Houtzen rockets to Millions favouritism

Houtzen has displaced From Within as favourite for the Magic Millions Classic with her easy qualifying win at the Gold Coast.

Her jockey Jeff Lloyd rode the filly in trackwork on Tuesday and told trainer Toby Edmonds she could go around on the outside fence and win Saturday’s Two-Year-Old Hcp (1100m) .

Houtzen ($1.30) didn’t go near the outside fence but shattered the class record in her 4-3/4 length win over Make My Own Luck ($4.80).

Lloyd was able to ease Houtzen down in the final 200m with the Magic Millions in mind.

Edmonds said he would wait until Sunday morning before declaring Houtzen a definite contender for the $2 million Classic next Saturday.

“We will make certain she eats up and that everything is right. But if that is OK she will give us a great chance in the Classic,” Edmonds said.

“She had to stand in the barriers a while after another runner played up but she is a professional filly.”

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Edmonds ran Houtzen on Saturday to make certain the filly had enough prize money to make the Millions field.

She had been number 16 on the ballot order and risked being leap frogged by other runners.

Macau owner Jason Tam got some extra ammunition for the Magic Millions sales when his horse Hostwin Vintage ($3.80) won the Three-Year-Old Hcp (1800m).

Tam has several horses with Rosehill trainer Gary Moore and they all carry variations on the name Hostwin.

He will be on the Gold Coast next week for the yearling sales.

“Hostwin Vintage cost $50,0000 at the Magic Millions sales two years ago so he is starting to be a good buy and there is more to come,” Moore said.

Tam has many of his Macau horses with Moore’s son James.

Gary Moore has a great strike rate at the Gold Coast including this year’s Gold Coast Guineas won by subsequent Group One winner Takedown.