Magic moment of history for Beggs
Magic Time ensured trainer Grahame Begg’s name goes on to the All Aged Stakes honour roll – 40 years after his Hall of Fame father, Neville, won the famous race with champion mare Emancipation.
The final Group 1 race in Sydney for the season was run in extremely heavy track conditions on Saturday, but provided a fitting result for the trainer who spent so much of his career at Royal Randwick.
Begg moved his training business to Victoria about a decade ago, but is a regular raider in Sydney during carnival time. Magic Time’s win in the $1.5m All Aged Stakes (1400m) was Begg’s first major in Sydney since he prepared Secret Admirer to win the 2011 Epsom Handicap.
Begg pointed out Magic Time and Secret Admirer were both raced by John Muir and it was jockey Michael Dee who wore the owner’s familiar racing colours of brown and white checks and white cap to win the All Aged.
The trainer was being interviewed on Channel 7 by Emma Freedman when he was told: “John Muir just said ‘did someone say The Everest, come and take my money’.’’
When asked about long
term plans to set Magic Time for the $20m The Everest in October, Begg paused before replying: “You never know, we will see what happens.
“Mr Muir has mentioned The Everest so she had to tick the weight-for-age box today; that was a big thing as far as we were concerned.”
Magic Time ($6.50) put herself into The Everest conversation when she ran down
Amenable ($51) to win by a long neck, with early leader Private Eye ($12) nearly three lengths away third. Sunshine In Paris ($5 favourite) struggled in the extremely heavy conditions, but held on gamely to finish fourth.
Racing NSW stewards interviewed senior jockeys Nash Rawiller, Tommy Berry, Tim Clark and Mark Zahra immediately after the All Aged Stakes before deciding to call off the final two races due to the deteriorating heavy 10 track conditions. Magic Time scored her second Group 1 win of the season, winning the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield last spring.