John McArdle is keen to get Hellmuth into the 2015 Magic Millions Clockwise Classic field, but the in-form trainer is worried that the promising debutant will be balloted out of the $200,000 race.
John McArdle has already had success with two-year-olds during the 2015 Spring Racing Carnival. Photo by: Ultimate Racing Photos
Heart Skip A Beat is the only horse that is guaranteed a start in the Magic Millions Clockwise Classic and 17 other horses that have been included in the nominations will be at the mercy of the ballot.
McArdle believes that there needs to be a change made ahead of the Magic Millions Clockwise Classic before next year and he does not believe it is fair that horses who won or finished in the placings at the clockwise jump outs last week could miss out on a place in the Magic Millions Clockwise Classic field.
“I actually spoke to Corey Waller and the stewards and basically all pre-Christmas early two-year-old if you win a trial or if you ran a place in a trial you are given a higher ballot than those that have jumped out or are unplaced in their trials,” McArdle said.
“Obviously with having to qualify (for the Magic Millions Clockwise Classic), most horses don’t go through the normal trial system because they have to trial at Ballarat.
“I said to Corey maybe for future we should look at making those trials an official trial, so that if you run first three in those trials you are guaranteed a start to run in those races.
“The winners obviously get the first crack, the placegetters get the next crack and then the others go on the ballot.”
While McArdle is worried that Hellmuth will not get a start in the Magic Millions Clockwise Classic, he is happy with the son of Wanted ahead of his racing debut.
McArdle produced a classy two-year-old in the form of Power Trip to take out the Group 3 Maribyrnong Plate (1000m) at Flemington last weekend and he said that Hellmuth would not be that far behind his talented stablemate.
“He had a jump out at Sandown the other day behind the filly that ran second on Saturday (Soviet Secret) and went nicely,” McArdle said.
“He came through that well and he went to the Clockwise jump out on Thursday and ran second behind Jason Petch’s horse (Claro El Banco).
“He worked the reverse way with Jason’s horse on the course proper this morning and he worked quite well.
“At this stage as long as we get through the ballot we will head there.
“Power Trip is obviously a pretty gifted horse and he wouldn’t beat him out of sight, but he would beat him.”
The 2015 Magic Millions Clockwise Classic field will be released tomorrow and only 11 horses will receive a start, while four horses will be included as emergencies.
