Gollan hoping La Bella can go Boom in Magic Millions 2YO Classic
Trainers Tony Gollan and co-trainer Lloyd Kennewell are each backing their polar opposite approaches to prevail as they send two of the favourites into another fillies-dominated Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) on Saturday.
La Bella Boom (Spirit Of Boom) is Brisbane king Gollan’s shortest and ostensibly strongest chance for the $3 million Gold Coast feature, though he’s cautioned punters not to forget stablemate Hi Barbie (I Am Invincible) after her last start flop due to the often disguised blessing of an irregular heartbeat.
Gollan will start La Bella Boom – one of six horses at less than $7 on Friday in a very open edition of the race – off a quick seven-day back-up. That follows her imperious 2.45 length victory in last Saturday’s main lead-up race at the meeting transferred to the Sunshine Coast, the fillies’ Gold Pearl (1100m). That was her first race for seven weeks, following a narrow Doomben success at her second start.
In contrast, Kenewell will saddle Invincible Woman (I Am Invincible) – who was a narrow favourite at $6 on Thursday before other moves – with only one start to her name, and that came four weeks ago with her stunning 2.75 length victory in Caulfield Heath’s Magic Million VIC 2YO Classic (1100m).
Fillies have ruled the race recently, with six of the past eight winners. The stats on the quick back-up, however, are a split decision. Five of the past ten winners were having their second run in eight days, although in the past five years only Shaquero (Shalaa) in 2021 has executed that feat.
Gollan won this feature for the first time two years ago with Skirt The Law (Better Than Ready). He insists the quick back-up is fine, given the right horse, and that La Bella Boom is primed to provide Queensland stud giant Spirit Of Boom (Sequalo) with his first win in the state’s biggest race.
It appears ironic, then, that Skirt The Law won the event having her first start for seven weeks. But Gollan had in fact intended to start her the week before, until fate intervened.
“Skirt was going to do the quick back-up but she drew wide on a fast track the week before, so I scratched her,” Gollan told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“We’ve wanted to do the quick-back with La Bella Boom for a while. She’s the right sort of filly to do it with. History tells us if you’ve got the right horse, it’s a pretty effective preparation into the race.
“She’s a good doing filly and a strong little thing, so I thought it’d be ideal for her. She’s actually got a lot of similarities to Skirt The Law, with the shape of her, and the natural two-year-old that she is, like Skirt was.
“She’s going really good. She pulled up really well from last week. It’s an easy week for her, obviously, on a seven day back-up, but she hasn’t missed a beat, and hasn’t left anything in the feed bin all week.”
La Bella Boom has gate ten for Craig Williams.
Kennewell and Cranbourne training partner Lucy Yeomans have laid a careful and meticulous plan for the helter-skelter scamper with Invincible Woman.
She arrived to acclimatise at the Gold Coast before Christmas, and had her first competitive clockwise outing with a two-year-old barrier trial win at the track on New Year’s Eve, coming home her last 600 metres in a slick 32.82.
While recent years would suggest they’re on fairly solid ground sending Invincible Woman into the race in her first start for a month, they are out on a limb having her in with just one start to her name.
None of the past ten winners have gone in that way. Six have had two prior races – including the past three – three have had three, and one four.
Still, Kennewell is confident Invincible Woman’s preparation has been ideal – right down to the fact she had a two-night stopover in Sydney during her float trip to the Gold Coast.
“If she’d had two runs would it make any difference? No. She’s right where she needs to be,” Kennewell told ANZ. “I’d rather go in fresh than at the end of a prep.
“I just think the main thing with this race is that you need the right horse in the right year. I don’t think it’s an easy race to win anyway, so I think the talk about a lead-up run is a bit irrelevant.
“Our horse is well educated. She had plenty of nice trials at Cranbourne, then raced well at Caulfield and trailed well at the Gold Coast.”
Invincible Woman, who had two Cranbourne jump-outs before her debut, winning both, has barrier nine for Damian Lane. Kennewell said it wasn’t imperative that she lead, as she did in her nine-horse debut.
“I’m sure she’ll put herself in the right part of the race,” he said. “But she’s quite quick and has a good turn of foot.
“In a race like this, you just turn up on the day and hope everything goes right. It’s about jumping cleanly and getting a good clean run, otherwise it can be over at the start.
“But we’re really happy with her. She’s had a good week on the track and looks physically great, so we’re obviously hoping for a good result.
“She’s a pretty straightforward horse. She’s a big, strong girl who does her work. She looks fantastic, and she’s handled everything really well up here.”
Kennewell has had success on this raceday previously, with another daughter of I Am Invincible – Viddora – taking the Magic Millions Sprint (1200m) in 2018, and Deiheros (Bon Hoffa) lifting the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (RL, 1400m) in 2015.
“Winning the two-year-old race would cap things off nicely,” he said.
While Invincible Woman had been favourite all week, Peter Snowden’s Memo (Capitalist) had become top elect on Friday at $5. Invincible Woman and Icarian Dream (Blue Point) were on the second rung at $6.50 along with Gallo Nero (Wootton Basset), the only male horse at less than $21.
La Bella Boom was at $7 along with the colt who is first emergency, Space Rider (Zoustar), who would be another having only his second start if he makes it into the field.
Gollan, meanwhile, said punters shouldn’t write off Hi Barbie, the one-time race favourite who was a $19 chance on Friday.
The $1.2 million yearling debuted with a victory on a Heavy10 in Doomben’s Phelan Ready (Listed, 1110m) before starting favourite in Eagle Farm’s BJ McLachlan Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m), sitting on the pace and weakening dramatically in the straight to run second-last.
Confirming suspicions that was too bad to be true, she was found to have suffered atrial fibrillation during the race. Gollan reminded that condition, and its relatives such as heart arrhythmia, had often proved a harbinger of better things to come next start, with one theory suggesting they help clear lactic acid.
“The atrial fibrillation came from nowhere the other day, but she’s come through that really well,” Gollan said.
“She’s passed all the tests, and is really well in herself. Prior to that she was favourite or second favourite for this race, so she’s got the right sort of ability.
“If you can forgive the anomaly of what happened the other day, there’s no reason why she can’t be competitive. And that seems to be easy enough to forgive. Horses in their next run after that sort of thing seem to race really well.
“The stats on that will tell you it’s forgivable. Whether it’s three weeks between runs forgivable, or whether she’d need a spell, I guess we’re going to find out on Saturday. But as for the horse in herself, she’s in really good shape.”
Like Hi Barbie, the winner of the McLachlan – Icarian Dream (Blue Point) is three weeks between runs.
The Ciaron Maher-trained filly has now raced four times, and is thus attempting to replicate the preparation of Exhilarates (Snitzel), who won the race in 2019 for Godolphin as the only one of the past ten winners to take the event at their fifth start.
Maher said he felt Icarian Dream’s preparation had been ideal. Not so much the drawing of the widest gate of 21, which should become 16 once emergencies come out.
“She’s going super. I’m rapt with her,” Maher told ANZ. “I’m very happy with her preparation and if she wasn’t drawn out so wide, I’d be pretty confident.”
A winner with Coolangatta in 2022 and Away Game (Snitzel) two years earlier, Maher said this year’s edition was “a pretty even race” – something the market backs up.
“I don’t think there’s a standout this year. Storm Boy last year and Coolangatta were stand-outs, but it seems pretty even this year,” Maher said.
The Gold Coast track, with its hastily relaid turf square by the home turn after the drama that caused last week’s transfer to the Sunshine Coast, was rated a soft 6 on Friday, but rain is forecast for Saturday.