Four-horse fields: Why are two-year-old races depleted ahead of $3m Magic Millions carrot?

Two-year-old racing in Queensland took a huge hit with the scratching of Magic Millions fancy Spywire from the Phelan Ready on Friday, meaning just four horses will greet the starter.

Two-year-old field sizes in Queensland have suffered this season. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

Juvenile racing in Queensland is set to go under the microscope as tiny field sizes continue to hamper two-year-old racing in the lead-up to the super rich Magic Millions carnival.

Just four horses will line up in the $200,000 Listed Phelan Ready (1000m) on Saturday following the high-profile scratching of $1.09 favourite Spywire on Friday morning.

While Spywire’s scratching magnifies the problem, it has been an issue for several years with the Australian Trainers’ Association calling for a discussion with racing officials ahead of next season’s race program reveal to work out what is causing the lack of field sizes.

Although the Phelan Ready will have just four starters, the Listed Calaway Gal (1000m) for fillies currently has nine starters, while the QTIS 2YO Maiden at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday was in danger of being called off due to a lack of acceptances.

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The Australian Trainers’ Association is calling for the start of the two-year-old season to be pushed back to allow time for the juveniles to develop and to condense the amount of races.

“If it wasn’t for Mike Crooks and Les Ross (Mishani horses), we would have a very embarrassing situation with the two-year-old racing in this state,” Queensland ATA secretary Cameron Partington said.

“There are a few reasons why the two-year-olds simply aren’t around.

Chris Munce has been one of the standout two-year-old trainers so far this season. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

“There is a stabling shortage in southeast Queensland in particular, so trainers haven’t been in a position to tip horses out to the paddock that are making money to bring a yearling in to prepare them for racing.

“They take three or four months to prepare them, so a lot of stables need to wait until the horses finish their campaigns so they can bring a two-year-old in.”

Partington also believes the unbelievable riches on offer for older horses are stopping trainers from pressing their young ones early.

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“There is so much more money on offer for older horses then there used to be, with a lot of these four and five-year-old feature races down south and now even in Queensland,” he said.

“It has taken some of the emphasis off getting horses ready in time to win the Magic Millions or the Golden Slipper.

“There used to be only a few big races you wanted to win, now there are 30 big races.”

While mindful of the huge Magic Millions carnival in the second week of January, Partington said a later start to the two-year-old season should be considered, with Queensland starting before any other state with the Pat O’Shea Plate in Toowoomba in September.

“We should look at the programming and have a look if we need to start a month later,” he said. “It could be worth having a break in the hot summer months, particularly in the north and the west of the state.”

Originally published as Four-horse fields: Why are two-year-old races depleted ahead of $3m Magic Millions carrot?