Bruce Brown wary of fellow Queenslander as his mare attempts to go one better at Rosehill
QUEENSLAND trainer Bruce Brown has stopped short of declaring his mare Black Magic when she runs in Sydney on Saturday.
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QUEENSLAND trainer Bruce Brown has stopped short of declaring his mare Black Magic when she runs in Sydney on Saturday because of a horse he rates as one of Brisbane racing's emerging stars.
Black Magic was considered a certainty beaten at her second Sydney start but Brown's confidence in her chances of going one better at Rosehill has been tempered with Cape Kidnappers among the entries for the 1100m sprint.
"You come all this way to race a good Queensland horse. It's hard to believe,'' Brown said.
"It's the same sort of race as last time except for Cape Kidnappers.''
Black Magic has never met Cape Kidnappers but Brown is an unabashed fan of Kelly Schweida's sprinter.
"He's won seven out of nine with two seconds and last start he was sensational because he got held up and when he got through he just dashed away,'' Brown said.
"My horse has never raced him but I know he's a quality horse.''
Black Magic was snookered for most of the straight before closing late when runner-up to Hidden Warrior over 1100m at Rosehill on November 2.
Ryan Wiggins, who has won twice on the mare in Brisbane, takes over from Jay Ford on Saturday.
It will be Black Magic's final Sydney start before returning to Queensland from where Brown hopes he can launch another interstate campaign in early 2014.
"This has been a bit of a dummy run to see how she would handle being away from home,'' he said.
"She left Queensland at 571 kilos and after two runs and the trip down she is 566 kilos so she is coping well.''
Queensland form will be influential in more than one Rosehill race on Saturday.
Last-start Eagle Farm winner Congo, also a Wiggins mount, is entered in a 1500m race.
His Matthew Dunn-trained stablemate Splendora, also a winner at Eagle Farm at her most recent start, has been nominated for a three-year-old event.
The filly is also entered for Eagle Farm on Saturday.