Monday, 8 January 2024: We saw some nice two-year-olds on Saturday, but should one be running in the Magic Millions that isn’t?

STAY FOCUSED winning the Geelong Diamond at Geelong in Australia.

Gold Coast

The final two lead ups to Saturday's Magic Millions 2yo Classic took place at Gold Coast on Saturday with the respective winners of the male and female Aquis Gold Nugget/Pearl set to go around single figures in the market.

The market has Nugget winner Spywire  second pick behind the 107 rated Storm Boy  and I think that's wrong.

He was beaten by Highness  in the Wyong Magic Millions two starts back and late riding vigour aside, he hasn't really put up a rating that puts him in the finish on Saturday, rather looking fast and exciting rather than full of substance.

He did run to a new peak on Saturday, clocking in at 102 after winning at $1.45 but again it was more speed than substance, all starts coming at 1100m. Not that times are everything, but he was around a length slower than the fillies' race, and he did come home slower, albeit he had the race won.

Also running to 102 in their win was Arabian Summer  who won the Pearl, backing up a dominant Ballarat Magic Millions win where she ran to 97 with a new peak here.

That 102, when taking in her 2kg fillies' allowance, will see her effectively rated 106, one pound below $2.50 favourite Storm Boy, and what was encouraging to see with the McEvoy trained daughter of Too Darn Hot  was her ability to take a sit off the speed and finish off well.

She'll still have to improve a fair bit on the back-up, and a testing 1200m still remains a query for me, but I think it's fair to say she should be shorter in betting than Spywire come Saturday.

We haven't seen Highness run since Wyong but betting will be interesting between the pair. He too is rated 102 but off just two starts and just one this preparation. He was powerful late there and I'd think there's more to come.

If I had to pick the biggest danger Storm Boy, the rightful, but perhaps a bit too short favourite, it'd be Highness.


Geelong

All that said, there is a horse that won't be running on Saturday who potentially should be.

Stay Focused  was very strong winning the Geelong Diamond on debut off a strong pace, evidenced by the gaps back through the field.

The second horse, Trunk , a million dollar Yulong yearling had trialled twice behind stablemate Straight Charge who would've contested favouritism for the Magic Millions had he not been withdrawn.

Stay Focused, a son of Group 2 winning two-year-old Cosmic Force  and out of a Galileo mare, ran to 98+ with a big hint of more to come.

A Magic Millions graduate, perhaps it all came a bit too soon for Stay Focused, who will stay in Melbourne and focus on the Blue Diamond, for which he is into as short as $11.

Both he and Trunk can be followed and should be key contenders in the Blue Diamond lead ups.