Magic Alibi to back up last-start win

As Group One performers Menari and Trapeze Artist ramp up preparations for the spring, trainer Gerald Ryan is looking to Magic Alibi to capitalise on her late-season form at Randwick.

Snitzel colts Menari and Trapeze Artist will step out in barrier trials at Rosehill on Tuesday ahead of major targets including the Golden Rose for at least one of them.

The two run in separate 900m-heats with Kerrin McEvoy to ride Menari and Tim Clark to steer Trapeze Artist.

Menari finished third in the Golden Slipper before being demoted to fourth on protest while Black Opal Stakes winner Trapeze Artist was third in the ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes after his Slipper sixth.

“They have both come back big, strong colts,” Ryan said.

“Trapeze Artist will be on a path to the Golden Rose while we will decide after he gets going where Menari heads. I think he might be a sprinter but he will show us which way to go.”

Last-start Rosehill winner Magic Alibi has been entered for two 1100m-races on Saturday, an open sprint and once against her own sex.

“I will probably accept with her in both and have a look at the fields but I am leaning to the fillies and mares race,” Ryan said.

“I think she is better over the 1100 than 1200 and even though she won over that distance last time, I put her in the race because it wasn’t big in numbers.”

Glyn Schofield, who rode Magic Alibi to her short head win over the well-performed Memes, will again be aboard on Saturday.

Magic Alibi was one of nine entries taken on Monday for the July Sprint and one of 14 in the benchmark 85 for fillies and mares which also included stablemate Vienna Romance.

“At this stage we are leaning towards keeping Vienna Romance for a race at Canterbury the following Wednesday,” Ryan said.

Nominations for the July Sprint have been kept open until Tuesday morning.

The Kris Lees-trained Felines (105) and That’s A Good Idea (103) from the Peter and Paul Snowden stable are the two highest-rated entries.