The State of Origin opener may have been a fizzer for most footy fans South of the border, but the blues bounced back with authority on Thursday night as a raft of NSW trainers saluted in fine fashion at Albion Park.
Fahey’s Magic took out her second feature final at the Brisbane circuit this year after claiming the Group 2 Cyndie’s Magic final (600m), with trainer Tyson Barton admitting he’d given up hope midway through the run.
“I didn’t give her a chance coming past the 600m boxes, I just thought she was too far off them. They all sort of bunched up before the line and she had all the momentum,” Barton said.
The daughter of Magic Sprite x Amber Ale swooping home to stop the clock in 34.84. The final margin just 0.03 of a length over fellow NSW chaser One Hot Bandit as she improved her record to 21 wins from 46 starts.
“I reckon she’s at the peak of her powers at the moment,” Barton added.
“She hurt herself in the Summer Six-Hundy heats earlier this year and then she came on season so she had a bit of time off. We had to get some fitness back into her once she returned to the track and apart from those early runs over the shorter trips, she’s been racing really well.”
“And Albion Park just suits her down to the ground over 600m. She pings the lids but she hits a bit of flat spot about 20m into her races. If she goes over the 500m and does that, she gets chewed up and spat out the back but the 600m bend start lets her jump and get around the corner before she takes that time to balance up again.”
Fahey's Magic's only career start over the staying trip came in a win at Albion Park just under a month ago
Fahey’s Magic now joining Palawa King, Ritza Piper and Check The Radar in the NSW Staying team for next week’s greyhound State Of Origin series in the Sunshine State.
“It’s a real honour to get picked. It’s a bit more prestigious as it’s invitation only and it’s the best of the best. The only problem is I support Queensland in the footy and I won’t actually feel comfortable wearing a blues shirt,” Barton laughed.
“I worked in QLD a lot of my life and my old man supports the Maroons so I might get a few dirty looks from both sides next week, but I’m looking forward to seeing her race in a full field over 700. Her run home was good last night and she seems to be getting a bit more dour with age so we can’t wait to see what she can do and it’ll be a great thrill for her owners.”
“I thought the run was pretty good mate to be truthful. He’s fearless through the first bend and he’s just a good chaser. When the draw came out, I thought Magistrate would be the dog to beat and that proved right. Now we look forward to taking him on again in the Origin,” Hurst said.
“If we draw good, we’ll be in the finish but you’re not going to win a race like the State Of Origin out of the four or five box. ‘Cobber’ has been in good form and he’s won off some tough draws but he hasn’t been racing Group 1 calibre greyhounds.”
The veteran trainer choosing to send his kennel star to good friend and Grafton-based mentor Dave Irwin for a Queensland Winter campaign.
“I’ve stayed at Dave’s place before and his wife Mandy is Tracy’s [Hurst’s wife] best mate, so to be honest Tracy is pulling the strings as usual,” Hurst chuckled.
“But Dave is just the man to give him to, there’s none better. It’s impossible to be hands on when the dog is in QLD and I’m down here so I don’t ring him to give advice, if I had any doubts, I wouldn’t have given him the dog in the first place. He doesn’t leave me out of the loop so I’ve got full faith in him.”
“We could have travelled up with him but I think you’re wasting your time these days driving up on the day, no matter how good your dog is. Jason Thompson’s record suggests he’s the best in the country and if it’s good enough for him to send dogs interstate a week or two before they race in the big ones, it’s OK for me too. Andy Lord does it, Jason Magri too, they all send dogs to people they trust.”
Zipping Megatron, currently under the tutelage of caretaker trainer Tony Brett, also claimed a Brisbane Cup prelude in a BON time of 29.69.
The Bob Payne Sprint winner racking up his tenth win from 16 starts to take his career earnings past the $180,000 mark.
While Darryl Thomas and Michelle Sultana also trained a winner with Black Tsunami saluting in a mixed fourth/fifth grade event in 29.99, while Here Comes Milli and Fear The Dragon continued their preparations towards the Group 1 Brisbane Cup heats in a fortnight.
