Mystic delivers dash of magic

HOMEGROWN Tasmanian two-year-old filly Mystic Journey proved she is the real deal when she outgunned a quality field in the 2YO listed Elwick Stakes over 1100m at Elwick on Sunday.

Mystic Journey went into the race unbeaten from two starts, having won the Alexandra Plate in Hobart on debut before venturing to Launceston to win the Alfa Bowl over the same distance.

The filly set a track record in the process in Launceston, which is why she started the $2.90 favourite to win the Elwick Stakes.

But this latest effort firmly established her as a star act as she powered away from her rivals in the closing stages to defeat Gee Gee Secondover with the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained filly Call Me Royal a distant third.

The filly’s trainer Adam Trinder showed some rare emotion during the post-race interview as he spoke of the filly’s courage and the loyalty of his stable’s biggest client Wayne Roser.

“You can come to races hoping your horse does its best and then you see how this filly delivered when it counted in a feature race,” Trinder said.

“She looked down and out but when the crunch came she was up for the fight and she delivered.

“We’ve had our share of success in juvenile races in the past, especially with another one of Wayne’s [Roser] horses, Valiant Warrior, and now he has another one that possesses great courage.”

It was a fiercely contested race with a serious pace set by Call Me Royal and Victorian filly Du Well with rider Anthony Darmanin able to secure a one-out spot with cover for Mystic Journey.

Gee Gee Secondover (Craig Newitt) was asked to improve three and four-wide from the 600m to get into the race and when they fanned across the track at the top of the straight Newitt’s mount looked set for victory.

Gee Gee Secondover hit the front clearly but when Darmanin asked his filly for the supreme effort she responded magnificently by regaining the lead and forged clear to score by almost a length.

“All wins are special but it is quite exciting when they win like this,” Roser Said.

Mystic Journey was pre- sented at last year’s Tasmanian Magic Millions Yearling sale by Armidale Stud and she was bought by Roser and Trinder for only $11,000.

She is by Armidale’s boom stallion Needs Further from the New Zealand-bred mare White Gold and was bred by Victorian breeders Ralph and Peta Zito, who are reaping the reward of sending their mare to Needs Further.

The breeders are the recipients of a bonus of $10,000, which was offered by Armidale to the breeder of the first interstate-bred horse sired by Needs Further that was sold at the sale and went on to win a listed race.

A full sister to Mystic Journey will be offered for sale as Lot 2 at the 2018 Magic Millions Yearling Sale in Launceston on Thursday.