Global Weekly Preview: Gold Coast Millions a Maker of Stars

The concept of buying a young horse to run in a specific race, restricted to those purchased at a particular sale, is nothing new in the racing world.

But the idea that you can keeping coming back, year after year, to revisit a particular raceday restricted to those horses is a novel and appealing model for owners.

Gerry Harvey and Katie Page's Magic Millions provides the stage for exactly that -- amid a week of razzmatazz, celebrity appearances, media shoots of horses racing along the beach, plus endless sessions of selling horses at astronomical prices.

It's different, and it takes place in baking hot weather, which often gets the better of visitors from colder regions.

As you would expect for the money on offer, the competition on the race track is fierce.

Most categories are catered for, but the two richest races are the Jeep Magic Millions 2yo Classic and the Gold Coast Magic Millions 3yo Guineas, and not surprisingly, both races have attracted capacity fields of 16 (plus emergencies).

Houtzen, an unbeaten filly by popular sire I Am Invincible, will attempt to overcome the extreme outside draw in the 2yo Classic. That is not an easy task from the 1,200m start on this very tight track. She will have to be a true champion to do it.

Invincible Star, another filly by I Am Invincible, has not run since winning the G3 Ottawa Stakes on Melbourne Cup day in November but looks a very real danger, though also drawn wide.

The Chris Waller-trained From Within, by Not A Single Doubt, won impressively at Canterbury on New Year's Eve and is another chance in a fascinating contest.

In the MM 3yo Guineas, the draw again is set to play its part. Global Glamour, the 1,000 Guineas winner, is another drawn very wide, while the better placed (no 6) Winning Rupert has won five races on the trot but is untested at the 1,400m. 

It should be a great day, the first race due to start before noon, with the last race scheduled six hours later.