HORSE RACING
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While Bede Murray said Kembla Grange trainers were light on quality horses ahead of Sensational Sunday, he might have had the one worth following from Illawarra's flagship meeting in Darci Magic.
The veteran horseman had such an opinion of his three-year-old he even opted to lodge a sneaky entry for the horse in the $3 million Doncaster Mile [1600m] when first nominations closed.
While that was always going to be a bridge too far for a three-year-old which had only a Kembla maiden win to his name at the time, better races are in store on the strength of his second career win on Sunday.
Blake Shinn was planted three wide for the duration of the Class 2 Handicap (1500m) but still managed to reel in the frontrunners in the dash to the line.
It prompted Murray to nominate the Carbine Club (1600m) against his own age - coincidentally on Doncaster day - as Darci Magic's next assignment.
"He'll probably run in the Carbine Club but there might be a few races in Queensland for him," Murray said.
"We'll just play it by ear.
"I expected him to win like that. It makes you feel comfortable when they go past the post like that."
Shinn rode four winners for the day but will do well to continue his partnership with Darci Magic if Murray decides to head north of the border in winter.
"I just kept him balanced in that three-wide lane," Shinn said. "I knew the favourite was the hardest to beat so I didn't want to come back and conceded ground when the horses to beat were in front."
"He's a really nice horse," Murray added.
"He's improved from the Canberra Guineas and he's going to stretch out to 2000 [metres] and hopefully a bit further. He might be [one] for the Queensland winter carnival."