Well-travelled Amish Boy has broken through for his maiden victory in the Magic Millions Adelaide Classic at Morphettville.
The two-year-old trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace was lining up for his fourth start in Monday’s $200,000 race and just prevailed over fellow Victorian Glenfiddich.
Amish Boy was a $300,000 yearling and the stable had hoped to get him to the Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast in January.
Those plans were abandoned when he was unplaced in the B J McLachlan Stakes at Eagle Farm in December after a debut third at Ballarat the previous month.
Amish Boy returned to Melbourne, finishing fourth to Ole Kirk in the Talindert Stakes at Flemington last month.
Eustace said the stable consider Amish Boy to be up to stakes class and may now switch attention to Sydney following Monday’s victory.
“He thoroughly deserved that as he had been unlucky not to have won a race,” Eustace told racing.com.
“We thought he was good enough to go and run in the Magic Millions in January, but he didn’t quite get there.
“Full credit to the staff for keeping him, happy and healthy.
“He’ll definitely get further. Whether he goes up to Sydney and we consider something like the Sires’ or go a rung below, we can work that out.”
Winning jockey Jye McNeil said there was plenty of upside with Amish Boy after the colt was slow to begin.
“He kicked the back of the gates, a little bit of nerves and a little bit reckless, just before we jumped,” McNeil said.
“It didn’t really affect us too much with the wide gate, so I just got in behind them with the solid speed and he finished hard.”
