By Isaac Murphy
Millard Reaction gave Gold Coast trainer Toby Edmonds plenty of food for Winter Carnival thought when the raw but exciting gelding showed an explosive turn of foot to win Saturday's Three-Year-Old Handicap at Doomben.
It was Millard Reactions' second win from as many starts and a visibly elated Edmonds outlined his Winter plans following the 3/4 length win over the Ben Currie-trained Soxagon.
“Because he’s won here today that opens up plenty of options moving forward,” Edmonds said.
“At the fore front of those is the Gold Coast Guineas, but there are a number of black type races in the lead up to the Stradbroke he could figure in too.
“It remains to be seen if he is that quality of horse, but his body of work so far certainly gives you a good indication he could handle that class.”
Edmonds said he wasn’t perturbed when the gelding got back in the run as was his natural pattern, but it was still a big effort to get up.
“We worked his racing pattern out pretty early, we rode him nice and quiet in his trials and he ran home well, and he’s taken that ability to the track,” he said.
“It doesn’t come without dangers, he got caught behind a few slow horses when Jag (Guthmann-Chester) was trying to get him out the margin may have been bigger if he had a better trip.
“He still does a lot of things wrong sometimes he wants to run in, other times he wants to go out, we haven’t seen the best of him.”
Leading Metropolitan apprentice Jag Guthmann-Chester extended his lead at the top of the premiership and said the gelding had something a big special about her.”
“I’m on a little bit of a roll at the minute, but I’d put this boy at the top it’s a real privilege to ride a horse of this quality,” Guthmann-Chester said.
“Second up over the 1350 metres I didn’t think there would be a lot of speed in the race and was hoping to land a pair or two closer, but he’s such a big strong horse I got him in his comfort zone and left him there.”
After riding Millard Reaction to victory in his first start Guthmann-Chester was bucked off fifty metres past the post and said the raw talent still had plenty of scope to improve.
“He doesn’t really know what he’s doing yet he’s still learning his craft, I had to hang on tight when he was throwing his head around on the turn,” he said.
“He still throws his head around and is a big al over the place in the run, once he gets it right between the ears he could be something.”