Top hoop at home in Qld

Shinn looks for a repeat of 2016 for Millions success

Blake Shinn is drawing inspiration from a golden run in Queensland before he moved to Hong Kong to prime himself for a raid on the Magic Millions carnival as he looks to emulate his 2016 win aboard Capitalist.

The champion Victorian hoop is basing himself on the Gold Coast and is coming off a successful hit-and-run mission to New Zealand on Boxing Day as he looks to fill his boots at Doomben on Saturday.

While many of Australia’s top jockeys fly in and out of

Brisbane this time of the year, Shinn is adamant he needs to be on the ground to give himself the best chance of unearthing the next Capitalist.

“I based myself up here before I went to Hong Kong (in 2019) and had great success, I loved riding up here and it really set me up,” Shinn said.

“Brisbane is a great lifestyle and there is some really good people and great trainers who I have ridden for in the past, so in my mind it was an easy decision.

“This is one of the major parts of our year, Magic Millions, you have the racing and the sales and there is a lot at stake for trainers, breeders, owners, so it’s where I want to be, I want to be a part of it.

“You can find a really good horse here, I have done it with Capitalist and we went on to win the (Golden) Slipper,” he said.

“There’s a lot of attractive things about basing myself up here for three or four weeks.

“Although Melbourne is my base, the racing over Christmas time quietens down there and the focus is on this carnival and this is where the major players are targeting their horses, I want to get some good rides from that.

“People are targeting their horses to try and have a shot at the Millions and it is no different for me.

“There’s 11 races on Magic Millions day, that is massive,” he said.

Riding prohibitive odds-on favourite Wolfgang for Lloyd Kennewell and Lucy Yeomans in the QTIS 2YO Handicap (1200m) at Doomben on Saturday, Shinn is confident he will be able to lock away a spot in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) in two weeks time.

“I’m still waiting to find the 2YO, hopefully it is Wolfgang, he won very well in Adelaide, it seems to be a bit quiet on that front at the moment.”

Shinn has a stacked book of nine rides at Doomben on Saturday, where he also rides two leading chances for Godolphin in The Buffering and Nudgee Stakes.