Liam Birchley’s last start Villiers Stakes winner Crack Me Up gets the chance to continue his outstanding season having been nominated for a Magic Millions Cup 2018 bid at the Gold Coast on January 13.
Villiers Stakes winner Crack Me Up is the headline nominee for the 2018 Magic Millions Cup at the Gold Coast on January 13. Photo: Steve Hart.
Racing Queensland took early entries for all the support Magic Millions Races for this month’s major meeting including those for the Restricted Listed $1 million Magic Millions Cup (1400m) that attracted 32 nominations.
Heading the possible line-up is flying Mossman four-year-old Crack Me Up from the Woodford stables of Birchley.
A winner of three of his past five starts, Crack Me Up was last seen travelling to Sydney on December 16 to win Randwick’s Group 2 Villiers Stakes (1600m).
He is back down in distance for the Magic Millions Cup, the half-a-million-dollar earner racing at the Gold Coast for the first time since his failed 10th as a $51 roughie in last year’s Magic Millions 3YO Guineas.
Also in outstanding form and out to extend a winning streak in the Gold Coast Magic Millions Cup in 2018 is the Matthew Dunn-trained So You Think four-year-old Care To Think.
The gelding has saluted in his past four starts going back to the winter and was last seen beating home the highly-rated Most Important by a length and a half at Doomben on December 30 in the $150,000 Magic Millions The Buffering (1350m).
Dunn has a total of three Magic Millions Cup nominees with Care To Think joined by in-form six-year-old Steamin’ and last year’s second placegetter Perfect Dare coming off a December 23 win over 1200m at the Gold Coast.
Also out of that Gold Coast Magic Millions Cup lead-up race won by Care To Think is the runner-up Most Important for Tony Gollan.
A five-year-old son of I Am Invincible, Most Important has raced at the Gold Coast track three times previously for just the one second in the 2015 edition of the Group 3 Vo Rogue Plate (1300m).
He contested last year’s Magic Millions Cup finishing under a length back for fifth in a blanket result behind the winner Testashadow and is out to return to winning form having won the Listed Lough Neagh Stakes (1350m) two back at Doomben.
Also out of last year’s Magic Millions Cup results looking to improve in 2018 is third placed Snippet’s Land for Peter & Paul Snowden who has been out of form this campaign.
Other standout entries include Rowley Mile winning Snitzel four-year-old Arbeitsam for Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott and the Darren Weir-trained Lucky Hussler.
Arbeitsam enjoyed a trio of wins before his last start fourth to Wild Heart in the Wyong Magic Millions 3YO & 4YO Stakes (1200m) where he was just under two lengths beaten as the unsuccessful odds-on favourite.
Veteran eight-year-old Lucky Hussler is a winner of over $2.1 million in prize money thanks to wins in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes and Toorak Handicap in 2015.
He also saluted in the 2016 edition of the Magic Millions Cup and was recently in form saluting at The Valley on Cox Plate Day in the Group 2 Crystal Mile (1600m).
Check out the full Magic Millions Cup 2018 nominations below, early betting to open shortly at Ladbrokes.com.au.
2018 Magic Millions Cup Nominations
Gold Coast Racecourse – 13/01/2018
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Hcp. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x2712111x4 | ARBEITSAM | G | 4 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | – |
| 2 | 8x3339x843 | BAGGIO | G | 5 | Les Kelly | 63 |
| 3 | x262211x11 | CARE TO THINK | G | 4 | Matthew Dunn | – |
| 4 | 40211×2141 | CRACK ME UP (NZ) | G | 4 | Liam Birchley | – |
| 5 | 21209×3262 | CRAFTY COP | G | 4 | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | – |
| 6 | 10×41 | CRUZE | G | 3 | Barry Lockwood | 67 |
| 7 | x410x97620 | ECKSTEIN | M | 4 | Kurt Goldman | – |
| 8 | 653×422327 | I THOUGHT SO | G | 4 | David Pfieffer | 90 |
| 9 | 466×113274 | INVINCIBELLA | M | 4 | Chris Waller | 91 |
| 10 | 1xP13x1711 | INVINCIBLE QUEST | G | 5 | Brett Partelle | – |
| 11 | 1807×98110 | INVINZABEEL | G | 6 | Chris Waller | – |
| 12 | 705×600105 | LUCKY HUSSLER | G | 8 | Darren Weir | – |
| 13 | 3133198×30 | LUPO NERO | G | 6 | Kristie Clark-Peoples | 59 |
| 14 | 062x363x54 | MAN OF CHOICE | G | 5 | Robert & Luke Price | – |
| 15 | 134x6126x5 | MERRIEST | M | 4 | Danny O’Brien | – |
| 16 | 1158×41362 | MILWAUKEE | G | 4 | Michael Moroney | – |
| 17 | 64106300×2 | MISS KINDILAN | M | 4 | Barry Lockwood | 65 |
| 18 | 15x00x6412 | MOST IMPORTANT | G | 5 | Tony Gollan | 105 |
| 19 | 22516×3714 | NIKITAS | H | 4 | Darren Weir | – |
| 20 | 19x40x10x2 | OAK DOOR | H | 4 | Robert Smerdon | – |
| 21 | 2x165x770x | OUR STORY | M | 5 | Billy & Dale Healey | 68 |
| 22 | 5344252111 | OZI CHOICE | G | 5 | Darren Weir | – |
| 23 | 210x30x891 | PERFECT DARE | G | 5 | Matthew Dunn | 93 |
| 24 | 326459×338 | POWERLINE | G | 6 | Kris Lees | – |
| 25 | 75x27121x | SHE’S A YOUEFFOH | M | 4 | Les Kelly | 62 |
| 26 | x650296x58 | SNIPPETS LAND | G | 7 | Peter & Paul Snowden | – |
| 27 | 1120x20x38 | SNOOPY | G | 5 | Chris Munce | 94 |
| 28 | 224107×351 | SOHO RUBY | M | 4 | Levi Kavanagh | – |
| 29 | x6541531x2 | STEAMIN’ | G | 6 | Matthew Dunn | – |
| 30 | x410x35393 | STRIKE FORCE | G | 5 | Michael Moroney | – |
| 31 | 11233×8441 | TRUST ME | G | 4 | Brett Partelle | – |
| 32 | 41303x0x40 | WEINHOLT | G | 7 | Desleigh Forster | 89 |
