Nine year-old gelding Magic Consol secured himself a start in the Cox Plate with a tough win in the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes at Moonee Valley on Saturday but whether connections take up the offer remains to be seen.
In a race which is a stepping stone for horses with
spring carnival aspirations, this year including the likes of Group One winners
Hartnell, Bonneval and Hiyam, Magic Consol used his excellent recent form, race
fitness and tactics to prevail and score his second stakes win in two starts after
winning the Listed Winter Championship Final last start, his first at stakes
level, not a bad effort for a nine year-old.
"He drew well. He can really quicken around the corner and we used that to our advantage," said winning rider Jordan Childs.
The winner of the Dato Tan Chin Nam is guaranteed a start in the WS Cox Plate in October but trainer Paul Preusker was non-committal following the race.
"I've said all along 2000m is probably the bottom of him," he said.
"We'll toss it about."
Magic Consol is the only southern hemisphere stakeswinner for Storm Cat stallion Consolidator who stood two seasons at Darley in 2006 and 2008.
He is out of Shalford mare, Shally's Magic who harks back to a famous Australian family which includes the likes of Drawn and Better Draw, a multiple stakes winner and dam of Golden Slipper winner Full On Aces.
The family has been represented in recent years by the likes of Champion Australasian filly Mnemosyne and Stradbroke Handicap winner Impending.
It was Magic Consol's 58th start and 13thwin with prizemoney of over 700k, no doubt a horse that has provided a rarely wonderful experience for his connections.
Matching it with Winx and co around Moonee Valley in the Cox Plate next month might be drawing a long bow but they're in, and who could blame them for wanting to be a player in a race which promises to be one of the most famous ever to have been run on the Australian turf.
