JOE Ible says he is always searching for a “diamond in the rough” at the Magic Millions yearling sale to give his owners value for money.
Thus a $10,000 buy two years ago will indeed be a real gem if he wins the $250,000 MM Maiden Plate (1100m) at the Gold Coast on Saturday as the Millions carnival gets underway.
And the Kembla Grange trainer is putting blinkers on the lightly-raced three-year-old in a determined bid to snare the $147,450 first prize.
“He has always needed the blinkers, and it was very evident at his last run at Newcastle,” Ible said this morning.
“Now is the right time to put them on, especially in a race worth such good money.”
The Supido three-year-old has already recouped his purchase price, earning $12,600 when runner-up to It’sacircus in a 1200m Midway Maiden Plate at home in September.
Jinsoku (a Japanese word meaning quick) resumed from a break when fifth to Pins and Needles in a Provincial 3YO Maiden Plate (1200m) on the Beaumont track on December 26.
RacingNSW stewards reported the gelding began awkwardly, and raced greenly when placed under pressure in the home straight.
“Jinsoku has done well since that run, and I’m looking forward to him performing well on Saturday from an inside draw in a capacity field.,” Ible said.
Ible, who has trained seven winners so far this season following on from 20 in 2022-23, finished the calendar year on a good note in scoring with Patrika Mist at home last Saturday in a Provincial Benchmark 68 Handicap (1600m).
He has previously had only one Magic Millions runner; the now retired mare Sepulchre, who was unplaced in the $1m MM Trophy (2400m) in 2022.
She had easily won a Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (2000m) at Rosehill Gardens seven weeks earlier.
Coincidentally, Sepulchre’s first foal, born last September, is a filly by Jinsoku’s sire Supido.
Leading Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup will oppose Ible with consistent filly Lizzie’s Gem, to be ridden by Heavelon Van Der Hoven.
She was just pipped by her stablemate Pins and Needles in that Beaumont race on Boxing Day. However, the Deep Field filly, a $475,000 buy, has to overcome a horror draw as she will jump from the outside.
Jinsoku will be floated north later today along with fellow Kembla Grange trainers Rob and Luke Price’s MM representative Mega Flight.
Leading Melbourne jockey Mark Zahra will ride Mega Fight in the 1400m Maiden Plate, also worth $250,000.
A $160,000 purchase, the Russian Revolution three-year-old was a $26 chance when narrowly beaten by Abuse Of Power in a 1400m Maiden Handicap – his first placing from five starts - at Kembla Grange last Saturday on a heavy track.
Leading Newcastle trainer Kris Lees also has a 1400m Maiden Plate runner. Josh Parr will ride I Am Invincible three-year-old Surreal I Am, who ran third in Pins and Needles’ Boxing Day race on the Beaumont track.
The gelding was making his debut and did a good job to manage a placing after rearing at the start.
Surreal I Am’s dam Real Surreal won the 2013 Magic Millions 2YO Classic for the late Brisbane trainer Kelso Wood, who died in 2018.
Story John Curtis, January 4, 2024 - Pics Bradley Photos
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