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Alpine Edge broke a lengthy drought when he scored a lucrative win in the $1 million Racing Queensland Magic Millions QTIS Open (1300m) at the Gold Coast on Thursday and connections are already planning future raids on the rich Magic Millions Raceday.
The Toby and Trent Edmonds-trained four-year-old scored his first win in almost 18 months when he benefitted from a sweet James McDonald ride to take out the $1 million event that is restricted to QTIS-eligible horses.
The victory was the fourth of Alpine Edge's career, but first win since winning a two-year-old handicap at Eagle Farm on the last day of his two-year-old season and Trent Edmonds was elated to see him return to the winner's list.
"The poor bugger's race record should be better than it is, we've gone to the well with him in the Caulfield Guineas, Doomben 10,000 and all of that, but he got the cash today," he said.
"How good? What a great ride. I'm just elated for this horse."
Alpine Edge, the $2.70 favourite, scored by two lengths from Ef Troop ($6) with Dr Why Not ($15) three-quarters-of-a-length away third.
A $160,000 buy for Edmonds Racing, Kestrel Thoroughbreds and Lucky Clover at the 2020 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Alpine Edge is by Better Than Ready from the Freeze mare Freezethemillions and was sold via the Yarramalong Park draft.
He started his career with Black Type wins in the Listed Phelan Ready Stakes and Group 3 B.J. McLachlan Stakes before beating home all bar Shaquero in the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic of 2021.
The entire banked $585,000 for Thursday's win, which lifted his career earnings to within $375 of $1.5 million and Edmonds said he hopes connections will get their hands on much more Magic Millions money before his career is out.
"I said to all of the guys in him that we can keep coming back every year and this is his race, the QTIS race," he said.
"It's huge prizemoney and we just set him for a couple of races a year and if he stays sound and stays competitive for the next couple of years, why not?"