Ross would swap a Magic Millions for 'King QTIS' title

By Glenn Davis

Trainer Les Ross proudly wears the tag “King of QTIS” but he would gladly swap the title for a Magic Millions win at the Gold Coast next month.

Ross started with 30 two-year-old horses at the beginning of the year and is hopeful he has three already qualified for the Magic Millions Classic on the revamped grass track.

Ross, who is due back from a New Zealand stud tour on Thursday, heads to Eagle Farm on Saturday hopeful of boosting his Magic Millions contingent with two starters in the Listed Phelan Ready Stakes.

Mishani Explorer – a Samantha Collett mount – and Mishani Hercules, who will be ridden by Ben Thompson, represent the stable in the 1000 metre feature.

“The 'King of QTIS' sits okay with me as we’ve had a pretty good season so far,” Ross said.

“I never keep stats usually but I’ve kept them this year and I made a point of keeping them.

“We’ve won nine two-year-old races, six in town and three at the Sunshine Coast and eight were individual winners.

“I think there’s been about 18 two-year-old races run this year so I’ve won half of the two-year-old races and about $900,000 in prize money which includes all the placings we’ve had.

“I started with 30 horses at the beginning of the year but we’ve whittled them down now and we’ve started to weed a few out.

“It’ll be hard to win on Saturday but you never know, sometimes you get lucky.”

Ross believes the cut-off to qualify for the Magic Millions Classic will be around the $50,000 mark.

“We had 12 horses aimed for the Magic Millions and only three have got enough to get into the Magic Millions so far,” Ross said.

“Out of the nine winners, six of them weren’t eligible for the Magic Millions.

“I’d swap the 'King of QTIS' tag for a Magic Millions winner for sure.

“That’s my ultimate aim and the day I do that I will have fulfilled my dream.

“But, realistically, it’s a very hard race to win as we’re competing against horses that cost up to $1 million from the sales.”

Ross has given punters an early lead preferring Mishani Explorer as his best hope in the Phelan Ready.

“Mishani Explorer won well at the Sunshine Coast last start but I thought our horse which ran third, Mishani Fearless, was a better chance that day,” Ross said.

“When you put these horses in two-year-old races any of them are capable of winning.”

In early markets Mishani Explorer is a $9.50 chance behind $1.14 hotpot Spywire.

In the Listed Calaway Gal, Tony Gollan’s Barbie’s Sister is favourite at $2.25.