Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
“He rarely gets beaten when he leads,” said trainer Aiden De Campo after driving Magnus Victor to an easy win in the $23,000 HTA Reaching For The Top Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The WA-bred five-year-old was the $2.10 second favourite from the prized No. 1 barrier, with stylish last-start winner Spyglass the $2 favourite from barrier two.
Magnus Victor had begun from out wide at barrier seven at his two previous outings and was forced to work hard without cover in both events in which he finished third to Im Lightning Banner and fifth behind Waverider.
Magnus Victor has started from the No. 1 barrier five times in his 54-start career, for an unplaced effort on debut after breaking soon after the start and then winning at his next four attempts from the inside barrier.
Lindsay Harper decided not to give Spyglass a soft passage behind the leader, and he was happy to gain a perfect trip in the one-out, one-back position behind noted breeze horse Mister Macedon.
Magnus Victor set a solid pace, and after final quarters of 28.2sec. and 28.4sec. he rated 1.55.5 when he beat Spyglass by seven metres.
“He is not a breeze horse, and he didn’t have much luck being left there at his two previous starts,” said De Campo. “He has been racing very well, and I think he can win a couple more.”
De Campo purchased Magnus Victor for $55,000 at the 2021 APG Perth yearling sale before syndicating the son of Sweet Lou to eight of his friends and stable clients. The gelding is proving a good buy, having earned $156,326 from 15 wins and 17 placings.
He is the tenth foal out of Benjor Maddy Lombo, who won three times on Victorian country tracks in 2005 before being placed once from five WA starts and then being retired.
Benjor Maddy Lombo has been far more successful as a broodmare, having also produced Handsandwheels (102 starts for 29 wins, 33 placings and $707,393) and the evergreen Rock Me Over (245 starts for 29 wins, 75 placings and $473,763).