By Isaac Murphy
Tony McEvoy’s quest for back to back Magic Millions Two-year-old crowns is alive and well after a professional second up performance by Sun City.
The colt bounced to the front under hoop James Mcdonald in The Group Three B.J. McLachlan Stakes and was never headed kicking clear in the straight to confirm his spot in the Millions in a fortnight’s time.
The race was a mixed bag for McEvoy who also saddled up favourite Just Serene who didn’t fire on her first trip to the track.
Despite a disappointing showing from his filly McEvoy said he got what he came for, a guaranteed starter in the Magic Millions two-year-olds.
“She made a mistake at the start, she has the habit of getting a bit claustrophobic in the gates and once you miss the start at this level it’s over,” he said.
“Our goal was to have a horse in The Magic Millions and the colt booked his spot after today, which if a big relief.”
It was Sun City’s second time around Doomben after a first up second behind The Odyssey on the 15th of December and McEvoy said his two-year-old had taken huge improvement from the run.
“He’s only cost himself in his races so far, but he stepped straight today and they couldn’t chase him down,” he said.
“I could see in his coat he had really sharpened up off his last run, which did him the world of good.”
“He’ll be in perfect condition come two weeks’ time, I couldn’t be happier.”
Winning jockey James Mcdonald travelled from Sydney to ride the colt and while the plan was to be in the first two or three the colt’s natural pace put him into the race.
“I couldn’t stop him early on if I wanted to, he flew the gates, so we had no problem taking him forward.”
After winning the 2017 race with brilliant Filly Sunlight, McEvoy looked for similar bloodlines in this year’s crop of two-year-old’s forking out $525,000 for the colt out of Zoustar and Roulettes at the January Yearling sales.
“The Zoustar horses are always very intelligent, good looking, talented horses I can’t have enough of them in the stable,” he said.
“He’s a half to Sunlight and while I’d be foolish to say he had the same ability there are definitely similarities.”