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A crack at a Group One feature for Magnum will be determined by the opening performance of his upcoming campaign.
“He’ll probably go for the open 1200m at Te Rapa on August 4, we’ll aim for that and depending how he runs we could look at the Tarzino Trophy at Hawke’s Bay,” trainer Lauren Brennan said.
The weather will also be a major factor in Magnum’s progress.“When he ran at Counties in the Easter it was a Heavy 11 and we won’t be doing that again,” Brennan said.
“The ground got to him and he was a little bit distressed after that. Although he recovered quickly, we learned our lesson.”While the Gr.2 Easter Handicap (1600m) gave no indication as to the Per Incanto’s gelding to master the trip, Brennan is confident Magnum will be up to the task on better ground.
“When the tracks improve I think he will go a mile,” she said.Magnum showed he was in good condition to open a new campaign when he won his 900m open heat at Te Rapa on Tuesday.
“I was very happy, it was a glorified track gallop really and he hit the line strongly,” Brennan said.Bred and part-owned by Little Avondale Stud, Magnum won three trials from Brennan’s stable before he relocated to Singapore where he won four races, and finished third in the S$500,000 Singapore Guineas (1600m), for Michael Freedman.
Since re-joining Brennan, Magnum has raced four times and was successful in the Listed Flying Handicap (1400m) at Awapuni in the autumn.