Once raced Scat Daddy colt Magic J will kick off his season in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury on Saturday.
A winner at Yarmouth on debut the Phoenix Thoroughbreds owned runner will put his classic credentials to the test in one of the most influential 2000 Guineas trials as well as giving trainer Ed Vaughan a great insight into how the three-year-old can develop in the coming campaign.
“He was very impressive on his first start, and he’s a horse with a lot of speed.” Said Vaughan during a recent stable visit. “We hope to start him in the Greenham over seven furlongs, so that will tell us if we need to drop back to six or go for over a mile which he is in the Guineas.”
The colt turned a lot of heads during debut performance, and he’s always been a horse held in high regard, and after a winter on his back, his trainer is confident there is plenty more to come from his charge this season.
“He’s strengthened up a lot and grew enough to suggest he should do better this year considering last year he looked a bit set; he’s grown by an inch, inch and a half I’d say.”
Entered in some of the big two-year-races last season connections didn’t get to see the horse race again due to the ground going against him late in the year but that’s not something that has troubled the man overseeing his development.
“It wasn’t too frustrating” recalled Vaughan “we already knew he was a good horse, so it was probably the right thing to do to put him away. We knew he’d stay in training as a three-year-old and this season is what it’s all about.”
As for this coming summer, Vaughan is playing his cards close to his chest stating he wants to “get over the Greenham hurdle first” before making any firm plans beyond Saturday but did add “We have to dream at this stage until he tells us otherwise. He’s the apple of our eye at the moment.”
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