New Year's celebrations continue for Team Guy

By Glenn Davis

The father and son training partnership of Bryan and Daniel Guy started the New Year with a bang and now hope it will continue at Doomben on Wednesday.

The Guy-trained Golden Artie qualified for the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic over 1200 metres at the Gold Coast on Saturday week after winning at Doomben on New Year’s Day.

The pair have five starters entered in four races at Doomben with in-form gelding Happy Babe the standout hope in the Class 4 Handicap over 1350 metres.

Team Guy is hopeful Happy Babe can bring his strong provincial form to the city after notching up three wins and a second from his past five starts.

The five-year-old son of Sebring was an impressive last start winner over the Les Kelly-trained Minto’s Paradise in a 1400-metre Class 4 at the Gold Coast on December 18.

Happy Babe has won four of his nine starts for the pair after being sent north following previous stints in NSW with Richard Litt and Kris Lees.

“He was bought by a client of ours and was originally going to race in Sydney before he decided to send him to Queensland,” Guy said.

“He’s racing very well but he nearly died from a colic attack after his last campaign.

“He had to have an operation so we gave him a good break and since he’s been back, he’s been flying.

“This race tomorrow looks a nice race for him so hopefully he can win again.”

Meanwhile Guy is delighted to have Golden Artie line up in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

The son of Artie Schiller was narrowly beaten by one of the state’s top youngsters Palazzo Spirit at Eagle Farm on debut in October.

He then stormed into the Magic Millions feature after collecting $105,000 in prizemoney following his New Year’s Day win.

Guy is a four-time Group 1 winner but hasn’t trained a winner at the highest level since Eagle Way claimed the Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm in 2016.

His previous Group 1 wins were with Ravarda in the George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill in 1996 and the JJ Atkins in 1995, as well as All Our Mob in the 1994 Stradbroke Handicap.