Pair of juveniles bid to stamp their Magic Millions claims for Schweida
Kelly Schweida will look to secure a runner for next month’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1100m) when two of his stable’s youngsters make their debut in Saturday’s Phelan Ready (Listed, 1110m) at Doomben.
The trainer’s first chance comes through Zousain (Zoustar) filly Jolayna Dash, who heads to the races off a second-placed Doomben trial in early November with Cejay Graham booked to ride. Schweida is satisfied with her build-up but says the race, as usual for December juveniles, is difficult to assess.
“It’s very hard to line up these two-year-olds from the trials and I think there’s only one that has won a race. So it’s really hard to line them up. She trialled alright, barrier one will help and we’re expecting that she’ll run well,” Schweida told ANZ News.
Jolayna Dash’s preparation has been impacted by several abandoned trial sessions following Queensland’s recent run of storms, forcing Schweida to reshuffle plans.
“We’ve been mucked around a little bit. She was supposed to have another trial, but we’ve had storms through the last month and I think the last two or three trials that I was going to put her in were cancelled,” he said.
“Last Tuesday, she was supposed to trial, last Thursday she was supposed to trial, and then they put the trials on Tuesday, which is a bit close for me. I don’t like trialling two year olds on a Tuesday and then running them on a Saturday.”
A $90,000 purchase for her trainer from Vinery Stud’s draft at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Jolayna Dash has been a filly the trainer has liked from the outset, with the Magic Millions 2YO Classic remaining the stable’s hopeful target.
“She is a nice filly, got the big ears, which I like. [The Magic Millions] is the A game, but where we end up, who knows? You’ve got to perform. If they win, they’re easy to place. If they’re not, they’re hard,” the trainer said.
Schweida also presents Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) colt Fair Shake, although a wide gate in barrier ten has tempered expectations.
“Unfortunately he’s got barrier ten. From that start it is very awkward unless you’ve got a lot of speed, which he doesn’t have, so if you go forward you’ll end up three or four deep, and the two year olds all run nowhere if they do that,” Schweida said.
“But if you go back to last, they’re going to run home in probably 34 [seconds], and he’s not capable of running 32 and a half, so he’ll probably have to go back, I would say, and hopefully he finishes off. If it wasn’t that sort of race, I wouldn’t be running him.”
Despite the setup, Schweida believes the colt, who he purchased from Bhima Thoroughbreds for $80,000 also at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, has a bright future.
“He’s a nice looking dude. He’s well bred. The Home Affairs are going good and he’s out of a Stradbroke winner [Srikandi],” he said.
“He’s a good type. He’s a quiet colt, which is good. I don’t mind him, but it’s a bad map for him tomorrow.”
The stable also has strong representation later in the program, with talented colt Grafterburners (Graff) stepping out in the $160,000 Pierata Plate (1200m) following his impressive first-up victory.
A firming $2.30 favourite on Friday, Schweida sees no reason why the colt won’t perform to market expectation.
“He’s a good looking rooster. His first-up run was good. We gave him a few days off in the water walker to freshen up and he had a soft jump out on Tuesday,” he said.
“He’s a colt, he puts on a bit of weight. Dry tracks don’t worry him. He’s been to Doomben before. He’s a nice horse. It is hard to line up the form of a couple of those Sydney horses, but he’s done everything right. He’s just a nice horse.”
Grafterburners enjoyed a strong juvenile season, highlighted by his QTIS Jewel 2YO (1200m) win and a third and two sixth placings behind star colt Cool Archie (Cool Aza Beel) in the Spirit Of Boom Classic (Gr 2, 1200m), BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) and J.J. Atkins (Gr 1, 1600m).
Schweida believes his defeats at longer trips were simply a case of the colt being stretched past his best.
“When he got to 1400 [metres] and a mile that horse of Munce’s [Cool Archie] whopped us pretty well, but he was in work a long time,” Schweida said.
“We won the jewel in March, and then he had a couple of weeks off, and then we attacked the carnival. He performed well at Doomben in a 1200-metre race, I think he drew wide and was three deep, and only got beaten head then, and then Cool Archie beat us fair and square at 1400 metres and the mile, but he’s a pretty good horse Cool Archie.”
Plenty of summer options sit ahead for the colt, including potential travel interstate to the Inglis Sprint (1200m), a race won by Schweida with El Morzillo (Star Witness) last year.
“He’s a nice horse and there are some nice races for him, if he can compete,” the trainer added.
“He’ll go to [the Gold Edition (Listed, 1200m) in a fortnight. Then the Vo Rogue [Plate] on the 3rd of January or skip that and go to the slot race. He’s an Inglis horse, so he can go to that million-dollar race at Flemington [Inglis Sprint].
“It’s a lot to ask and also three or four weeks later, he’s eligible for that half-a-million dollar three-year-old race at the coast, because he’s QTIS. He’s got a few plans if he can justify going there.”