Tulloch Lodge assembling team for Magic Millions 2025

With the Magic Millions carnival less than six weeks away, Tulloch Lodge duo Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott are beginning to tighten the strings on their Gold Coast squad.

While they lost early fancy and Breeders’ Plate victor King Kirk in a tragic drowning accident at Randwick this week, the pair are still hoping to have a strong hand in the two and three-year-old features.

Saturday’s Rosehill winner The Playwright will be among those given their chance to earn a berth in the $3 million Magic Millions Classic (1200m) on January 11, although Bott regards Breeders’ Plate runner-up Tempestuous as the yard’s No.1 seed.

“Tempestuous is probably the leading chance at the moment based off his run and the form out of the Breeders’ (Plate),” Bott said.

“He trialled well the other day and he could be a Wyong Magic Millions type.

“There are a couple of other colts that trialled there the other day and a bit like her (The Playwright), will step out shortly and we’ll see how they stack up.”

By successful stallion Extreme Choice, Tempestuous was a narrow second to King Kirk at his only start and Bott said while the colt had put on weight during his break, he was very much in the mould of his sire’s progeny and on the neat side.

In that vein, he will head straight to the Wyong Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1100m) on Wednesday week before heading north.

“He didn’t have long out so he will be pretty forward,” Bott said.

Three-year-old Dawn Service finished third in a 740m trial at Randwick on Tuesday and is being prepared for the $3 million Magic Millions Guineas (1400m) on the Gold Coast program.

A son of former brilliant race mare Sunlight, Dawn Service won the Listed Exford Plate (1400m) at Flemington during the early spring and is likely to make his return in Brisbane.

“He will trial again and maybe run in a lead-up race in Queensland,” Bott said.

“He will run in December, and we will try to have him second-up in the Magic Millions.”

Stablemate Chateau Miraval, who finished second in Dawn Service’s heat and boasts a debut win over subsequent Everest placegetter Growing Empire, is also under consideration for the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas pending how she comes to hand.