Approaching a decade on from riding the mighty Black Caviar to win in Queensland, jockey Luke Nolen can win Saturday’s $2 million Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic
Approaching a decade on from riding the mighty Black Caviar to win in Queensland, jockey Luke Nolen is plotting to win Saturday’s $2 million Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic in the last 50 metres.
Black Caviar generally had her races in the bag a fair way from home, such as when she won the 13th race of her famed 25-race undefeated streak in the 2011 Group 1 BTC Cup at Doomben when she ran past her main rival Hay List.
But it will be a different story on the Gold Coast on Saturday with Nolen drawing the outside barrier as he tries to win the Classic on Lindsay Park colt Finance Tycoon.
Nolen has a huge opinion of Finance Tycoon, evidenced by the Victorian’s decision to come to Queensland despite the colt being his only ride on the Gold Coast last Saturday and that will be the case again this Saturday.
The barrier draw (21) has made things more difficult for Nolen but bookies have high respect for Finance Tycoon, keeping her safe enough at the $11 mark.
Nolen is heartened by the fact several other fancies have also drawn wide and says he will leave it until late to make what he hopes will be a winning swoop in the 1200m dash.
“I will ride him to find a spot with a bit of cover and try and win it in the last 50m, hopefully a few of them are coming back to me well before that,” Nolen said.
“There will be more pressure than there was when he won on the Gold Coast last week and the Magic Millions is always a battle of attrition and my bloke will be strong at the end of six furlongs.
“Having had a run the Queensland way of going now too, he will only be better for it.
“It looks an even race and it has been made more so by the barrier draw.
“I will need some luck but so do a number of the others, with even luck in the run this colt will run very well.”
Finance Tycoon and Luke Nolen winning at the Gold Coast last Saturday. Pic: Grant Peters, Trackside PhotographySource:Supplied
The Gold Coast stay is something of a working holiday for Nolen who has his wife and kids with him on the tourist strip.
He said he was hoping to take more rides on Magic Millions day “but my weight wasn’t where I wanted it to be.”
On Saturday, Nolen is hoping to create more happy memories in Queensland after cherishing the time he rode Black Caviar to win in Brisbane.
Crowds packed Doomben that day and they were exhilarating scenes which captivated the whole of Queensland.
“It was pretty freakish that day,” Nolen remembers.
“Going onto the track, the crowd was cheering her (Black Caviar) section by section and it was quite surreal.
“I’d ridden at a number of Queensland carnivals, I loved the old films with Bernborough and those sort of horses.
“Normally when you go to the races in carnival time, it’s a party atmosphere, but they were racing fans there for Black Caviar.
“We need equine stars to help our industry and she well and truly did that.”
Originally published asMagic Millions: How Nolen is plotting to win in the last 50m
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