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Australian Racing: Summer to shine in Sunlight Plate

There is a huge day of racing action for punters to get involved with on Saturday, especially at Gold Coast, where there are two races worth a million dollars or more.

The $3,000,000 Magic Millions Sunlight Plate is the main event at Gold Coast, with the $1,000,000 Magic Millions The Syndicate not far behind, while they also race at Ascot, Bowraville, Cranbourne, Darwin, Geelong, Ipswich, Kembla Grange, Murray Bridge, Randwick, Stony Creek and Toowoomba.

Race 9 Gold Coast

Arabian Summer @ 7.50

Race 8 Gold Coast

Bezique @ 6.00

Race 9 Randwick

Boston Rocks @ 4.40

McEvoys can enjoy Sunlight success

The most valuable race of the day is the $3,000,000 Magic Millions Sunlight Plate 2025, an 1100m set weights contest restricted to three-year-olds.

The race comes up as the penultimate contest on a ten-race card at Gold Coast with a soft 6 track expected for the valuable sprint contest.

Private Harry puts his unbeaten record on the line, having won all three of his starts to date.

Trained by Nathan Doyle, the colt delivered an impressive three-and-a-half-length victory when contesting a 900m maiden held on a soft 7 track at Newcastle on debut.

A wide margin odds-on success at Hawkesbury followed prior to the colt recording a metro triumph in a 1200m Benchmark 72 handicap at Rosehill just under a month ago.

Harry Coffey’s mount ARABIAN SUMMER is preferred here, however, having registered wins in four of her last five starts dating back to December 2023.

The first of those victories came in the Magic Millions Ballarat 2yo Classic held on a soft 5 track over 1000m at Ballarat.

Connections of the filly saw their daughter of Too Darn Hot take out the Aquis Gold Pearl over this course and distance next time out.

The 7.50 filly recorded good fifth in The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions 2yo Classic here just under a year ago and won both starts following that effort including on a wet track at Doomben in May.

Trained by Tony & Calvin McEvoy, the pick came home three lengths clear of her rivals in the 1000m TAB GC1000 3yo Plate here last month and she is taken to complete a hat-trick.

Bezique to take Syndicate honours

The eighth race of the day at Gold Coast is the Magic Millions The Syndicate 2025, an 1100m weight for age contest.

Jockey Craig Williams has been in great form of late, boasting an impressive 31% strike-rate (22/72) in the last 30 days.

The rider is set to partner Tony Gollan's BEZIQUE here, with the mare having registered some good efforts in 2024.

Those efforts include a run of three consecutive second-place finishes in Listed company, most recently when contesting the 1200m Gai Waterhouse Classic at Ipswich in June.

The 6.00 pick was beaten less than half-a-length on that occasion and was spelled following a below-par effort at Grafton the following month.

The five-year-old took out a Doomben barrier trial prior to making a winning return to action in a 1000m Class 6 handicap at Eagle Farm last month.

Successful on a good 4 track that day, the wet track here is no issue and she is selected to register a win, having finished tenth in this race 12 months ago.

Boston looks good for Caulfield win

The penultimate race on a ten-race card at Randwick is an 1100m Benchmark 78 handicap expected to take place on a good 4 track.

The Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes-trained Apex is expected to jump as favourite, having demonstrated good form in four starts to date.

The least experienced runner in the field broke through for his first win when successful over 1100m at Hawkesbury in November.

The gelding has finished runner-up at Benchmark 64 handicap level at Canterbury in both subsequent starts, including over 1200m last time out.

The good 4 going is in his favour, however, he drops in distance here and with a wide barrier it could pay to look elsewhere.

BOSTON ROCKS is the selection here, having registered some good efforts this season, including when victorious by a narrow margin in a Benchmark 72 handicap at Canterbury in September.

The four-year-old raced over 1100m on a good 4 track that day and he was given a break following that effort having finished runner-up at Rosehill prior.

Trained by Matthew Dale, the 4.40 gelding came close to completing a double when beaten half-a-length in a 1000m Benchmark 74 handicap on the Heath track at Caulfield last month.

The front two finished two lengths clear of the third at Caulfield and the return to 1100m is no issue here.

Billy Loughnane, who has had plenty of success in Europe since taking out his license, is set to ride and he looks up to steering the gelding to victory.

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