Swift Witness has raced her way into the Magic Millions 2YO Classic after an impressive win at the Gold Coast

BRENTON Avdulla and the training duo of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott were the huge winners out of a dramatic Aquis Gold Pearl in which Swift Witness emerged as a serious Magic Millions contender and a jockey was hospitalised after a scary pre-race incident.

The running of the two-year-old Magic Millions qualifier on the Gold Coast was delayed as concerns were held for the health of apprentice jockey Justin Huxtable who was kicked in the chest by a clerk’s horse in the mounting yard.

Huxtable fell to the ground and was given a green whistle for pain relief in the incident in which he had been about to remount Chris Munce filly Rhapsody Rose who had thrown him in the yard.

Huxtable was placed on a stretcher and taken to hospital. Queensland jockey representative Glen Prentice reported Huxtable has a broken rib and doctors are assessing issues with his spleen and kidney.

There was further drama when Rhapsody Rose dislodged replacement jockey Ben Thompson before being cleared to start.

Justin Huxtable is attended to before being taken to hospital. Photo: Mike BatterhamSource:News Corp Australia

Swift Witness, with Glen Boss on board, was able to put the drama to one side and sweep to an impressive three-length win in which she smashed the class record and was just over a second outside the 1100m track record.

It saw Ladbrokes slash her odds from $26 to $6 second favourite to win this Saturday’s $2million Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

Boss will ride Fake Love in the $2million juvenile dash and Bott confirmed Avdulla, who will have been outside of the Sydney area for the period required under COVID regulations, would ride Swift Witness.

It will give Waterhouse the chance to win her fifth Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

She already holds the record for the most wins by a trainer having won it previously with Driefontein (2012), Dance Hero (2004), Excellerator (2001) and Assertive Lad (2000).

Swift Witness made her debut in the Wyong Magic Millions when running third behind Chris Waller’s dominant winner She’s All Class but the training team added blinkers for her Magic Millions audition yesterday and it worked a treat.

Bott, who has researched the strong recent history of Magic Millions winners who are successful after racing seven days prior on the same track, is convinced the filly will give the $2million race a mighty shake.

“It was good to see the improvement with the blinkers, we came up here thinking she had the ability to be here and deserved a spot in the (Magic Millions) field so it will be good to see her take her place,” Bott said.

“It was a bit of an ask for her to have her first race in the Wyong Magic Millions, she got a little bit lost there but she still found the line strongly.

“Today she was a bit reactive to a few horses shifting out but once she really balanced up and got focused on the task, we were able to see a nice turn of foot.

“It wasn’t easy with what happened pre-race but she handled herself remarkably well, she went back to the stalls and was nice and relaxed.”

Originally published asWaterhouse and Bott into Millions again

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