Horse Racing

This Saturday Brisbane’s Eagle Farm Racecourse will host a bumper day’s racing headlined by four Listed race features including a number of crucial 2012 Magic Millions Race Day lead-up features such as the $100,000 Calaway Gal Stakes (1000m).

Military Rose won the Calaway Gal Stakes - Magic Millions 2YO Classic double in the 2009-10 racing season

Open to two-year-old fillies the 2011 Calaway Gal Stakes Plate drew 23 nominees, a number of which are heading towards a run in the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) on the Gold Coast in mid-January.

Magic Millions 2YO Classic 2012 first acceptances were released last week with 146 hopefuls still in contention, 49 of which have earned enough prizemoney to earn a start in the feature as of December 12.

Of the Calaway Gal Stakes nominees, those heading towards a Magic Millions Classic start are:

• Doubtfilly (Stuart Kendrick)
• Dysfunction (John P Thompson)
• Sookie (John P Thompson)
• Edge Of Love (Bruce W Hill)
• Lady Colours (Bruce W Hill)
• Nett (Todd Austin)
• Never Despair (Michael Nolan)
• Prefect (Neville O Saunders)
• Quick’s The Word (Barry Baldwin)
• Snipzu (Liam Birchley)
• Time To Exceed (Norm Hilton)
• You’re Mine (David Kelly)

Of these Calaway Gal – Magic Millions chances a number have already raced and won including Doubtfilly who stormed home to score an emphatic six length win at Townsville on November 22 and the Liam Birchley-trained Snipzu who has won two of their three starts to date.

Snipzu is one of the most highly-spruiked fillies heading into Saturday’s clash, the daughter of Snippetson having kicked off their career in promising style.

After running second on debut to Hussousa in the Listed Gimcrack Stakes (1000m) at Randwick on October 1, Snipzu went on to salute by an easy seven lengths in a 1000 metre handicap at Eagle Farm on a Heavy (9) track a fortnight later.

She was last seen putting a minimum three and a half lengths on her rivals when winning another Eagle Farm 1000 metre handicap on October 22, the win seeing Snipzu boost her career earnings to over $84,000, $4k more than earning back her $80,000 purchase price for connections.

Meanwhile a filly that got the better of Snipzu in a barrier trial on December 6, the Patinack Farm-owned Sookie is a chance to make her debut in the Calaway Gal.

The Casino Prince two-year-old put one and a quarter lengths on Snipzu over 810 metres at Doomben in the trial and could be joined in the Calaway Gal field by the fellow unraced Thompson-trained filly Dysfunction.

The Calaway Gal Stakes has proved an excellent preparatory run for Magic Millions-bound fillies and has also served as a good betting guide for Luxbet punters.

Two seasons ago the Gillian Heinrich-trained Military Rose claimed the 2009 Calaway Gal Stakes at just her second start before winning the Listed BJ McLachlan Stakes (1200m) and then the 2010 Magic Millions Classic by a commanding four lengths.

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2011 Calaway Gal Stakes Nominations