Beware the outsider
Bookmaker shines light on Wolfgang to test wife’s star
Bookmaker Robbie Waterhouse has identified the Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic contender the “betting market has missed”.
Waterhouse said he believed his wife, Gai, seeking her fifth Magic Millions 2YO Classic, was clearly the one to beat with hot $2.30 favourite Storm Boy.
But in Saturday’s $3m race, which the bookmaker thinks has a long tail, he says there is a forgotten chance who is $19 in the market but should be much shorter.
Waterhouse has pinpointed $500,000 colt Wolfgang as having an undeniable chance.
Wolfgang is Lloyd Kennewell’s first Magic Millions 2YO Classic runner and he and co-trainer Lucy Yeomans have deployed a key gear change with blinkers going on, on the advice of champion jockey Blake Shinn.
“Wolfgang has got a much better chance than people give it credit for,” Waterhouse told Racenet.
“It is the one the betting market has missed. It works out really well on my form and my numbers. I think it has got a great chance in the race.
“It strikes me as being a horse that is well over its right odds in the market.”
Well-travelled Wolfgang will be racing in his fourth state on Saturday, having made his debut in Victoria and then nailing wins in Adelaide and in Brisbane.
Mounting-yard watchers had a glimpse of Wolfgang’s coltish behaviour in Brisbane last start, with the sprinter then doing enough to win but not being spectacular when scoring as a $1.50 favourite at Doomben.
Post-race, Shinn said the colt did not win as well as he hoped but immediately recommended to the trainers they use blinkers in the grand final of the Magic Millions.
Meanwhile, Waterhouse says he agrees with the betting market’s assessment of his wife’s colt Storm Boy as a clear favourite.
While co-trainer Adrian Bott is searching for his first Magic Millions 2YO Classic win, Gai Waterhouse has won the race four times although not since Driefontein won on protest in 2012.
Storm Boy is unbeaten in two starts and has ticked the 1200m box, produced a strong victory at Eagle Farm in his last start after he did not get many favours in the run.
“I would have no difficulty having him as a 6/4 ($2.50) chance in the race,” Robbie Waterhouse said.
“I think he dominates and I think he will control the race. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him leading the race, even though a filly like Arabian Summer has got plenty of speed.
“I think that (Storm Boy’s jockey) Adam Hyeronimus can be more resolute at the start.
“The race has a very long tail and I’ve had a look at the history of the race since 1991 and favourites tend to dominate.”
While Gai Waterhouse has won almost every big race in Australia you can name, husband Robbie says his wife’s passion for the Magic Millions is unabated.
“This is Gai’s main sale and she has had tremendous success buying horses here,” he said.
“She always wants to buy a horse to win the Magic Millions and she has a great chance this year.”