Fairy tale endings are rare in racing but Chris Munce is confident he can buck the trend on favourite Wicked Intent in the $2 million Magic Millions Classic.
Munce announced his retirement as a jockey on Wednesday and he will take up training the morning after he rides at Saturday's Gold Coast meeting.
Gunsynd and Octagonal are just two of the champion horses beaten at their last starts while a long line of top jockeys also failed to greet the judge at their final racetrack appearances.
However, Munce, who will be remembered along with George Moore, Neville Sellwood and Mick Dittman as Queensland's greatest jockeys, is brimming with confidence about Saturday's Gold Coast meeting where he also rides Into The Red in the $1 million Guineas.
Wicked Intent has maintained his place at the top of the betting for the Classic after drawing barrier five.
"I really want to win this one. My wife Cathy and I helped pick out Wicked Intent for just $15,000 and my father in law Barry Mitchell has done a great job training him," Munce said.
"The horse is well, we have a good barrier, and he will benefit from his last start second."
Wicked Intent is among the horses which will be part of Munce's new stable.
No history of the Magic Millions Classic could be written without a lengthy chapter on Munce's contribution.
He has won the race three times on Sunblazer, Excellerator and Dance Hero, finished second on Belle Du Jour and third on Demanding Miss.
"It perhaps should have been four wins as I was to ride the 1994 winner Brave Warrior but fell in an earlier race and Neil Williams got the ride," Munce said.
"Magic Millions day has always been something special for me and I felt it was the right day to go out on."
Wicked Intent is raced by a group of friends headed by Brisbane businessman Chris Goddard.
They are a great bunch of blokes and I reckon there will be some lengthy celebrations if we win," Munce said.