Bargain filly Assail will hunt Queensland’s richest race after a stunning on speed win in today’s $200,000 Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic (1100m).
In a most impressive performance, Assail was able to cross from an outside gate before racing clear in the home straight.
Entitled to weaken after using so much petrol early in the race, Assail was strong to the line, cruising clear to beat her rivals by three lengths.
The performance was so impressive that jockey Peter Robl virtually declared the $2 million Jeep Magic Millions 2YO Classic as over.
“That was a blistering win,” Robl told Sky Racing World. “She jumped from 12 and was blistering from the start.”
“She wanted to over race in the middle stages but then straightened up and put paid to them.”
“She’s a very exciting filly. She’s done it at both ends of the race today and run good time doing it and she’ll improve off it.”
“It’s always good to ride a winner for Clarry. But this is special to win a Magic Millions for Clarry who is arguably one of the best two-year-old trainers in the land.”
“I’ll be back from suspension a week before the Gold Coast and I’m really looking forward to get up there and she’ll put paid to them up there as well,” Robl summed up.
Clarry Conners paid $40,000 for the Charge Forward filly from the draft of Arrowfield Stud at January’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
He said the filly, who is unbeaten in two starts, was a quality youngster who looked right up there with some of his former star juveniles.
“She’s raw this filly,” Conners said. “She had two trials and now two starts and that’s it.”
“One of the journalists asked me the other day to compare her to Mirror Mirror who won the Magic Millions and she’s a better horse than Mirror Mirror.”
“She’ll go to the Gold Coast. We’ll carry her up there so she doesn’t get hurt. I saw a limo earlier – we might send her up in that.”
“I bought her for $40,000 and got left with 30 per cent of her,” Conners said.
“She’s always been smart. She’s not big, but she’s always shown the ability.”
“I was a bit worried (about the outside barrier) and I thought about not running her, but Peter (Robl) said run her and she’ll win.”
Conners said should the filly run to expectations in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic and she pulled up well – she could also target the Golden Slipper.
“It can be done. Gai’s had one or two that have done it. And Belle Du Jour ran second in the Magic Millions and came out and won the Slipper.”
“It depends on the horse,” he summed up.
Assail, a graduate of Arrowfield Stud, is by former star Magic Millions graduate Charge Forward and becomes his 11th stakes winner with the Classic this year carrying restricted listed status for the first time.
She joins stakes performers Rockford, Moroccan Rose and Zaragoza, other Arrowfield graduates from the same draft in January.
Hailing from one of the finest family’s in the stud book, Assail is the first named foal for the unraced Redoute’s Choice mare Emanday.
Emanday is a full sister to Group One winner and young Swettenham Stud sire Master of Design and is a half sister to South African Group One winner Suntagonal.
It is therefore the same family as Group One winners including Typhoon Tracy, Danasinga and Tracy’s Element as well as last Saturday’s Christmas Cup winner Cantonese.
Emanday’s latest yearling, a Charge Forward full sister to Assail, is catalogued as lot 542 in January’s Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
PICS – Steve Hart.