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Punch On ($9) got up right on the line to beat Easy Running ($7) by a nose with Sydney filly Happy Hussy ($6) 1-1/4 lengths back third.

Balzen has trained on the Coast for the past 15 years after stints at Doomben and Canterbury and the likeable mentor said the win in the $1 million feature was easily the biggest of his career.

“I’ve won black-type races before but this is clearly the best winner I’ve had,” Balzen said.

“This filly is also the best horse I’ve trained and she will go on and be a very good three-year-old.

“She drew a nice barrier but you always need luck in these big races and I was super confident after they’d gone a hundred metres.”

Paul Hammersley brought Punch On with a perfectly-timed run in the straight to nail Easy Running in the shadows of the post for an impressive win.

“I thought I won by a lot further than that,” Hammersley said.

“My heart was racing on the way back but you don’t get any more for winning by further.”

Easy Running’s rider Damian Browne said the horse ran his heart out and had his chance to win.

“He travelled back off a hectic speed and really sprinted when I asked him to go in the straight,” Browne said.

“I was hoping something might have carried him into the race for a bit longer because he might have got to the front a bit too soon.

“But he dug deep when the other horse got to him and it was a great effort.”

Biggles ($11) ran up to his best to finish fifth and his rider Tim Bell said the horse was a star of the future.

“There wasn’t many horses making ground from back in the field today and he ran super to finish off like he did under 57.5kg,” Bell said.

“He is a very good horse and he’ll be winning a Group race very soon – that is for sure.”

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Winks had been appointed number one stable rider for the Flemington trainer and they combined for Group One wins with the likes of Star Witness (2010 Coolmore Stud Stakes), Douro Valley (2008 Yalumba Stakes) and Absolut Glam (2008 Winter Stakes).

However the partnership didn’t last and Winks found himself on the outer.

“I had six weeks off after the spring two years ago and I’ve probably struggled the last 12 months, but I’m just starting to gather momentum again,” Winks, who is back riding work for O’Brien, said.

“I’m back riding for Danny now and have ridden about four winners since I’ve been back.

“There’s 120 more horses I can ride now that I’m back with him and he’s got quality animals like At The Heads.”

“You’ve got to have the right horse, you see it all the time, so I’ll chip away and do the right thing.

“It’s a matter of working hard and rebuilding the bridges.”

Sent out at $10 in the 1400m feature, At The Heads was having just his second outing in a black-type race having run fourth to Linton in the 2010 Group Two Alister Clark Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley as a three-year-old.

The Hussonet five-year-old was in the first four throughout and forged clear in the straight to score by 1-3/4 lengths from the Peter Snowden-trained Pied A Terre who was heavily supported from $3 to start $2.35 favourite.

Second Effort ($9.50) was a short neck away third, a nose ahead of There’s Only One ($7) who was only a nose ahead of the fifth-placed Shout Out Loud ($31).

“He gave me a lovely ride. He just idled nicely and when he got to the front he switched off and wanted to wander around a bit but when they came at him he hit the line well,” Winks said.

The entire, whose previous win was over 1400m at Caulfield just over a year ago, has now won five races and been placed in six others for more than $300,000 in stakemoney.

“Danny told me he (At The Heads) needed the right run in order to win a race like this and it all panned out well,” Winks said.

O’Brien was at the Gold Coast where this week he bought four yearlings including an Encosta de Lago-Joie colt for $240,000.

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Driefontein, trained by Gai Waterhouse and ridden by Tommy Berry, was second past the post in the $2 million 1200m feature behind stablemate No Looking Back who was ridden By Nash Rawiller but the real action unfolded minutes later when Berry reluctantly protested against the winner.

Lifelong dreams descended into depressing nightmares at the Gold Coast on Saturday when Sydney filly Driefontein won an action-packed Magic Millions Classic.

Berry requested to view the footage of the final 250m as soon as he dismounted and originally intended not to protest until chief steward Wade Birch prompted him with questions.

Berry then lodged the protest citing interference over the final 200m when No Looking Back shifted out abruptly and took Driefontein’s running, especially over the final 70m.

