Flying Minstrel On Track for Magic Millions 3YO Trophy

Gold Coast trainer Trevor Bailey unleashed a potential top-liner at Doomben on July 31 when Flying Minstrel won the BRC Greg Grant Hcp.  It was the colt’s second win in as many outings and he has been spelled in time for a summer campaign.

Flying Minstrel races for a syndicate managed by Ontrack Thoroughbreds manager Grant Morgan.  So does stablemate Faster Son who will resume racing this coming Saturday at Doomben.  The Fastnet Rock gelding has won three races by a combined margin of 12 lengths and he was a certainty beaten at his only other start.

Faster Son (4g Fastnet Rock – Sonata by Palace Music) has looked the goods since a very impressive win on debut at the Gold Coast last Melbourne Cup day.   A fortnight later, he was as green as grass when beaten a length by Kiss Kiss at Ipswich.  Losing a near-fore plate in the run didn’t help and he also ran off the track on the home turn.

He came back a much more mature galloper in April with two barrier-to-box wins by a combined total of 10 lengths.  He clocked 1:09.07s over 1200m second-up and came home the last 600m in 33.67s which was easily the quickest sectional of the day.

“I couldn’t be happier with his progress,” Bailey said.  “He’s got tremendous gate speed but the best part has been the way he finishes off his races.”

Faster Son was a $45,000 buy for Ontrack Thoroughbreds out of the Kitchwin Hills draft at the 2008 Inglis Scone yearling sale.  He is the third winner for Sonata who won five races up to 2225m including the G3 Tattersall’s Cup at Eagle Farm.  She was also runner-up to Arctic Scent in the 1996 G1 Queensland Oaks.  

Meanwhile, Bailey is also keen on the prospects of Flying Minstrel when he returns to work next month.  “The Magic Millions 3YO Trophy is the goal,” he said.  “We will just take things one step at a time but there is no doubt he is one very, very exciting horse.”

Flying Minstrel is by Glenlogan Park sire Jet Spur who finished second to Stratum for the 2009-10 first-season sires’ honours in the winners category.

Jet Spur (Flying Spur) sired 12 winners from 33 starters as opposed to Stratum’s 13 winners from 50 starters.  In fact, Jet Spur easily led all First Season sires by percentage of winners to runners in Australia.  His 36.5% strike-rate enabled him to finish in front of Snitzel 32%, Stratum (26%), Starcraft 25%, Hidden Dragon 25% and Domesday 20%.