Saturday’s Gold Nugget at the Gold Coast will be more than three weeks since Quasimoto’s previous outing, but that is not to suggest his Magic Millions chances have not prospered in that time.
The Clint Lundholm-trained gelding was a key player in what is shaping as the golden piece of lead-up form to Saturday week’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast.
Sovereign Fund, the horse Quasimoto was runner-up to in the Magic Millions Wyong Classic at his most recent appearance on December 14, effortlessly won at Doomben last Saturday and is now second favourite for the $2.5 million event on January 14.
Summer Loving, the third placegetter at Wyong has not started since, but Fire Lane (fourth) has beaten the Gimcrack Stakes and Breeders Plate winners, while Infatuation (fifth) won in Sydney last Saturday.
It follows the two horses who beat home Quasimoto at his debut, Saltaire and Blanc De Blanc, running first and third in the Inglis Nursery, which has only raised the Millions hopes of his Dubbo trainer.
“The form just keeps stacking up, which has given us a bit of hope,” Lundholm said.
The irony of that is Quasimoto is not guaranteed a start in the Magic Millions. This week’s order of entry had the son of Sqaumosa in 23rd position, which is why Lundholm committed to running in the $150,000 Gold Nugget (1100m).
It will give him the chance to join Shaquero, Exhilarates, Sunlight, Houtzen, Le Chef and Real Surreal as horses to win the Millions off a seven-day back-up in the past decade.
“I was a bit hesitant to start him, but once they prizemoney started to get away from us and a few others skipped past us in the ballot, it put the pressure on that we really did need to go again,” Lundholm said.
“The proof is in the pudding there with the seven-day back-up in recent years, a lot of (Millions) winners have done it, and I think he’s the type of horse that can cope with it.”
Quasimoto has drawn wide, as he did in each of his first two starts, but Lundholm is happy with the way he has freshened up since his second to Sovereign Fund, when he started $51.
“We sent him out to the water walker for five days, just let him chill out for a bit, because it’s a good five-hour trip for us across to Wyong and he is only a two-year-old, so we looked after him and he freshen up really good,” Lundholm said.
“He’s been back, had a jumpout and he’s ready to rock-and-roll on Saturday.”
Regan Bayliss and Grant Buckley were aboard for Quasimoto’s first two starts, but Kerrin Mcevoy will jump aboard for the Gold Nugget.
