Arabian Summer shows touch of Sunlight in Gold Coast win ahead of Magic Millions 2YO Classic
Arabian Summer will attempt to replicate the feats of champion mare Sunlight in next week’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic and break a hoodoo in the process.
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Magic Millions fancy Arabian Summer has a long way to go to reach the heights of Sunlight, but trainer Tony McEvoy has hailed the filly as having the same toughness after winning at the Gold Coast on Saturday.
Arabian Summer franked her Ballarat Magic Millions victory and exploded into next week’s $3m 2YO Classic (1200m) calculations with a dominant win in the Gold Pearl (1100m) under jockey Harry Coffey, setting McEvoy, who trains in partnership with his son Calvin, up for another shot at the race after winning it in 2018 with Sunlight.
Following a tried and tested method of racing seven days before the Magic Millions 2YO Classic, McEvoy said Arabian Summer had the same traits as his former stable star.
Lovely filly Arabian Summer was too good for them in the Gold Pearl today!
â SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 6, 2024
Harry Coffey taking the reins for @mcevoymitchell. pic.twitter.com/J4oqsZx1Y5
“She is as tough as Sunlight, I’m not going to say she’s in Sunlight’s grade, but she’s getting closer,” he said.
“The way she is built, she is a really compact two-year-old.
“If you have a horse that can do it, it’s an attractive model (backing up), she’s very tough this girl because she had to come up by road and she hasn’t left an oat.
“She needed a gallop, she hasn’t had a saddle on in eight days, so this will make her better.”
Bookmakers saw enough to trim the filly from $11 into $9 for next week as she looks to break the Ballarat Magic Millions curse.
After riding at the Magic Millions in the beach race in the past, Coffey finds himself with one of the best rides in the main event next week.
“Always helps when you know horses well and luckily I’ve been able to be with her at every one of her starts and she’s run superbly every time,” he said.
“She’s bumped into some pretty good horses along the journey and it is really rewarding for her and the team, Tony and Cal, to string two in a row now.”
In her dominant win, Arabian Summer ran a quicker time than the colts and geldings division, taken out by Spywire.
It's all Spywire in the Gold Nugget!@CWilliamsJockey the pilot for @cmaherracing. pic.twitter.com/EW1nQFxckk
â SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 6, 2024
After getting beaten in controversial circumstances in the Wyong Magic Millions last month, Spywire bounced back at the Gold Coast, setting James McDonald up for another shot at Magic Millions glory in the same colours as Coolangatta, who won in 2022.
Trainer Ciaron Maher was forced to race the Trapeze Artist colt on Saturday after missing a trial earlier in the week due to the wild weather which has lashed the southeast and said it has worked out.
“With the weather earlier in the week the plan was to have a trial, give him a nice gallop into the Magic Millions but the way the weather worked out we gave him an easy gallop on the synthetic track and have this race to bring him up to the mark,” he said.
“With today’s run under his belt he’ll be spot on.”
Originally published as Arabian Summer shows touch of Sunlight in Gold Coast win ahead of Magic Millions 2YO Classic