Horse Racing

A field bursting with 2012 Magic Millions Guineas-bound three-year-olds is set to line-up in the $100,000 Listed Gold Edition Plate (1200m) at Eagle Farm this Saturday, punters to get an early guide to the iconic Magic Millions Race Day feature next month.

Set to run as Eagle Farm Race 7 at 4:15pm, the 2011 Gold Edition Plate attracted a capacity field of 17 starters plus four emergencies, 12 of which feature in the current list of 146 entries for the $1 million Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (1400m), running at the Gold Coast Magic Millions Race Day on January 14.

Gold Edition Plate 2011 acceptors entered for the Magic Millions Guineas 2012 are:

• Rocket To Glory (John Manzelmann)
• Biggles (Noel J Doyle)
• Show A Prince (Liam Birchley)
• Pepper Jet (Liam Birchley)
• Easy Running (Desleigh Forster)
• Double Impact (Jackie Crompton)
• Aquatorial (Ron Macrae)
• Daytime Dazzler (Col Williamson)
• Spinhro (Norm Stephens)
• Via Del Corso (Barry Baldwin)
• Tycoon’s Heart (David Kelly)
• Moroccan Dancer (Gillian Heinrich)

Of these three horses come into Saturday’s showdown on the back of a last-start win with Noel Doyle’s Jet Spur gelding Biggles winning at Eagle Farm first-up on December 3, the Col Williamson-trained last-start Ipswich winner Daytime Dazzler and Barry Baldwin’s Show A Heart colt Via Del Corso who thrived on a Slow (7) Ipswich track to win by four and a half lengths on December 2.

The Gold Edition Plate has thrown up a number of genuine gallopers over the years including last year’s winner Adebisi who won the Group 3 George Moore Stakes (1200m) at Doomben just last Saturday.

Adebisi’s local Eagle Farm-based trainer Desleigh Forster will seek successive wins in the race this weekend with Easy Running.

Due to be ridden by top hoop Damian Browne and coming off an eye-catching first-up fourth to Biggles in the Hardy Brothers Jewellers Handicap (1000m) a fortnight ago, Easy Running has suffered an early blow drawing barrier 18.

With the four emergencies not gaining a start they will still only come into gate 15.

Other notable gallopers that have drawn wide for the Gold Edition Plate this year include John Manzelmann’s Shovhog gelding Rocket To Glory (14), Toowoomba galloper Mr Favulous (16) and the Liam Birchley-trained Pepper Jet (17).

Lightly-raced Jet Spur colt Pepper Jet enjoyed a strong start to their career wining their opening two career starts at the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast respectively last summer before finishing three lengths away third to Karuta Queen in this year’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

After a lengthy 11 month spell during which they underwent throat surgery, Pepper Jet resumed at Eagle Farm on December 3 but were disappointing when beaten seventh lengths to finish 10^th to Biggles.

“We could have gone to Melbourne (for the spring) but the Magic Millions (Guineas) is just on the doorstep, so we decided to save him until then,” Birchely explained.

The 2011 Hanachi Gold Edition Plate is one of four Listed races taking place at Eagle Farm this Saturday, markets for which are due to open at Luxbet shortly.

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2011 Gold Edition Plate Final Field & Barrier Draw

Eagle Farm Race 7 – 17/12/2011