Clairvue to make debut at Eagle Farm
Trainer Liam Birchley admits he would have liked to wait another week before beginning two-year-old Clairvue’s Magic Millions campaign.
Clairvue is set to make his racetrack debut in Saturday’s Fernwood Fitness 2YO (1000m) at Eagle Farm.
The colt is raced by a syndicate of women headed by Judy Clairs who was also an owner of smart juveniles Miss Longstocking and Sagatona.
Both fillies raced very well in the Magic Millions Classic with Missy Longstocking third in 2013 race and Sagatona sixth a year later.
Reg Clairs is the former chief executive of Woolworths and has had several other handy horses with Birchley including open company galloper Chariot of Gold.
Birchley has a great strike rate getting two-year-olds to the Millions but is yet to win the race with his closest effort Paprika’s photo-finish second in 2009.
“I have never made any secret of the fact I would love to win the Magic Millions Classic. It is a race which has always eluded me for some reason,” Birchley said.
“It would be really great to break my duck with a horse for Judy. She and her husband Reg have been great clients for me over the years.”
Clairvue is by former top sprinter Choisir out of the good race mare Princess Qualo who has produced several handy horses including recent winner Damn Fine.
The colt is eligible for the Magic Millions $500,000 bonus in the Classic in January for horses owned by women only.
However, Birchley said he was far from getting ahead of himself with Clairvue.
“I would really have liked to have waited another week but that race is only for fillies,” he said.
“He is eligible for the Millions and if he is going to make the field it is time to get going.”
Birchley said he didn’t know what to make of Clairvue’s barrier eight on Saturday.
“Who knows at Eagle Farm. It could even be best to be out wide,” he said.
Birchley will a have a strong hand on Saturday with Desert General and Reckless Abandon (Benchmark 75) and Morning Fog (Class 6 Plate).
“Desert General has been placed his past five starts and deserves a win while Reckless Abandon will be better for a first up run,” he said.
“A wet track wouldn’t hurt Morning Fog.”