Trainer Troy Hall can’t believe his good fortune after star sprinter Essington and Hussonator were cleared by Racing Queensland stewards to start in his name at Doomben on Saturday.
Hall, who has a stable of 16 in work at his property at Beerwah in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, had been concentrating on getting his promising youngster Love Laughing to next month’s $2 million Magic Millions Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast.
Love Laughing, bred by Hall’s wife Kym, qualified for the January 14 feature with a narrow win on a heavy track over 1200 metres at Doomben on December 10.
Hall will wait until after the daughter of Falvelon tackles Saturday’s Skyracing.TV Handicap (1110m) before confirming a Magic Millions start.
“If she runs well and finishes in the first two we’ll push on to the Magic Millions with her,” Hall said.
“This race doesn’t look as strong as the race she won last start and she’s done well since.
“My apprentice, Mitchell Wood, rode her work on Tuesday and said it was better than the work she did before her previous win.”
Hall initially tried to sell Love Laughing at the Magic Millions yearling sales earlier this year before deciding to retain her.
“I wanted $30,000 for her but she only fetched $22,000 so we passed her in,” he said.
“Now there’s a chance she could be my first Magic Millions runner.”
Hall hasn’t ruled out retaining Wood if she starts in the Magic Millions Classic.
“I may stick with the kid as he knows her best but I’ll wait and see as Jim Byrne hasn’t got a Magic Millions ride yet,” he said.
“Mitchell was a bit wayward earlier in his apprenticeship but he’s putting it together now and is riding well.”
Hall is excited about taking over Essington for Saturday’s Listed Lough Neagh Stakes (1350m) and Hussonator who runs in the Sky Vision In Apps Handicap (1350m).
The pair have been transferred to Hall after their former trainer Darryl Hansen lost an appeal on Wednesday against a six-month disqualification as a result of Hussonator returning an elevated TC02 reading at the Mackay Cup meeting on July 9.
Essington resumed with a fast-finishing third in the Listed Keith Noud Quality (1200m) at Eagle Farm last month before appearing to labour when 11th to Adebisi in the Group Three George Moore Stakes (1200m) at Doomben on December 10.
“They’re both very good horses, particularly Essington and his first two runs back this campaign were terrific,” Hall said.
“He had a big weight when he ran a good third first-up and I think that run may have taken too much out of him for his second-up run in the George Moore Stakes.”
AAP TURF
