Magic Millions Guineas for Star Surprise

Sunday 15 December 2019, 4:08pm

Melbourne trainer Mike Moroney has decided to target the $2 million Magic Millions 3YO Guineas at the Gold Coast with promising sprinter Star Surprise.

The three-year-old returned from a spell in a 1000m benchmark-70 race on the Pakenham Cup program eight days ago and came from last in the field of 10 to win by 1-1/4-lengths.

Moroney said the plan was for Star Surprise to fly north this week with the Magic Millions Guineas (1400m) on January 11 the target.

The trainer said the gelding would probably have a barrier trial in Queensland before the rich race.

Star Surprise has three wins from five starts with his only unplaced run when last of the six runners in the Listed Vain Stakes, won by Bivouac, at the end of his first campaign.

"Whether he gets 1400 metres, we'll see," Moroney said.

"I think he will and he's bred to on the dam side.

"He's not very big, that's the only thing. But he's a pretty good horse."

Moroney was impressed with Star Surprise's Pakenham return but said he believed how the gelding handled the trip away to Queensland would have a bearing on his Magic Millions chances.

"His sectionals were very, very good and he's a seriously good horse I think," Moroney said.

"He's just a bit temperamental though and this will be his first trip away which is going to be the worry. He's not straightforward that way."

Moroney has shelved thoughts of running stablemate Hawker Hurricane in the Magic Millions Guineas and said he would instead be in the paddock.

Hawker Hurricane won the Magic Millions 3&4YO Classic (1100m) at Ballarat on November 23.

"I'll save him for the autumn," he said.

"I tried to fly him up for the Gold Edition but couldn't get a plane.

"He had to run there to be in sync so I thought I would put him in the paddock instead."

Saturday's Gold Edition Plate at Eagle Farm was won by Magic Millions Guineas favourite Alligator Blood.

– AAP

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »