Huge crowd expected as Magic Millions race day dawns after week of drama

After more than a week of high drama, the barriers will finally burst open for the Magic Millions carnival’s biggest day on the Gold Coast on Saturday.

Ally Mosley with Yes Lulu and Snitzanova ahead of Magic Millions race day. Picture: Luke Marsden.

After more than a week of high drama, the barriers will finally burst open for the Magic Millions carnival’s biggest day on the Gold Coast today.

A 25,000-strong crowd is expected to pack the Aquis Park Gold Coast Turf Club for the $14.5m Magic Millions race day as Queensland’s richest and most prestigious racing and thoroughbred sales carnival reaches a crescendo.

As rain poured on Saturday morning, the Gold Coast Turf Club flung the gates open to the precinct early to avoid 100-deep queues of punters who had already arrived well before the first race getting wet.

Turf Club chairman Brett Cook said they had made the decision early with marquees to avoid the rain erected outside the entry gates.

“We can’t control the weather,” he said.

Repair work on the damaged Gold Coast Turf Club track earlier in the week. . Picture: Supplied

The mega meeting was thrown into jeopardy when a crucial section of the Coast racetrack was mysteriously poisoned last week, sparking a police investigation.

It forced the relocation of the first Magic Millions twilight meeting to the Sunshine Coast last Saturday and there were grave fears the main race day would also have to be moved to Brisbane’s Eagle Farm.

But the racing community rallied to salvage the event, with interstate turf experts brought in to carry out urgent repairs.

The same team that saved the 2022 Melbourne Cup after a protester dumped hundreds of litres of oily sludge on the Flemington course repaired the Coast track, using specialist equipment to transplant 250sq m of turf near the home turn.

The Bundall course was cleared to race on Thursday after a test gallop by leading jockeys.

Sky Racing presenter Ally Mosley, who will cover Magic Millions on horseback, said it had been a tumultuous week for the carnival.

“There’s no show without punch, and that’s what we do at Magic Millions,” she chuckled.

“Something exciting always happens. Ideally, you never want a situation like this to happen, but to see the whole racing industry band together to help has been incredible. What they’ve been able to do to get the track ready is remarkable.”

While up to 40mm of rain is forecast, Mosley said course staff had “put all the steps in place to ensure a safe and great surface”.

Her tips for the feature 2YO Magic Millions Classic are the all-female-owned Icarian Dream, which she rated the standout despite it drawing the extreme outside barrier.

As well as the $3m in prizemoney, the Ciaron Maher-trained horse will be racing for a share of $750,000 in bonuses put up by Magic Millions co-owner Katie Page-Harvey as part of her women’s racing initiative to boost female participation in the sport.

In the other $3m race, the 3YO Guineas, Mosley likes two runners also trained by Maher – Yes Lulu and Snitzanova.

Gold Coast Turf Club chairman Brett Cook said it promised to be a spectacular day, with a capacity crowd and entertainment by Irish superstar Ronan Keating and Aussie rock god Jimmy Barnes “taking Magic Millions to a whole new level”.