Shiki, Itchintogo in 2026 Magic Millions Classic lead-up wins
The final preparatory races ahead of next Saturday’s Magic Millions 2yo Classic highlighted the importance of race seasoning, with Itchintogo and Shiki both rising to the occasion.
Itchintogo ($1.60F), trained by Tony Gollan, produced a commanding display to win the Aquis Gold Nugget (1100m) by 4½ lengths, while the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Shiki ($3.40) captured the fillies’ feature, the Gold Pearl (1100m).
With those lead-up wins secured, Itchintogo is now rated a $11 chance in the Magic Millions 2yo Classic (1200m), while Shiki sits at $6 behind market leader Warwoven at $2.
“I wanted to have him in this after he won the other day,” Gollan said, referring to the Doomben win on December 6.
“Bringing him here gets that freshness off him then we’ll give him an easy week and give ourselves a chance to give it a shake next week.”
“A lot of horses have won the week before then won the race (2yo Classic). The stats on the Saturday are just as good.”
Adrian Bott said Shiki’s recent performances have come together nicely following her fourth placing at Randwick over 1000 metres on December 20.
“She did a few things wrong first-up,” Bott said.
“We know she’s explosive and has a good turn-of-foot but we just had to harness it and do it the right way which is obviously important going into the big grand final next week.
“She had a good couple of weeks and arrived really well. This week, she really started to relax and did what we wanted to see in her work.
“We had this particular set-up in mind for her which has been quite successful. We wanted her to have a look at the track here.
“She’ll potter around for the week and hopefully she’ll be nice and fresh for next week.”
Markets are open with major betting platforms for the Magic Millions 2yo Classic, giving punters plenty of ways to assess the big race.
Itchintogo was secured for $60,000 at the 2025 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, while Shiki was purchased for $420,000.
The post Shiki, Itchintogo in Magic Millions Classic lead-up wins first appeared on Just Horse Racing.
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