Matthew Dunn has Madotti and Dram Of Red in the 2016 Magic Millions Guineas field and the talented trainer is happy with the condition of both horses ahead of the $2 million race at the Gold Coast on Saturday.
Madotti is one of two Matthew Dunn-trained horses in the 2016 Magic Millions Guineas. Photo by: Daniel Costello
Madotti finished an unlucky fourth in the Magic Millions Classic (1200m) as a two-year-old last year and she went on to perform well without winning in the Group 3 Ken Russell Memorial Classic (1200m) and the Listed Lancaster Stakes (1200m) during the 2015 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival.
The Falvelon filly added another placing to her racing resume when she finished third in the Listed Mode Plate (1200m) at Doomben on November 28 and she finally returned to winning form with a quality win in the Group 3 Vo Rogue Plate (1300m) at the Gold Coast on Boxing Day.
Dunn believes that Madotti has not received the credit that she deserves during her racing career to date and he told Racing Ahead this morning that the three-year-old will produce an even better performance in the Magic Millions Guineas.
“She has been frustrating for her owners group through no fault of her own, but just because of her racing pattern,” Dunn said.
“She has been trying to get around Doomben and that track has a distinct leader bias and has had for a long time now.
“She finally drew a decent gate last start and got the job done.
“I know that people are going to say that there were a few hard luck stories out of that race, but her whole career has been a hard luck story and if she had drawn a gate she probably would have won the Magic Millions two-year-old race last year.
“She is a high quality filly and she can’t be going any better going in.
“She won the Vo Rogue comfortably and I think she will improve a little off it.”
Dram Of Red stamped herself as a Vo Rogue Plate contender with a strong win over a good field in the Mittys Handicap (1110m) at Doomben on November 28, but he could finish no better than 11th in the Group 3 event after being caught wide.
Dunn believes that Dram Of Red’s performance in the Vo Rogue Plate was far better than it looks on paper and he is confident that the son of Red Element is a far better chance than her Magic Millions Guineas odds suggest.
“His run was better in the Vo Rogue than what it looked,” Dunn said.
“He drew a difficult barrier, went halfway back and got stuck wide and then went all the way back.
“As it normally happens at the Gold Coast, the leading horses spanned and we ended up 12 or 13 horses wide straightening.
“You just can’t do that there and he was obviously pulling in the wrong direction for too long, but his run was ok and nowhere as bad as what it looks on paper.
“His form into that race has been perfect on firm ground and he is not without a chance.
“He is going to start way over the odds.”
Madotti is currently available at 2016 Magic Millions Guineas odds of $17 with Ladbrokes, while Mahuta ($4) is a narrow favourite from Egyptian Symbol ($4.60) and Flippant ($5).
