Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Magnus Victor maintained his purple patch of form when he recovered from an early setback to score a dashing victory in the $31,000 Garrard’s Westbred Autumn Restricted Pace for four and five-year-olds over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He was the $3.10 second favourite from out wide at barrier seven and his supporters moaned when he nudged the arm of the mobile barrier and broke into a fierce gallop, losing six lengths and settling down in eighth position while the polemarker and $1.80 favourite Thelittle Master ambled through the lead time in 38.3sec. and the opening quarter in a slow 31sec.
With the slow early pace in-form young reinsman Joey Suvaljko wasted no time in dashing Magnus Victor forward with a three-wide burst after 600m and moving to the breeze with 1400m to travel.
Magnus Victor got on terms with Thelittle Master at the 500m before getting to the front 250m later and going on to win by just over a length from his stablemate Ideal Muscle ($20), who was eighth at the bell before surging home out four wide.
Princess Katie ($14) was third after trailing the leader all the way, while Thelittle Master wilted to finish fifth.
“Magnus Victor is a funny horse going up to the gate, and we were up there early and timed the gate wrong,” said Suvaljko. “Up the straight I thought our stablemate was going to get me again,” referring to a race the previous Friday night when Magnus Victor was beaten by a nose by the fast-finishing Menemsha.
Trainer Aiden de Campo was delighted with the quinella result, saying: “It was a super run by Magnus Victor the previous week when I thought it was near career-best, and he’s probably gone career-best tonight.
“It gave me a bit of a flutter when he galloped at the start tonight. Then he got down, pacing well, and Joey put him in the race at the right time. Magnus Victor will match up with them in Free-For-Alls, and he has a lot of high speed which is good.
“He has taken the next step in this preparation. He always comes back better after a spell, with the family tending to do that.”
Magnus Victor has earned $183,078 from 16 wins and 20 placings from 58 starts.