Driefontein will have the chance to record a third victory at the Magic Millions meeting after she included in the 2015 Magic Millions Cup field.
Driefontein will be returning to the Gold Coast for the first time since she took out the Magic Millions Fillies And Mares Handicap last year. Photo by: Daniel Costello
Driefontein made her debut at the Magic Millions meeting in 2012 when she was awarded the Magic Millions Classic on protest from stablemate No Looking Back and she returned a year later when she was third behind Saluter and Sizzling in the Magic Millions Guineas.
The Fastnet Rock mare lumped 61 kilograms to win the Magic Millions Fillies And Mares Handicap last year, but will carry one and a half kilograms less than that under the quality handicap conditions of the Magic Millions Cup.
Driefontein will be joined in the 2015 Magic Millions Cup field by stablemate, who will be making his first appearance at the Magic Millions meeting.
Spurtonic won the Group 3 David Jones Cup (2000m) in impressive fashion during the 2013 Spring Racing Carnival, but has been restricted to just two race starts since and has not been seen at the races since he finished fifth behind Monton in the Filante Handicap (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on October
Saluter defeated Driefontein to win the Magic Millions Guineas two years ago and will have the chance to record another big win over his rival in the Magic Millions Cup at the Gold Coast this weekend.
The Commands gelding was gelded at the end of his 2014 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival campaign and he returned to racing with an impressive win over Excellantes in the Hahn Super Dry Handicap (1200m) at the Sunshine Coast on Boxing Day.
Another galloper who has had past success at the Magic Millions Meeting and will contest the Magic Millions Cup this weekend is veteran gelding Phelan Ready.
Phelan Ready won the 2009 edition of the Magic Millions Classic before he went on to win the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) three months later, but has since been unable to record another win at the meeting after being narrowly denied by Velrosso in the Magic Millions Cup last year.
The More Than Ready gelding ended his lengthy losing streak when he took out the Desleigh Foster Racing Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on August 2 and proved that performance was no fluke when he took out the XXXX Gold Handicap (1200m) at Doomben on December 20.
Leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller won the 2014 Magic Millions Cup with Velrosso and he will be represented by Strawberry Boy in this year’s race.
Waller elected not to race Strawberry Boy during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival, but he has been in outstanding form since returning to the races and took out the Listed Ladies Day Cup (1400m) at Hawkesbury on November 6 before he finished third in both the Listed Festival Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on November 29 and the Group 2 Villiers Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick on December 13.
The retiring Gundy Son, Harada Bay, Into The Red, The Bowler, Romanarma, Abu Ben Adam, Foxbat, Snippets Land, Palmera Lad and Dousaichi have also been included in the 2015 Magic Millions Cup field.