Stewards deliberated for about five minutes before they called the connections back into the room and upheld the protest.

“It’s our belief that had Driefontein been able to maintain her rightful running she would have won the race and therefore we uphold the protest,” Birch said.

The stewards’ verdict gave Berry his second consecutive Magic Millions win after he scored last year on Karuta Queen but for Gold Coast owners Luke and David Henderson, the decision turned a dream result into a horrific nightmare and meant the difference of $840,000.

“Forget the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, the race we always wanted to win was the Magic Millions and to lose this race is terribly disappointing,” Luke Henderson, a Gold Coast Turf Club director, said.

Driefontein travelled in second place throughout and loomed as the winner at the 200m until No Looking Back surged along the fence to record a neck margin.

Melbourne filly Alezan Thunder ran bravely to finish a length back third with the Kelso Wood-trained colt Sizzling running on powerfully to finish a close-up fourth.

A shocked Berry said the victory was both bittersweet and surreal.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet but when it does I’ll be elated,” he said.

“Nash has become one of my best mates since I started to ride for Gai and to beat him on protest in such a big race doesn’t seem right.

“The filly always travelled strongly although she did get a bit lost getting around the corner.

“She definitely deserved to win the race and the stewards’ decision was the right one.”

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Aided by an outstanding Kathy O’Hara ride from an inside gate, the well-backed Straight Albert ($3.80 fav) notched his fourth straight victory as he held off Wazn ($8.50) by three-quarters of a length with Legsman ($8.50) a neck away third.

The four-year-old gelding has taken giant strides this preparation since joining Guy Walter’s Warwick Farm team and his Gosford Gold Cup (2100m) success added to his last start victory in the Listed Tatt’s Cup.

Walter is still undecided where to head next with the rapidly-improving stayer but a late Sydney autumn carnival and then Brisbane winter preparation aimed at the Group One Doomben Cup could be on the cards.

“He’ll have a let-up now and may come back for the latter part of the autumn and winter,” Walter said.

“It was a wonderful ride. Kathy planned to get off the rail going out of the straight because she felt there was going to be a lot of speed in the race.

“I thought she rode him superbly. She wanted to give him room because he takes a while to wind up, but he’s in wonderful form and he’s just a nice horse getting better and better.”

O’Hara summed the race up perfectly with a wall of horses charging to the first turn.

Straight Albert settled midfield from the inside draw but O’Hara quickly got off the fence as Legsman worked around the field to take up the running.

As the field approached the home turn Straight Albert worked his way into contention and after straightening moved up to take over from Legsman.

Wazn tried but couldn’t reel in Straight Albert giving Walter his second Gosford Cup success.

“Things worked out perfectly today,” O’Hara said.

“I thought the key was getting off the fence during the run and it worked out that we got the run at the right time and the horse did the rest.

“He has progressed phenomenally. He always showed he had ability when he came to Guy’s but he’s come on in leaps and bounds.”

Jim Cassidy, rider of Legsman, was full of praise for the stayer’s effort to hold on for third after working hard to find the lead.

“It was a sensational effort, he’s the toughest horse I’ve ridden outside of Might And Power,” Cassidy said.

“He’s just a bulldog and just wants to keep giving. He was coming back on the line.”

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© 2011 Racing Information Services Australia Pty Ltd (RISA) and others working with it. These Racing Materials, including fields, form and results are reproduced under a copyright licence from the copyright owners. Any unauthorised reproduction, adaptation or communication is strictly prohibited.

Bet on this race at Sportsbet and receive up to $250 in FREE BETS

© 2011 Racing Information Services Australia Pty Ltd (RISA) and others working with it. These Racing Materials, including fields, form and results are reproduced under a copyright licence from the copyright owners. Any unauthorised reproduction, adaptation or communication is strictly prohibited.

Bet on this race at Sportsbet and receive up to $250 in FREE BETS

© 2011 Racing Information Services Australia Pty Ltd (RISA) and others working with it. These Racing Materials, including fields, form and results are reproduced under a copyright licence from the copyright owners. Any unauthorised reproduction, adaptation or communication is strictly prohibited.