot in the $2.1M Eureka at Menangle where he finished fourth.
He was spelled in New South Wales after that start. He had eight starts at Menangle over the summer before returning to Tasmania to contest a heat of the Easter Cup on 24 March, where he was scratched on race morning after getting cast in his box to the disappointment of his trainer-driver Todd Rattray.
“It was a huge disappointment (to miss out on the Easter Cup heat and final). I’m pretty sure we had him cherry-ripe. We have worked on him a fair bit and he has slowly came right,” said Rattray.
With the lack of open-class horses trialling at present, Rattray has elected not to trial the pacer.
“He has been working good times at home, so we will see how he goes, I guess,” said Rattray.
With a 10m handicap on Sunday, Rattray said he was concerned with the pacers’ standing start manners and some noted jump and run horses off the front line that will appreciate the 2090m trip.
“He is probably not the best horse to do anything with really, and his standing start manners aren’t the best either. We will just have to hopefully get away safely and hope we can keep up. Cool Water Paddy and those horses will jump to the front and run along, but we may not be able to get into it. You never know,” said Rattray.
Rattray said he would see how the pacer comes through the run before locking in future plans, but he indicated the likely targets include the Launceston Mile on 12 May, and the City of Devonport Quality on 26 May (in Launceston). Both races are over 1680 and carry prize money of $20,000.
