An unexpected approach encouraged a turn in direction and a significant change of fortune for trainer Kelly Schweida and the connections of boom colt Grafterburners with victory in the second running of the Magic Millions Sunlight 3yo Plate.
For the slot owned by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott in the $3 million 1100-metre dash, bloodstock specialist Bruce Slade sought Grafterburners ($2.25F) with a deal done to secure the runner of choice.
“All credit to Bruce,” Schweida said.
“We were going to go to a different option before we got the slot. We were going to go to the Vo Rogue but this will do.”
Grafterburners overcame difficulties in the straight to make a run along the rail with James McDonald aboard having freshly returned from a stint in Hong Hong.
McDonald described the winner of six of his 12 starts so far as ‘outstanding’ and the son of sprinter Graff has lucrative options ahead.
“He’s eligible for the million-dollar race that El Morzillo won down the Flemington straight but he’s also eligible for a half-million dollar Jewel here for QTIS horses,” Schweida said.
“That is hard to knock back.”
Grafterburners beat home the Brad Widdup-trained Nashville Jack ($71) by 1½-lengths with Sylph ($10) a ½-length away in third.
Earlier on the card Miss Joelene ($2.70F), also trained by Schweida, notched a unique double when winning the $500,000 Magic Millions The Wave (1800m).
Miss Joelene won The Wave in 2025 when the race was run at Sunshine Coast due to the track poisoning incident before the meeting.
Schweida said that Miss Joelene would back up in the Magic Millions Subzero (2200m) next Saturday.
“She’s got a good back-up record. She ran third in that race last year after The Wave and she won after Ipswich Cup Day so she’ll back up in the 2200,” Schweida said.
His confidence in jockey Ceejay Graham staying aboard the five-year-old mare was not lost on the young rider.
“I’m so thankful to Kelly for sticking with me. It would have been very tempting to put a big name on. It really means a lot to me to get an opportunity like this and she’s just a star.”
The newly minted Magic Millions Gold Raceday attracted around 9,000 people to the twilight meeting where more than $7 million in prize money was on offer.
