Magic Love for second efforts
MAGIC Love’s affinity with second-up runs has put her back on the path to metropolitan racing.
Trainer Chris Anderson wasn’t concerned when the five-year-old mare finished last in a field of 10 when she returned to racing for her third preparation last month.
Eagle Farm-based Anderson had seen it all before and the ensuing win in her very next start in the Band 0-65 Handicap (900m) on Saturday at the Gold Coast was just as predictable.
“She has had no form firstup and just needs a run under her belt,” Anderson said.
“She is a horse that goes to the races a cut fresh and needs to get that nervous energy out of her system. She is a bit too one dimensional first-up.”
The lightly raced horse now has three wins and a place to her name from seven starts in a career that was nearly over before it began.
“She had a really nasty paddock accident as an unraced two-year-old. She severed one of her hind legs very badly.
“It was touch and go whether we could save her not just as a racehorse.
“To the owners credit they have been very patient and this is a bit of reward.”
Anderson said he would look to take Magic Love back to town, where she won at Doomben over 1050m in September last year.
“Her next assignment will be a midweek metro in a couple of weeks,” Anderson said.
“It would be ideal and give us another good guide and she may even be up to a Benchmark race on a Saturday,” Anderson said.
Magic Love’s win came against a field of five other horses on a good track and Anderson couldn’t have been more impressed by his mare and jockey Ric McMahon.
“She was very dominant with 57.5kg on her back,” Anderson said.
“It was a small field but sometimes they can dictate the tempo up front. Ric had no option other than to ride her how he did.”