Cherie Curtis content to wait on Magic Millions 3YO Guineas tilt with Bauhinia
Sydney trainer Cherie Curtis was relieved the Magic Millions meeting was postponed as history gives filly Bauhinia a great chance of success in the 3YO Guineas.
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When last Saturday’s Magic Millions meeting was postponed after three races following a deluge of rain, trainer Cherie Curtis breathed a sigh of relief.
With 41mm of rain saturating the Gold Coast turf on race day, and while Curtis is excited by the prospects of $3m Magic Millions 3YO Guineas hope Bauhinia, the Sydney trainer is more than happy to return to the Gold Coast for Friday night’s meeting.
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“I was very happy they called them off, Lee and I had just saddled our other runner, Bacio Del Mist, she was under a holding pattern, we were just watching the rain come down,” Curtis, who trains in partnership with husband, Lee, said.
“We watched the first three races, there was a clear bias, hard fence, in front, which wouldn’t have worked in Bauhinia’s favour at all.
“We were actually saying ‘please hurry up and call this’.
“We would rather our horses not have raced on that and still have the opportunity to race for that kind of money, rather than having run on it and then being disappointed because the horse didn’t get a fair chance at it.”
It's Bauhinia down the outside with a big win in the Magic Millions Wyong Stakes for @TommyBerry21 and @CurtisRacing! 🙌@WyongRaceClub | @mmsnippetspic.twitter.com/f2jDkVK8Bn
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) December 11, 2024
Four lengths behind her nearest competitor and at the tail of the field, Bauhinia rocketed to victory in last month’s Magic Millions 3YO & 4YO Stakes at Wyong.
It was a performance that saw the daughter of Hellbent break a longstanding track record, and may have her rivals looking over their shoulder when she charges home in Friday’s 3YO Guineas.
“Horses don’t do what she did at Wyong, I know it was a hot speed, (but) she was four lengths off the second last horse and she rounded them up,” she said.
“She ran the fastest 800, 600, 400 and 200m individual splits of any horse on the day and broke a 15-year track record.
“The horse that held that track record actually won the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas – Graceful Anna (2010).
“It takes a special kind of horse to be able to do that, I’ve been around them for a long time and we haven’t had a horse like that.”
• Race times locked in for rescheduled Magic Millions
Bauhinia, a $7 chance, hasn’t raced since December 11, with a third behind Bold Bastille in a Rosehill trial (December 23) providing a nice stepping stone en route to her Guineas tilt.
“We gave her a soft trial between, a tick-over trial, and that was perfect going into (last) Saturday,” she said.
“Obviously we have another six days in-between now, she had a really nice gallop this morning (Tuesday), she’s travelled as well as you would hope any horse would – she’s handled it so well.”
With our girl Bauhinia before the big wet came.. Feel for the GCTC and @mmsnippets, we had rain forecast this week that didn’t eventuate,, just so unfortunate it rocked up on race day.
— Cherie Curtis (@lasquetimeryl) January 11, 2025
We will be ready again on Friday..
Does it count if I wear the dress again? pic.twitter.com/KNtu0zWQ7u
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While a six-day postponement has the potential to cause a headache for some trainers, it hasn’t concerned Curtis, nor does a wide barrier of 20.
“You try to time them to perfection, but on the other side, she’s a young horse and young horses are quite adaptable,” she said.
“She’s very clean-winded, she goes about her business, she had a gallop this morning (Tuesday) and she worked really well.
“We had Molly Bourke (ride her), she was very happy with her, I’d rather wait the extra six days than had to have ran on that track.
“(The barrier) never worried us, she gets back, she wasn’t actually slow to start at Wyong, she actually came out with them but the horse outside bumped into her.”
Bauhinia is currently the only horse in the field eligible for the $250,000 Racing Women’s bonus, with fifth emergency Nuestra also eligible if the filly gains a start.
The $250,000 bonus will be distributed to the first four all female-owned or leased horses in finishing order of the 3YO Guineas.
Star jockey Tommy Berry will pilot Bauhinia on Friday, stablemate Bacio Del Mist will race in the $1m Magic Millions Subzero (2200m) and is a $41 hope.
Originally published as Cherie Curtis content to wait on Magic Millions 3YO Guineas tilt with Bauhinia
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