Lady Banff qualifies for Millions Classic

Lady Banff secured a start in the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic by winning at Doomben.

Trainer Matt Dunn is breathing more easily after Lady Banff confirmed her place in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic with a runaway win at Doomben.

Lady Banff won her first start at Doomben but Dunn had been debating how best to get her into the $2 million Classic at the Gold Coast on January 11 with the ballot decided by prize money.

“I was thinking of running her at the Gold Coast on Wednesday but you don’t know exactly how much they are going to need to qualify with the way the prize money in the south is these days,” Dunn said.

“So in the end I decided to run her at Doomben for the bigger prize money and we are safe now.”

Lady Banff ($1.85) led all the way to put four lengths on Mass Destruction ($3.50) to win Saturday’s QTIS Two-Year-Old Handicap (1200m).

The Murwillumbah-based Dunn said he would now give Lady Banff a short break before plotting her next step to the rich Millions race.

“I might start her the week before the Millions which seems to be a winning formula. But she doesn’t need a lot to bring her to her top so we might just give her a barrier trial,” he said.

Lady Banff has won just under $160,000 but only $85,000 counts to the Millions because the rest is in bonus payments.

“It is a nice position to be in and I did like the way she did it at both ends today,” Dunn said.

Lady Banff cost $40,000 at the Magic Millions Sale and is part-owned by Dunn’s wife Keira.

“My best effort in the Millions Classic was a fourth with Madotti in 2015 and she later ran fourth in the Millions Guineas,” he said.