McGill pair set to use Moe as a winter launching pad
A DUO of Logan McGill runners travelled to Moe on Saturday looking to get themselves prepared for an important winter campaign.
The Mornington Peninsula trainer took his mare Auro and five-year-old gelding Millau into rural Victoria looking to get some racing fitness into the promising pair.
The five-year-old Auro drifted late in the market for race five and produced a run to suit, getting back early and never truly making an impression.
Auro got back in the field but hit the line hard to finish inside the first half of the field, a performance that did not surprise its trainer prior to the race.
McGill told HorseBetting.com.au that he would get a great indication of where the mare sits in his stable following the Butchers On George Handicap.
“She’s first up for me today,” McGill told HorseBetting.com.au.
“She hasn’t run for quite a while, but she’s trialled up really good, but she’ll take a bit of today’s run.”
The trainer is already looking beyond the 1000m trip that Auro confronted on Saturday, saying the horse will enjoy the additional distance when it saddles up for its next start.
“I’m expecting her to be a genuine first four chance, without getting too carried away, then I’ll be looking to 1200m for her next start.”
The other runner that McGill took to Moe is prospective hurdler Millau, who is running around as a $101 outsider in the Turfside Bar & Grill Handicap.
The trainer believes he galloper will require today’s run to get itself prepared for a potential jumps schedule later in the year.
McGill said the race is a long-time coming for the five-year-old.
“I’ve had him for quite a while now without racing him.
“He showed me enough promise that we could eventually run him in a hurdle hopefully, so today basically I think they’ll be too sharp for him.”
Millau comes into the final race on the card as the only horse in triple figures, but the long price is not something that is concerning the trainer.
McGill is already looking beyond Moe for the gelding.
“It’s just going to be a bit of match practise for him, and we’re hoping to hurdle trial him in a fortnight.”
Millau has not trialled well coming into the race, but McGill believes the gelding needs the competitive nature of a professional race to get itself in racing condition.
“I’m not expecting him to do too much today… he’s the kind of horse that gets back in his trials and doesn’t finish off well, so we’re taking today as an opportunity to blow some cobwebs and get himself ready for the hurdle trials in a fortnight.”
Moe Race 9 betting
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