| Magic Time continued her rise through the grades and sent her broodmare value soaring with a tough and deserved win in today’s $1 million Group One Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield. |
| Sent out a drifting favourite with bookmakers, Magic Time had to overcome a wide run before racing clear late in the race for what turned out an authoritative win. Magic Time got no favours from her gate of 13 but in the end the class of the Hellbent mare proved the decisive factor. The four-year-old is prepared by Grahame Begg and he was thrilled to capture a Group One with Magic Time at just her eighth career start. The Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes wasn’t originally a spring target for Magic Time but connections returned home after a Sydney tilt. “It wasn’t (the plan) early doors,” Begg said. “We had the plan to take her to Sydney.” “The Invitation was the race we set her for up there and we could have left her up there to run in the Hot Danish last week, but I thought I’d bring her back, run her in the handicap with 53 (kg) on her back.” “I thought it was a great race for her. 1400 metres, good speed on, the right recipe for her and she’s got the job done.” “I was (worried about making ground), but I said to Michael before the race don’t change anything just because the track is racing that way on speed. Be positive out of the gates, but get cover, don’t work up the hill and give her the opportunity to round her race off and she certainly did that.” “It’s been challenging to say the least,” Begg said of his Spring Carnival. “This is great.” Winning rider Michael Dee was not surprisingly all smiles following the tough win of Magic Time. “She’s usually a mare that naturally puts herself on speed and I always knew there was going to be a massive amount of speed in this. We didn’t get any favours, she’s done it tough, punched the breeze and got pushed wider on the corner.” “To her credit that was a super effort,” he added. Dee said his confidence levels weren’t too high during the race, with his mount being forced to race wide throughout and then no cover for the last half of the event. “The whole race, to be honest,” he said when asked if he worried. “I thought for a stage I would be able to slot in with cover, but I couldn’t, so all that I could do then is keep her comfortable and in a nice rhythm.” “(I had to) get her around the bend before I asked her the ultimate question and she just absolutely took off.” “Credit to Grahame and Rohan and his team for getting her here. I’m sure Grahame mentioned it’s been a bit of an unlucky spring for him, so to get a Group One to top it off, it’s amazing.” “Grahame has given me a lot of support for a long time now,” Dee summed up. Magic Time, by I Am Invincible’s Group One winning son Hellbent, was offered through the Milburn Creek draft at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. She was passed in for $110,000 and was retained to race by breeder John Muir. She is from the Group Three SAJC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Time Awaits, a twice stakes winning daughter of Nicconi. Milburn Creek secured Time Awaits when purchased by Damon Gabbedy’s Belmont Bloodstock Agency for $300,000 at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale. Magic Time was one of four feature Magic Millions graduate winners on the big day at Caulfield following the success of Run Harry Run (Written Tycoon, $280,000 Gold Coast Yearling buy) in the Group Three Blue Sapphire Stakes, Claidheamh Mor (Dundeel, an $85,000 National Weanling buy) winning the $500,000 Country Cup and Rose Quartz (Written Tycoon, $300,000 Gold Coast Yearling buy) going all the way in the Group Three How Now Stakes in the last. Winner: Magic Time Breeding: Hellbent-Time Awaits (Nicconi) Breeder: Muir Woodside NSW Race: MRC Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes G1 (1400m) Passed for: $110,000 Sale: 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale Vendor: Milburn Creek Reserve: $150,000 Earnings: $1,205,775 Owners: Milburn Creek Thoroughbred Stud (Mgr: JL Muir) Trainer: Grahame Begg (Cranbourne) |
