Magicnracing booked his place in the $30,000 Wagga Pacers Cup next week with an all-the-way victory in Tuesday’s night qualifier.
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Taking advantage of barrier one, reinsman John Scott was able to hold on an early challenge by Gotta Bewitched ($2.80 fav) before Magicnracing ($4.80) rallied late to fight off the fast finishing Verdot ($12.10).
A short half head was the official margin and Scott wasn’t convinced he’d held on to ensure a place in the Group Three feature on Saturday week.
However, he was impressed with the effort.
“Around the turn he was travelling and I had to grab to keep Verdot in and when I grabbed him the second time he wanted to pull up a bit, lost a bit of momentum and I had to hunt him up to get him going again,” Scott said.
“To tell you the truth I thought Verdot grabbed me on the line, it was that close, and my horse being a bigger horse probably helped him a little bit.
“I think when he learns to be a race horse, this time next year if he stands up, he will be even better again.”
Trained by his wife Hellen, the race was Magicnracing’s third in five days.
He finished fourth at Cobram on Friday before being run down by stablemate Grinning Punter at Albury on Saturday.
However, Scott wasn’t worried about the heavy workload.
“Hellen and my son (Baily) were a bit hard on me for racing him so much, but he had a real good foundation and I thought a couple of runs wouldn’t hurt him,” he said.
“I probably would’ve hoppled Wednesday for Saturday but I thought I’d back him up.
“If I hadn’t raced at home at Albury I probably wouldn’t have come but being on his home track he’s straight home to his stable, which isn’t far, and he ate up and never missed an oat.”
Things won’t get any easier for the six-year-old who will line up in the Albury Pacers Cup (2555m) on Saturday night.
Scott doesn’t plan on doing much with the gelding in between runs, and again before his crack at the Wagga Pacers Cup a week later.
“Now he’ll have (Wednesday) off jog a couple of days until Albury,” he said.
“It will be the same thing through to Wagga – have Sunday off, jog a couple of days, hopple Wednesday go to Wagga then he’ll have three or four weeks down on the water walker to have a break.”
Magicnracing has drawn gate three for his hometown feature, however Scott is worried about Brallos Pass.
Brallos Pass, a Group One placegetter, is coming off a win at Bendigo last week and a second behind Miracle Mile favourite Lazarua the week before that.
Scott is hoping to utilise a good barrier once again.
“Brallos Pass is a real nice horse and I think we will be fighting it out for the minor placings but you never know,” he said.
“I drove the winner of the last race the other day and thought it couldn’t win, Ruby Red Sox, and the $1.10 favourite got knocked over early.
“You never know and you have to be in it to win it.”