3 minute read

Desleigh Forster is confident there is more to come from Apache Chase in the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas after recording a dominant victory in the Group 3 Vo Rogue at Eagle Farm.

Settling outside the leader, Apache Chase  travelled strongly throughout as Taylor Marshall allowed the gelding to stride freely, defeating race favourite Gotta Kiss by two-lengths.

"He's a real serious horse this one," Forster said.

"The good thing about him is he makes his own luck. He gets out in front and loves to roll along.

"He has got a really high cruising speed this horse and he can quicken off the cruising speed.

"It looks as though he is going hard but he isn't and that's when you know he is going well."

Apache Chase recorded two dominant victories at Eagle Farm during the winter before finishing third in the Gold Edition Plate behind Isotope.

"We set the target when he won those two races (in July and August) and then we were on the back burner because we didn't have enough prize money," Forster said.

"Taylor knows him really well and I thought he may have gone a bit slow during the mid-section last start, so today he let him roll along."

Boasting a 17 per cent winning strike rate when riding for Forster over the last 12 months, Marshall's success in the Vo Rogue was his first at Group level and he is confident the horse will be a force to be reckoned with in the $2 million feature.

"I've always had confidence in the horse because I have carried such a high opinion of him from day one," Marshall said.

"When he was winning those races (last preparation), he was only defeating small fields but we knew he had a lot more to offer.

"I was travelling enormous at the 300m but I just knew I had to be patient because I didn't want to be a sitting duck in the last 100.

"I could hear them coming but I knew I had plenty of horse underneath me."

Apache Chase is currently $17 with the TAB for the Magic Million Guineas.

Meanwhile, talented filly Smart 'N' Sexy  returned to the winners' circle to get her Magic Millions Guineas aspirations back on track.

After over-racing first-up at Doomben, the Toby and Trent Edmonds filly travelled much more tractably ridden off the speed over 1400m.

"She was very fresh and went nuts before the race (last start), but today she was so much more relaxed. She has raced and won here before so she loves the track and she's been crying out for the 1400m," co-trainer Toby Edmonds said.

"She has got a turn of foot and was well weighted today and well placed today."

"She is a Magic Millions three-year-old and that is where she is headed. Whether or not she is good enough we will have to see."

Showcasing an impressive turn of foot to defeat Willo Titto by just under two-lengths, Smart 'N' Sexy's performance left Fradd confident she would hold her own on the Gold Coast in a fortnight.

"She is a really nice filly with a good second-up record and she loves this track as well," Fradd said.

"She was a bit fresh first-up on resumption and she was a bit handier that day.

"In today's run she just totally switched off. We took her onto the rail and just kept her busy, kept her interested and switched her off."

Smart 'N' Sexy is currently a $34 chance with TAB for the $2 million Magic Millions 3YO Guineas.