Group One mission a success for Magicool

 Third time's a charm.

Such was the case for the newest stable star Magicool who lined up in his third Derby on Saturday. With a fifth place in the VRC Derby and a fourth in the South Australian Derby the three-year-old claimed the Queensland edition in emphatic style and in doing so gave his trainer his 21st Group One victory.

The decision was made to send Magicool to Brisbane after he defeated the older horses at Flemington on May 23 but it was not one made lightly. It is an expensive exercise to fly horses and indeed Magicool was nearing the end of a long campaign that had seen him racing since February and he would have to race in the reverse direction for the first time.

The horse however revelled in the warmer weather in the lead up to the race and it was left to his jockey James Winks to negotiate the cursed visitor's draw - barrier 17 with only two drawn outside him.

With scratchings Magicool jumped from barrier 14 alongside Sadler's Lake who went forward and eventually took up the lead at the 1200. Magicool settled mid-field and was posted three and four deep for the trip but was in clear running and settled into a nice tempo. Jockey James Winks rode a patient race resisting the urge to move when first Rising Luck and then Allzin took off around him at the 800 metre mark saving Magicool for his final finishing burst.

Winks got moving on Magicool as the field approached the final turn and the pair made the bend five deep. In a perfectly timed run home the pair arrived to claim the major prize from race favourite Werther, who had his chance in the straight and the fast finishing Jumbo Prince. Leader Sadler's Lake held on well for fourth.

Watch the replay of the Qld Derby

Magicool has now won five of his fourteen starts and amassed prizemoney of $668,450. He will now spell in the warm Queensland climate before being prepared for a Spring campaign. His Queensland Derby win sees him past the first clause for eligibility in the Melbourne Cup.

Photo kindly supplied by Greg Irvine