Sunlight to shine again at Gold Coast

Trainer Tony McEvoy and jockey Luke Currie will combine with Sunlight at the Gold Coast.

Jockey Luke Currie believes Sunlight can shine again at the Gold Coast and confirm her standing as a genuine Magic Millions Classic contender in her final lead-up.

The Melbourne jockey has been aboard the Tony McEvoy-trained filly in her two starts, including her 4-3/4-length win at the Gold Coast on December 23 over 900m.

Currie rides the short-priced favourite in Saturday’s 1100m Two-Year-Old Handicap at the Gold Coast, Sunlight’s final tune-up for the $2 million Magic Millions Classic (1200m) at the same track a week later.

Sunlight is currently the $7 third favourite for the Magic Millions.

“She couldn’t have been any more impressive the other day,” Currie said.

“Her last two furlongs, she was really quick.

“I suppose she has to prove that she can do that out to 1100 and 1200 metres but she was really strong through the line the other day so I can’t see why she couldn’t.

“They say it’s pretty wet up there so that’s probably another question mark but she has drawn well and I’d imagine she should be pretty hard to beat again.”

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The track was in the soft range on Friday.

McEvoy believes Sunlight needs another race before the Magic Millions and the filly could stamp her credentials on Saturday.

“I think she will,” Currie said.

“She only has to run that extra couple of hundred metres from last time and she should win again.

“He (McEvoy) has taken the same path as Houtzen last year and a couple of those winners from the last few years.

“She does still have to back up the next week, but I think she’s pretty smart.”

Currie said he was impressed by Sunlight early on when she won a barrier trial at Cranbourne in September but admitted he was disappointed with her third on debut in the Maribyrnong Trial (1000m) at Flemington in October.

“I thought she would just come out and win, but she was a bit uptight and I sat off the leader and she wanted to go a little bit,” he said.

“I might have just worked her out a little bit as well.”