MAGNUS – GOING THE DISTANCE

We all have our reasons as to why we involve ourselves in the thoroughbred industry – it’s the ‘rhyme’ that has us baffled.

Take Magnus for instance. An out and out sprinter … top 4 finishes in 10 Group Ones … not one of them over 1200m. Full or half brother to three stakes winners – the longest of their journeys? 1400m. Half brother to the dam of Black Caviar and All Too Hard, the latter being the bay in the woodpile by twice winning Group Ones over 1600m and finishing second in last year’s Cox Plate (2040m).

So, you’d be entitled to think that Magnus – particularly given his oldest are autumn 3YOs – would be more prone to producing short coursers.

However, while Platinum Kingdom won the first of five black type victories over 1200m as a 2YO, his Group win last Saturday was over 1350m and he’s a Randwick stakes winner over 1400m. He’s also Group placed over 2000m.

Missy Cummings won her first stakes race – at start No. 3 – over 1400m at Randwick.

But then you have the likes of Samuelsson who blitzed them by seven lengths over 1600m at Werribee last Saturday, returning to the winners’ enclosure looking like he could go another mile.

And now, at Sandown on Wednesday, Magniloquent stormed home from near last to grab victory over 1800m – joining a raft of Magnus city winners, albeit the first over that distance.

Raced by Dynamic Syndications, Magniloquent is out stakes winning Grand Lodge mare, Rather Grand.

Ominously, third went to the consistent, Backstedt, a winner over 1600m at Sandown in August and a third over 2000m at Flemington earlier this month.

Certainly something to be said for versatility!