 |
|
| Staff Writer |
 |
Vin Cox, the former head of Godolphin, is currently familiarizing himself with the personnel at Yulong. However, he is confident that Straight Charge is a strong contender for the Magic Millions.
Vin Cox has recently taken over as the general manager of Yulong and has been busy familiarizing himself with the personnel there. He is looking to make a strong start and is confident that Yulong is building a formidable team of horses.
Chinese coal mining billionaire and Australian racing industry leader, Yuesheng Zhang. Owned by Zhang's wife, Straight Charge is eligible for the A$500,000 Women In Racing Bonus awarded to the first all-female owned horse to cross the line in the US$3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic 2024.
Straight Charge is currently one of the favourites alongside stablemate Storm Boy also trained by behind Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
As Waterhouse is currently enjoying an overseas skiing holiday in Aspen, Cox has expressed his confidence that the Straight Charge camp is optimistic about the horse's chances of returning from his short spell with a win in Saturday's 2YO Plate at Randwick.
"We all know Gai, she thinks it's a superstar and it is a certainty," Cox laughed.
"It looks a tough race however, my old team (Godolphin) have a few in there (Pisces, Parkour, Tarpaulin and Voile) and will be hard to beat.
"We have a lot of 2YOs in training along with shares in a lot of them, it is a lot.
"We're still working what we have coming through the ranks, there are a few coming out of the woodwork at the moment.
"He is leading the Magic Millions charge for us at the moment, he has that as his big target, we are working out with our other ones what their paths could look like."
Cox is looking forward to meeting Erno's Cube, another promising Magic Millions contender, at the event. Meanwhile, Storm Boy will be showcasing his skills at Eagle Farm in the Gr.3 BJ McLachlan. As the racing industry is constantly evolving, Cox is aware of the importance of staying on top of the latest developments to ensure that Yulong continues to build a strong team of horses.
"Straight Charge has done well already and he trialled up nicely, we are just hoping he can run well on Saturday to set up a trip to the Gold Coast for him," Cox said.
Straight Charge almost won the Gr.3 Breeders' Plate earlier this season, which has since proven to be a strong indicator of form. This was verified when Highness, who competed in that same race, went on to win the Wyong Magic Millions last week.