In-form Sydney horseman Mark Newnham enjoyed yet another feature race win for the year when his progressive three-year-old Diamond Thunder won the $100,000 Magic Millions Wyong 3YO & 4YO Stakes (1200m) on Thursday firming in Magic Millions Guineas 2020 odds for next month.
Diamond Thunder raced into $2 million Magic Millions Guineas contention with a Wyong win this week. Photo: Steve Hart.
Newnham may have had to settle for second in the 2YO’s race at Wyong with his filly Every Rose running second to the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Farnan, but he enjoyed a consolation earlier in the day with Dawn Approach gelding Diamond Thunder.
A two-time Black-Type winner in Brisbane, Diamond Thunder jumped the short-priced $2.10 favourite in the Wyong Magic Millions Stakes and didn’t disappoint despite doing plenty wrong in the run.
It was only a narrow margin between he and the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained runner-up Hightail ($6.50), but the punters finished on top thanks to a sharp ride from Josh Parr.
Team Snowden prepared two of the first three over the line with Leviathan running under a length back for third in the Wyong Magic Millions Stakes trifecta this summer.
After a slow start, Diamond Thunder found himself worse than midfield but charged home late to defeat the Snowden stablemates impressing Parr.
“He just dwelt and for the first time in his career was surrounded quite tightly and he was just a bit hesitant for the first 50 metres of the race,” Josh Parr told Sky Racing after the win on Thursday.
“There’s nothing like versatility. Plan C was deployed and Plan C was a beauty.”
Vandyke was also impressed with the three-year-old’s “will to win” and Parr’s patience aboard the up-and-comer when things didn’t go right from the start.
“He didn’t seem to begin as well as he normally does and he was just run off his feet,” Newnham said.
“Josh did the right thing, let him gather himself, balance.
“He’s just got a good will to win so once he started to come I was confident he’d get over the top of them.
“What he showed today is once he steps up top 1400m in Queensland, he’s going to be suited.
“Good job horse and jockey, north we go.”
Diamond Thunder will now head home and have a Magic Millions lead-up in the Group 3 $300,000 Vo Rogue Plate (1400m) at Eagle Farm on December 28.
Thursday’s result saw Diamond Thunder firm into the $6 second favourite for the $2 million Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (1400m) at the Gold Coast on January 11 in the pre-field markets at Ladbrokes.com.au.
All-in 2020 Magic Millions Guineas odds remain led by David Vandyke’s All Too Hard gelding Alligator Blood ($3.20).
Based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Alligator Blood is a winner of five of his six starts to date with the only loss being the devastatingly close second in the Group 1 $2 million Caulfield Guineas (1600m).
Alligator Blood returns to racing this weekend at Eagle Farm in the $200,000 Listed Gold Edition Plate (1200m).
Click here for the latest Gold Coast Magic Millions 3YO Guineas 2020 markets.
