Latest News

By Graeme White

Mr Magical may be the kid of the field in terms of appearances, but he will be no pushover when it comes to taking on his older rivals in the Jungle Edge Farewell Winter Sprint (1207m) at the Sapphire Coast on Tuesday.

The inaugural running of the race honours the racetrack feats of $1.7 million earner Jungle Edge who recorded four of his first five victories at the Sapphire Coast when prepared by his part-owner Chris Stickland.

Jungle Edge was due to have a farewell track gallop at the Sapphire Coast, but due to travel restrictions from his Victorian base the horse won’t be on track.

Mr Magical (Brodie Loy) in winning form at Nowra. Image by Bradley Photographers

The field in the feature race on the first day of winter is headed by Dream Master from the in-form Mitch Beer stable which has produced five winners last week.

The stable had a winning treble at Albury followed by wins at Randwick and Wagga on Saturday.

Dream Master hasn’t shown up in two starts for Beer, but has found the right type of race to prove his creditability.

Mr Magical has only raced 11 times for four wins and hasn’t raced for a few weeks for his trainer Jamie Stewart.

Mr Magical has raced twice at the Sapphire Coast for a win and a second when he was working through the grades.

The step-up to open class is a new level, but one he should relish with only a light weight of 55kg on his back.

This is in stark contrast to the normal weight Mr Magical carries in lesser graded races.

Stewart feels the drop in the weight, a perfect track surface and previous experience at the track will keep Mr Magical in contention. The galloper last raced almost three weeks ago when he won at Moruya which followed an unplaced run at Randwick.

“He will take a lot of confidence out of his last win as nothing went right for him at Randwick,” Stewart said.

“He is holding his condition well and the majority of his starts have been on tracks rated between slow and heavy so the slow 5 rating will suit him.”

Mr Magical is one of those “fun” horses any country trainer would like to have in his stable. The four-year-old was purchased a few years ago at the Scone sales and, with bonuses, has already earned $85,000.

He is the pick of the Stewart stable of 10 horses and he believes the best is still ahead of the galloper once he has a few starts in open grade.

“He has got to take the next step as he will be in more competitive races against older horses who have been there and done that,” he suggested.

“He gets in well at the weights and this race is the logical step-up for him as he is a Class 4 horse with not a lot of other options, but to step up in grade.”

Stewart’s parents have a share in Mr Magical as well as some “good stable clients who have horses with me over the years”

Mr Magical’s rate of progression suggests he will continue to win races in open grade and that’s the way Stewart envisages his career heading.

“I think he will be very competitive because he has a bit in his favour and a nice weight for him,” he said.

Meanwhile, an eye-catching last start third has Demonstrate poised to make his presence felt, according to trainer Garry Kirkup. Demonstrate has won two races for Kirkup, but has also been highly competitive in races of higher quality.

The veteran ran fourth in the Camarena at Canberra in March finishing just behind metropolitan winners Mossman George, Wayupinthesky and Black Magnum. His last start closing third behind Patrick May at Parkes, on a track that wasn’t suitable according to Kirkup, indicated the eight-year-old was close to another win.

Kirkup believes Demonstrate is ready to win again after some encouraging recent displays.

“He should be right in the finish providing he doesn’t get too far back. I expect him to settle in the first four or five horses then hopefully finish off too well for the others,” he said.

“The horse is spot on. It’s his first start at the Sapphire Coast, but I expect the track to suit him."

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Sapphire Coast here