A return to his home track is expected to help promising youngster The Drinks Cart return to his best at the Gold Coast.
The Drinks Cart will need to run first or second in Saturday’s $125,000 Gold Nugget (1100m) to make the field for the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic a week later.
He will be joined by his stablemate Wisdom Of Water who was originally first emergency for the race but got a start with an early scratching.
The Drinks Cart was installed as Magic Millions second favourite after a strong win at the Gold Coast on November 27.
He had a slight setback before his next start when fourth in a two-year-old handicap at Eagle Farm two weeks ago.
Co-trainer Toby Edmonds said The Drinks Cart was one of the horses who did not seem to handle the new Eagle Farm surface.
“He just didn’t stretch out like we know he can last time,” Edmonds said.
“Back at the Gold Coast you will hopefully see a better horse on Saturday.”
The Drinks Cart is by 2014 Millions Classic winner Unencumbered out of the multiple stakes placed mare Snipzu but went through the ring at the Millions National Sales for only $2000.
Edmonds, who trains with his son Trent, knows what it takes to get a horse into the Millions at the last moment as he did it with 2017 winner Houtzen.
He also has Smart ‘N’ Sexy chasing a Millions Classic place in the $125,000 Gold Pearl (1100m).
Smart ‘N’ Sexy, who was second in the Listed Calaway Gal at her first start, will also need to win to be assured a place in the Millions.
“She will be better for the first-up run and she did trial well before that effort,” he said.
The stable has Queen Kay, the winner of two recent trials, in the Gold Pearl but she is not a Magic Millions horse.
A successful day would help ease the frustration of a mixed week for the stable with Winter Bride second in the Group One Railway at Ellerslie on Wednesday after being caught deep without cover.
The New Zealand feature gave Edmond a third second placing at Group One level after Sagaronne in the 2015 J J Atkins and Tyzone in last year’s Stradbroke Handicap.