Egyptian Symbol heads to the $10 million Gold Coast Magic Millions Race Day next month on the back of an impressive win for the punters at Wyong on Thursday.
Bjorn Baker heads to the 2017 Gold Coast Magic Millions Race Day on January 14 with last year’s Guineas placegetter Egyptian Symbol. Photo: Daniel Costello.
Trainer Bjorn Baker confirmed plans to target the $1 million Magic Millions Fillies & Mares Stakes (1300m) on January 14 after the four-year-old daughter of Stratum took out the $100,000 Wyong Magic Millions 3YO & 4YO Stakes (1200m) this week.
Ridden by Brenton Avdulla the $1.40 favourite didnât disappoint, easily accounting for her rivals with a one and a half-length victory over the Matthew Dunn-trained Madotti (2nd) and Dam Ready (3rd) in the set weights clash.
“She’s a talented mare,” winning hoop Avdulla said post-win on Thursday.
“She should have been giving them all five or six kilos minimum so I was confident if I just parked her wherever I wanted to be.
“She showed good gate speed to get across. We only went very steady in front which made it more of a dash home.
“She got around the bend really well and I was pretty kind to her.”
Egyptian Symbol has now won five of her 13 career starts including also the Group 3 the Nivison (1200m) at Royal Randwick back in mid-October.
The Wyong success was a soft win in the end after the classy mare stalked the frontrunner throughout before bursting clear in the closing stages, but Baker believes the best is still to come from the mare.
âShe did everything right and I think the penny is finally starting to drop with her. Sheâs always shown us a heap of ability. Sheâs now probably jumping a lot better and putting herself there,â he told the media yesterday.
âI thought sheâd go well, but Iâm glad to see her do that.â
Last Gold Coast Magic Millions meeting the Sydney-based Baker saddled-up Egyptian Symbol in the $2 million Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (1400m) where she finished a luckless third only a length off the winner Mahuta.
Sheâll be out to atone for that loss when she takes on her own kind this summer with Baker confirming he had âunfinished businessâ at the meeting.
“I think we have a little bit of unfinished business,” Baker told Sky Racing.
“She was a little bit unlucky in the 1400-metre race last year, the three-year-old race.”
Nominations for the 2017 Magic Millions Fillies & Mares race close on December 28 before final fields are released on January 11.
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2016 Wyong Magic Millions 3YO & 4YO Stakes Results
Wyong Race 4 – 22/12/2016
| Place | # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Br. | Wgt. | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | EGYPTIAN SYMBOL | Bjorn Baker | Brenton Avdulla | – | 7 | 57kg | $1.40F |
| 2 | 5 | MADOTTI | Matthew Dunn | Tye Angland | 1.5L | 8 | 57kg | $7.50 |
| 3 | 7 | DAM READY | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Mark Zahra | 1.7L | 3 | 56kg | $15 |
| 4 | 2 | LAST WITNESS | Paul Perry | Tim Clark | 4.3L | 6 | 59kg | $41 |
| 5 | 8 | MOUNT PANORAMA | Gary Moore | Tommy Berry | 4.5L | 4 | 56kg | $26 |
| 6 | 1 | GOLDEN SPIN | Lee & Anthony Freedman | Hugh Bowman | 5.2L | 2 | 59kg | $8.50 |
| 7 | 10 | RHYMES | Kris Lees | Andrew Gibbons | 7L | 5 | 54kg | $101 |
| 8 | 6 | TOUCH SENSITIVE | Rodney Northam | Robert Thompson | 9.1L | 1 | 57kg | $71 |
| – | 3 | THREE HATS | Allan Kehoe | – | – | 0 | – | – |
| – | 9 | MEDITERRANEAN | Peter & Paul Snowden | Blake Shinn | – | 0 | – | – |