Skirt The Law has delivered leading trainer Tony Gollan his first win in the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast and in doing so has broken a six-year drought for Queensland-trained horses.
Coming off an unconventional preparation, Skirt The Law had not raced since taking her record to two wins from as many starts at Doomben on December 3 and Gollan admitted he wondered whether he had pulled the right rein in electing to scratch her from a race at The Wave meeting earlier this month.
“You start to have a few self-doubts,” Gollan said.
“I didn’t let anyone know leading into it, but the last three of four days there have been a few sleepless nights worrying had I done enough? Had I ticked every box for her?
“I talked it up like I had, but I was slightly nervous by the space between runs but I shouldn’t have been. She powered through the line and she is a quality horse, they overcome a lot of things.”
Jockey Ryan Maloney capitalised on Skirt The Law’s ($7) low draw, positioning her behind the speed before hooking her around heels in the straight and the filly speared clear to score by 1-1/2 lengths.
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott provided the two minor placegetters with Platinum Jubilee ($6.50) second, a length ahead of the fast-finishing Summer Loving ($20).
Gollan has been Brisbane’s dominant trainer in recent years and was thrilled to become the first Queensland-based horseman to win the 1200m race since Toby Edmonds’ success with Houtzen in 2017.
“I really wanted this race,” Gollan said.
“It’s one of the best races in Queensland and now we’ve won it and to do it with this group of people, it means so much.”
It was also a first Magic Million Classic triumph for Maloney, who described Skirt The Law as a professional filly with a wonderful temperament for an inexperienced horse.
“From the barrier draw and from her trackwork I was that confident,” Maloney said.
“It went to script and it was perfect for us in the run. She’s that versatile and she gives everything she’s got and once the gap was there it was basically all over.”
Skirt The Law firmed from $51 into $15 for the Golden Slipper following her Magic Millions performance and will be striving to become the first horse since Capitalist (2016) to claim the two-year-old feature double.
Empire Of Japan was sent out an easing $5 favourite and appeared to struggle around the Gold Coast track, although he wasn’t disgraced in finishing sixth and just under three lengths from the winner.
