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By Ray Hickson

The benefit of a first-up run, and the bonus that it was a win, is the edge trainer Grahame Begg is confident can bring Magic Time her third career Group 1 at Randwick on Saturday.

Trainer Grahame Begg. (Pic: Steve Hart)

It was a deliberate move to have the five-year-old race fit to tackle the Group 1 $750,000 Toyota Forklifts Canterbury Stakes (1300m) and Begg is pleased he did when he considers the quality of the opposition.

Magic Time, $4.20 with TAB on Friday, was able to overcome difficulties to win the Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m) first-up two weeks ago as her warm up for her first autumn target.

“I believe you’ve got to have a run,’’ he said.

“You don’t have to be going into a Group 1 race first-up, you want to be there pretty well on the mark. They’re hard enough to win let alone without being right at your top.

“And weather can be on her side up in Sydney, if she can get some give in the ground it won’t do her chances any harm at any point of time.”

Begg did have Magic Time quite forward for the Expressway Stakes but the race didn’t pan out anything like he, or most observers for that matter, thought.

Instead of being in or near the lead, a slightly slow start saw the mare last nearing the 200m before she unleashed a dynamic turn of foot to burst through and claim the Group 2.

She clocked the meeting’s fastest last 200m of 10.69 (Punter’s Intelligence) and was 0.01 seconds outside the meeting’s best final 600m.

“She came up very well into the race, we were really happy with her and she’d prepped up beautifully going into the race,’’ he said.

"We’d envisaged leading or sitting outside the leader because the race was devoid of any speed. But she came out of the gates a fraction awkward and then was on the back foot and got into an awkward position.

“She doesn’t have to lead to win, she can sit handy but she over raced there when the speed came out of the race for a few strides. She was in all sorts for a good way up the straight.

“It’s a bit similar in this race with the speed in the race being a bit questionable.”

A defence of her All Aged Stakes win from a year ago is the major target for Begg and Magic Time but he will be guided by how the mare comes through and the weather during the carnival.

“We’re keen to get to the All Aged Stakes once again, it's whether we go to the Ryder and give ourselves some space to the All Aged or wait and run in the TJ,’’ he said.

“At 1200m once she’s had a couple of runs under her belt it might be a tad nippy for her.”

Kundalini is on notice from Begg to bounce back to her best in the Group 3 $250,000 HKJC World Pool Wenona Girl Quality (1200m) after disappointing first-up in the Triscay three weeks ago.

She only managed to beat one home behind Inhibitions in that race and will meet a number of the same rivals on Saturday.

“It was a very flat run, it was unlike her,’’ he said.

“She was very plain, we couldn’t put our finger on anything so hopefully she can turn it around. Whether the ground was too firm for her I don’t know.

Magic Time wins the Expressway Stakes

“She’s trained on well, she hasn’t given us any indication she’s not going well.

“She likes a bit of room so we’ll just ride her where she’s comfortable and hopefully she can get into the race.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s meeting at Randwick