Murt The Flirt will return to the races in the 2015 Ballarat Magic Millions Three & Four-Years-Old Classic and trainer Brendan McCarthy is thrilled with the condition of his star galloper ahead of the $100,000 race at Ballarat on Saturday.
Chris Symons has been booked to partner Murt The Flirt in the 2015 Magic Millions Classic Field. Photo by: Sarah Ebbett
Murt The Flirt stamped himself as a horse to follow when he took out the Ballarat Magic Millions Classic (1100m) on debut last year – when the race was restricted to three-year-olds – and he went on to finish fifth in both the Wyong Magic Millions Stakes (1200m) on December 18 and the Magic Millions Guineas (1400m) at the Gold Coast on January 10.
He recorded his second race win at Ballarat on April 30 and he performed well without winning in three race starts in Queensland during the 2015 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival.
Murt The Flirt has not been seen at the races since he finished third behind Golden Falls and Lucky Tom in the BRC Plate (1350m) at Doomben on June 27, but he impressed McCarthy with his performance in a recent jump out and the Caulfield-based trainer is thrilled with the physical condition of the gelding ahead of the 2015 Ballarat Magic Millions Classic.
“I am very happy with him,” McCarthy said.
“He has only had one jump-out leading up to this race, but he went really well.
“He has matured quite nicely, he is a four-year-old but he has only just gone there now in maturity.
“He is bigger, stronger and he has had a couple of campaigns where he has done a lot of travelling and he has really done very well.
“It will be great to see him run again and he won the race last year as a three-year-old, so we will have another crack at it because it is a great incentive for him.
“Chris Symons rode him in his jump out and he will be on him in his first day back at the races from injury.
“He has ridden Murt in quite a few of his gallops and it will be good for Chris to get back into action as well.”
The 2015 Magic Millions Classic field was released this morning and Murt The Flirt is set to face 15 rivals in the $100,000 race,
Husson Eagle, Nordic Empire, Illustrious Lad, Our Catch, Honourable Tycoon and Tapestry Vision are all set to return to racing in the Ballarat Magic Millions Classic, while the likes of Moonlight Hussler, Wild Rain, Boundary and Prompt Return have also been included in the final field.
