Stratford has proven he deserves his place in a multitude of Black Type races after winning the Magic Millions Class 6 Plate at the Gold Coast Racecourse last Saturday January 14, 2012.
The four-year-old gelding has now won four of his eight race starts and has earned more than$200,000 in prize money.
The Stratum gelding won the $100,000 Magic Millions Class 6 Plate after trainers Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes decided to bypass the Canterbury Classic in favour of the race.
“I think he probably would have won at Canterbury but we decided to take the punt and bring him up to the Gold Coast,” Michael Hawkes said.
“The owners have been terrific, they are here on the Gold Coast but they left the decision to us.
“They were happy to run at Canterbury or come here.”
Hawkes was impressed with the ride from jockey Jason Taylor after originally being concerned about Stratford’s placement in the race.
“I have to admit, I was a bit nervous when he was buried in behind them but to Jason’s credit he never panicked and waited for the run,” Hawkes he said.
“He knows the horse well … he waited for him to balance up and that was the key.
“Jason has been riding for us for about 15 or 16 years. He has ridden Group 1 winners. He won the Stradbroke but unfortunately sometimes people forget that.”
Stratford will now go back to his home stables at Rosehill in Sydney and will not have another race start for three or four weeks.
Open an account with our favourite online bookmaker Luxbet now in order to be instantly credited with a bonus bet worth up to $400.
Just enter the promo code BONUSBET when you join and you will be rewarded with a bonus bet worth 100% of your initial stakes when you deposit between $25 and $400 into your new account.
So sign up with Luxbet today to claim your bonus bet now!
2012 Magic Millions Class 6 Plate Results
| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | STRATFORD | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Jason Taylor | - | 5 | 54.5kg | $1.80F |
| 2 | 9 | STATE OF WEALTH | Brian Smith | Ric McMahon | 2.3L | 2 | 54.5kg | $8 |
| 3 | 3 | DEVINARDI | Trevor Bailey | Scott Galloway | 3.1L | 4 | 56kg | $21 |
| 4 | 4 | DUX BELLORUM | Robert Heathcote | Damian Browne | 3.5L | 7 | 56kg | $13 |
| 5 | 2 | SPIRIT OF FLATLEY | Kelso Wood | Chris Munce | 3.6L | 6 | 57.5kg | $11 |
| 6 | 8 | NEGOMBO | Alan Scorse | Corey Brown | 5.6L | 8 | 54.5kg | $31 |
| 7 | 7 | FREE DIVE | Rodney Northam | Robert Thompson | 6.1L | 9 | 54.5kg | $17 |
| 8 | 1 | MY ELIXA | Trevor Bailey | Michael Rodd | 7.4L | 3 | 59kg | $16 |
| 9 | 6 | FALLS CREEK | Gillian Heinrich | Glyn Schofield | 10.2L | 10 | 54.5kg | $51 |
| 10 | 5 | GRIFFON | Robert Heathcote | Jim Byrne | 12.2L | 1 | 56kg | $3.60 |
