Dedicated Melbourne trainer Mick Price was on hand at the Gold Coast to put his wards through their paces on Jan 7, even if a few question marks hover over their runs this coming Saturday on Jan 11.
Price, who trains in partnership with Michael Kent Jr, has entered four runners at the lucrative The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Raceday.
As much as their gallops could not have pleased Price more, they could not completely put a pencil through a few pending unknowns.
While Gold Coast Turf Club officials are supremely confident the A$13 million (S$11 million) marquee meeting will be maintained at the Surfers Paradise venue, a last morning test gallop on Jan 9 will be the clincher.
A section of the Gold Coast track was discovered to be damaged last week, forcing the Jan 4 meeting to be transferred to the Sunshine Coast, but emergency remedial works seem to have since patched up the affected area.
Price still kept a guarded optimism about his Queensland prospects, even if the venue was not the only factor not cast in stone.
For example, Space Rider, his entrant in the day's highlight, the A$3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1,200m) may miss the run. The son of Zoustar is only a first emergency acceptor.
"There are a few unknowns. One is if they run the races," said Price.
This story is from the January 09, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 09, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Victoria!
Ein Hofwagen und seine bewegte Geschichte A Court Carriage and its Colourful History
Disney's LinaBell Wins Hearts in China
Each week, whenever she has time off from her marketing job, Ms Ida Jia can be found at Shanghai Disneyland, queueing for hours to spend a few minutes with LinaBell, a fluffy pink fox character with big blue eyes.
Missing actor found near Myanmar border
A Chinese actor who went missing near Thailand's border with Myanmar has been found, the Thai authorities said, as they sought to contain the fallout of the incident on the nation's vital tourism industry.
TV Networks Drop Smap's Masahiro Nakai Over Sex-Crime Allegations
Major TV networks have distanced themselves from one of Japan's biggest 1990s boy band stars, after media reports said he paid a woman a large settlement related to alleged sexual misconduct.
Girls' Generation's Taeyeon to perform in Singapore
South Korean singer Taeyeon, a member of K-pop girl group Girls' Generation, has a new concert tour for 2025, which will make a stop in Singapore.
American Millionaire's Blueprint for Longevity
Bryan Johnson, subject of the documentary Don't Die: The Man Who Wants To Live Forever, says Singaporean Chuando Tan's agelessness shows what biology is capable of
The Substance director not surprised by Demi Moore's late-career comeback
Demi Moore's Golden Globe Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy win for The Substance has, almost overnight, transformed the 1990s megastar into a seemingly unlikely favourite for the Oscars.
Better Man and Count Of Monte Cristo are electrifying tales
Britpop superstar Robbie Williams is a walking, talking, singing chimpanzee in an autobiography of his childhood through his three decades in the music industry, breaking away from the 1990s boy band Take That for solo success.
TV adaptation honours Gabriel Garcia Marquez's magic
This first eight-episode season landed on Netflix in mid-December, with a puzzling lack of marketing.
In Stranger Eyes, the voyeur becomes the viewed
Film-maker Yeo Siew Hua asks heavy questions with a light touch in the crime story
