Trainer Matt Cumani’s hopes of a Magic Millions Classic runner rest with Anthemoessa being able to get on a flight to the Gold Coast.
The Cumani-trained two-year-old has drawn barrier four in Saturday’s $2 million Magic Millions Classic but the filly has yet to get a place on a flight from Victoria to Queensland.
“We are booked on one every night this week and hopefully we’ll get one,” Cumani told RSN927 on Wednesday.
Anthemoessa finished second, beaten 5-1/2-lengths by La Pomme De Pin, in the Magic Millions Clockwise Classic at Ballarat on debut in November before finishing a length second to Ollivander at Caulfield at her second start on December 16.
“She’s a really tough filly,” Cumani said.
“She hasn’t been as flashy as some of the horses going into the race – she hasn’t won a race by eight lengths – but she has run second twice now and last start at Caulfield was a really tough run.
“She comes into the race pretty fresh.
“Hopefully the trip won’t be too exhausting for her if she flies and she’s a tough, gutsy filly with a great barrier. And that’s half the battle at this track.”
Two of premier Victorian trainer Darren Weir’s Magic Millions Cups contenders, Lucky Hussler and Ozi Choice, arrived in Queensland on Wednesday morning.
Weir also has Nikitas and He’s A Moral entered at the Gold Coast but they are yet to travel north.
“Lucky Hussler and Ozi Choice got on a flight and are there. Everything is good with them,” Weir’s Warrnambool foreman Jarrod McLean said.
“He’s A Moral and Nikitas are to go tonight, hopefully. It’s 50-50 at the moment.
“And then you’ve still got tomorrow night (Thursday night), but after that it’s too late.”
A back-up option for Nikitas if he doesn’t get to the Gold Coast is to run in Saturday’s Listed Chester Manifold Stakes at Flemington where he is one of four Weir-trained runners entered along with Burning Front, Goldstream and Royal Rapture.
