With the eyes of the industry firmly cast on this Saturday's Magic Millions on the Gold Coast, Betstar boss Alan Eskander believes it is highly likely that Craig Williams will be celebrating two major victories by 4:30pm on Saturday afternoon. Williams has interrupted a planned holiday in order to ride favorites ASSAIL in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic and SIZZLING in the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas, and Eskander's Betstar have him at $13 to take home Saturday's feature double. Boom Filly ASSAIL
With the eyes of the industry firmly cast on this Saturday's Magic Millions on the Gold Coast, Betstar boss Alan Eskander believes it is highly likely that Craig Williams will be celebrating two major victories by 4:30pm on Saturday afternoon. Williams has interrupted a planned holiday in order to ride favorites ASSAIL in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic and SIZZLING in the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas, and Eskander's Betstar have him at $13 to take home Saturday's feature double. Boom Filly ASSAIL will start short in the 2YO Classic, currently at $2.80 ahead of the Rick Hore-Lacy trained gelding CLEVADUDE at ($4.20). ASSAIL's team will be thrilled at securing the inside gate; on the other hand Craig Newitt will need some luck piloting CLEVADUDE from Barrier 18. "ASSAIL is clearly the horse to beat in the 2YO Classic," Eskander says. "She has started her career very strongly, and it is a sign of the growing stature of the horse that Craig (Williams) was so eager to accept the ride. I think she should get the job done from barrier 1, and is great value even at that price."
Top-weighted SIZZLING is a more intriguing proposition for punters in the 3YO Guineas, with Williams yet to ride the former Queensland juvenile star. He has unfinished business on this key day of the racing calendar, after running 4th in the 2YO Classic last year but less than two lengths from claiming the win. Eskander believes that the colt's five victories in 2012, including the Grp 1 T.J. Smith and two Group 2 victories across a sensational Brisbane winter carnival, have him ready to take out the 3YO Guineas before a planned assault on Melbourne in the Spring. SIZZLING ($4.40) will face tough competition from DRIEFONTEIN ($5.00) and NO LOOKING BACK ($5.50), but with both of these gallopers having never started over 1400m before, it leaves a question mark that has already been ticked by SIZZLING. "Craig Williams is arguably the best jockey in Australia, as shown by the fact stables are happy to throw him on favourites in major races when he has never ridden them before. Betstar are happy to give punters great odds to see him take home the double on Saturday."