Richard and Will Freedman had initially planned for Magnatear to be an unlikely starter in the Shannon Stakes this week. However, a change of mind means the dependable gelding is now set to race.
The original intention was to give Magnatear another outing in the Alan Brown Stakes (1400m) before his primary target, the $3 million Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick on Melbourne Cup day.
Will Freedman indicated that they concluded it would be more prudent to give the seven-year-old an extra run this weekend to ensure he is at his peak for the main event in November.
“We’d hate to be half a run short coming into the Big Dance, so we thought we’d give him an extra run now rather than try to squeeze one in after the Alan Brown if we felt he was slightly underdone,” Will Freedman stated. “It will be this one, then the Alan Brown, and then the Big Dance.”
Magnatear has been a stellar performer for the Freedmans since joining their stable just under two years ago.
After qualifying for The Big Dance by winning the Muswellbrook Cup (1500m) in March, he returned with a performance many considered his best, finishing second to Skyhook in the Theo Marks Stakes (1300m).
With seven wins and 15 placings from 32 starts, and prize money exceeding $750,000, Will Freedman emphasised the horse’s significance to the stable.
“He’s a fine wine. He just gets better,” he said. “I was having a conversation with a friend of mine and he said, ‘he’s so good for your business’, and I said, ‘no he’s actually terrible for my business because if he wasn’t around there might have been times I could have gone on to a different career and lived a comfortable life!’ He just keeps coming back and he’s so honest. If you had a barn full of horses like him you’d be very happy.”
A field of 10 runners will contest the Shannon Stakes, with the winner earning exemption from ballot and penalty for the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick the following week.
Magnatear will start from the inside barrier and boasts a strong record when racing second-up, having placed in the top three on all but one occasion in five starts.
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