Jockey Ryan Plumb reveals what it takes to win the Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast

What does it take to win the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic? Leading Gold Coast jockey Ryan Plumb reveals the secrets to winning at the Gold Coast Turf Club track over 1200m.

GOLD Coast’s biggest race of the year will be held on Saturday with connections of the winning horse of the Magic Millions 2YO Classic to pocket a whopping $1.2 million in prizemoney.

The trainers will have a plan and the jockeys will given the job to execute it while the connections will wait anxiously from the stands to see if their dream comes to fruition.

It ultimately all comes down to the finishing post and outside of the final 200m, punters are either relying on the race call at the track or watching for their number on television screens.

So what goes on over the course of the race that lasts for little over a minute and what does it take to win the biggest event of the $10 million race day?

Leading Gold Coast jockey Ryan Plumb — assigned to ride 2YO Classic fourth emergency Sugar Sizzle for sister and trainer Angela Plumb — reveals the secrets to winning at Aquis Park and the pitfalls that await for hoops who find themselves in the wrong part of a track with its own unique nuances.

An aerial shot of the Gold Coast Turf Club from 2004.

THE START:

“The 1200m start is a very tricky start. You have got 150m until you start turning and you have got one big sweeping turn until you straighten up.

The horses that have drawn wide, if they begin cleanly and quickly it doesn’t affect them too much but you if you come out a little bit tardy or a little bit slow out of the barriers you are in a very awkward spot and need a lot of luck in running to slot in to a winnable position.”

FIRST TURN:

”I’ve seen horses go back and get to the inside and improve enough to win the race that way.

But it’s a very high pressure race so the horses that are running fourth, fifth and sixth the whole way and have a cosy run have a big advantage due to the fact that you start turning from about the 900m mark.”

Trainer Angela Plumb at the Magic Millions barrier draw at Surfers Paradise. Picture Mike Batterham

SECOND TURN:

“Gradually the corner will get harder and from the half-mile onwards to improve your run you have got to be careful that you don’t get pushed wide on to the track because from there you will be working the whole way. The horses that have had the easy run on the inside gain a lot of advantage and save a lot of ground on the race.”

THE STRAIGHT:

“Typically speaking the Gold Coast does have a camber (curve) and it does favour horses that are four and five off the fence. A large percentage of races here are won by horses racing four and five off the fence in the straight and that’s due to the slight camber on the track that rolls back towards the inside.”