I Am The General marches on to the Magic Millions

I Am The General continues his march towards the $2m Magic Millions 2yo Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast on January 11 by winning at Flemington last Saturday.

Oakleigh Girl is one of the main fancies in the Magic Million 2yo Classic at the Gold Coast

Oakleigh Girl is one of the main fancies in the Magic Million 2yo Classic at the Gold Coast. Photo by Daniel Costello.

The Shane Nichols trained two year old booked his spot on the truck to Queensland with a win over the hot pot Chivalry in the $80,000 LeadWest Plate (1000m) at his second race start.

I Am The General, a $35,000 buy at the Magic Millions sales earlier in the year, was able to hold off the heavily backed Mark Kavanagh trained Street Cry colt, a $280,000 Magic Millions purchase.

“He is in the Magic Millions field now and I just have to keep him in one piece,” Nichols told the Sunday Herald Sun.

“He has paid for himself and the owners are in for a lot of fun.”

“There are plenty of them and they like a cold beer.”

Nichols took I Am The General to Ballarat for his race debut where the I Am Invincible colt ran third to Sheer Style in the $200,000 Magic Millions Clockwise Classic (1000m) November 24.

Nichols then had to decide whether to travel to Wyong for the $200,000 Magic Millions Wyong 2yo Classic (1100m) at Wyong on December 19 to qualify for the Gold Coast or stay and race at Flemington.

“I have trained him all along in the clockwise direction. I didn’t think he would cope travelling to Wyong and then the Gold Coast so we ran at Ballarat and then here today,” said the Mornington trainer.

I Am The General’s first prizemoney cheque of $48,000 plus the $18,000 he picked up at Ballarat for running third will guarantee Nichols a starter in the glamour two year old race on the Gold Coast.

I Am The General is marked as a $14 chance in the 2yo Magic Millions market order which has the Gai Waterhouse trained Echo Gal the $5.50 favourite just in front of the undefeated Oakleigh Girl at $6.

The Mick Price trainer Nordic Empire and Ballarat winner Sheer Style share the next line of betting at $8 with Unencumbered at $11.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.