*Update: The postponed 2023 Magic Millions 2YO Classic, abandoned on Saturday due to the weather unsafe racing conditions, will run at Aquis Park, Gold Coast, on Thursday January 19.

The field is set for another top edition of the popular $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast on Thursday with markets on the rescheduled Restricted Listed feature led by the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Empire Of Japan.

Empire Of Japan is favourite to win the Gold Coast’s rescheduled $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic on Thursday. Photo: Steve Hart.

The progressive Snitzel colt is drawn barrier 11 in the capacity line-up of Magic Millions qualified juveniles with ace hoop James McDonald continuing associations.

McDonald has partnered the young horse for both his career runs to date including the impressive three-length Group 3 Breeders Plate (1000m) victory at Randwick on a Heavy (8) on debut last October.

Empire Of Japan resumed on Christmas Eve and was narrowly beaten when a half-length back third in a two-year-olds set weights over 1100m in Sydney with improvement to come up to the six furlongs on Thursday in the sunshine state.

The Snowdens last won the event with Capitalist back in 2016, and the latest Magic Millions 2YO Classic odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au have Empire Of Japan at $4.80 to had the stable another victory in the Queensland feature this week.

Peter & Paul Snowden saddle-up a total of three runners in this summer’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic field with the favourite joined in the line-up by the undefeated Sovereign Fund ($6.50) and Godfather ($35) both drawn wide in gates 17 and 20 respectively.

Despite the wide alley two-time winning chestnut Sovereign Fund, a son of the stable’s 2016 winner Capitalist, is being respected in the markets.

He won the Wyong Magic Millions 2YO Classic by a good margin in mid-December before impressing again with an over three-length romp home over the 1200m distance at Doomben on New Year’s Eve.

Jamie Kah was aboard for the gun colt’s last start victory and retains the ride from the wider gate on Thursday.

Occupying the third line of Magic Millions Classic betting this season at $6.50 and firming is the early market mover Skirt The Law drawn a treat in gate four for jockey Ryan Maloney.

The Tony Gollan-trained Queenslander is the best fancied of the fillies in the field and chases her third win from as many starts.

Fillies have dominated the recent Magic Millions 2YO Classic results with last year’s champion, Coolangatta (2022), become the fifth in six years to beat home the boys in the lucrative showdown.

Skirt The Law is a daughter of Better Than Ready and she comes off back-to-back wins by runaway margins at Doomben this summer.

She was impressive in her November debut winning over 1050m by 2.75 lengths before thrashing her rivals in a 1200m two-year-olds handicap at the same track by over five lengths on December 3.

The filly has been kept fit with a subsequent winning hit-out at the Gold Coast track on December 29 and ticks plenty of boxes.

Rounding out the single-figure fancies at $8 is the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Platinum Jubilee in gate seven with Regan Bayliss aboard.

Co-trainer Waterhouse boasts the record of four previous Magic Millions 2YO Classic winners with Driefontein her most recent success back in 2012.

Her and Bott saddle-up three fancies this season looking for their first success as a partnership in the event.

Nicely-bred Zoustar filly Platinum Jubilee is a proven Black-Type performer having won the Group 3 Gimcrack Stakes (1000m) on debut last October.

She was good fresh on December 24 when runner-up in the same 1100m Randwick handicap that produced Empire Of Japan (3^rd) going down by the barest of margins in a devastatingly close photo-finish.

The other Waterhouse/Bott runners in the event are the also undefeated Royal Entrance ($15) in gate nine with Tim Clark in the saddle and the longer-priced Summer Loving ($15) one wider in gate 10 with Brenton Avdulla to ride.

Snitzel colt Royal Entrance has won both his starts to date including a victory at the Gold Coast two Saturdays back by nearly two lengths in the Gold Nugget.

Summer Loving meanwhile profiles well with the Exeed And Excel filly third on debut in the $1 million Golden Gift at Rosehill last November before another third in the Wyong Magic Millions Classic on December 14.

Click here for the latest Magic Millions 2YO Classic 2023 odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2023 Magic Millions 2YO Classic Final Field & Barrier Draw

Table Credit: Racing Australia.