Jockey Glyn Schofield has declared Denmagic the one to beat in the Group 2 $200,000 Ranvet Millie Fox Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Denmagic, above in lime and black colours, is the one to beat in the Millie Fox Stakes at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart.
Schofield was aboard Dal Cielo when she beat Denmagic in the $100,000 The Chi-X Sprint BenchMark 93 Handicap (1000) at Randwick on February 4 and said that the David Pfieffer trained mare ran a mighty race first up to beaten less than half a length.
Tomorrow he rides Denmagic and Schofield said if the Denmaan mare repeats that first up effort she will just win.
“If she reproduces that, she just wins,” Schofield told The Daily Telegraph.
“She gets in with just 54kg and she is really well weighted. She had to give Dal Cielo 2kg first-up and she gave him a start as well.”
Hugh Bowman rode Denmagic first up when she was asked to carry 59kg in the BenchMark 93 Handicap and the 5kg drop in weight will be a huge advantage even though she is stepping up to Group 2 level in the all mares race under set weights and penalties.
Denmagic has proved that she can mix it at the highest level and was Group 1 placed over the 2016 Melbourne Spring Carnival when third behind I Am A Star and French Emotion in the $500,000 Myer Classic (1600m) at Flemington on the first day of the four day Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Pfieffer gave the mare one more Spring Carnival run before sending her to the spelling paddock for a fourth to Jessy Belle in the Group 2 $300,000 7News Matriarch Stakes (2000m) at Flemington a week later.
Denmagic has been well supported in the early betting for the Millie Fox Stakes and has firmed in from $9 to be the $5.50 favourite with Ladbrokes.com.au.
The Team Hawkes trained Euro Angel has also had plenty of admirers and is now on the second line of betting at $6 after opening at $7.50 while the Peter and Paul Snowden trained Artistry and the in-form In Her Time share the third line of betting at $8.
Schofield will let Denmagic settle in the second half of the field from barrier five while Tommy Berry one Euro Angel will sit just off the pace from gate three.
The Ben Smith trained In Her Time is racing in the best form of her career and made it a hat trick of wins with her tough victory in the Group 2 $200,000 China Horse Club Breeders Classic (1200m) at Randwick on February 4 but will have to do plenty of work in the early stages after drawing barrier eleven in the thirteen horse Millie Fox Stakes field.
