By Craig Kerry
While many Sydney trainers are taking their Magic Millions horses to the Gold Coast, Marcus Wilson has sent his bargain buy the other way searching for a first Randwick winner for the stable on Saturday.
Captain Fenkel, a $14,000 buy for Wilson at the 2022 Gold Coast March Yearling Sale, will contest a benchmark 78 handicap over 1500 metres and was an $8 Sportsbet hope after solid Queensland stakes form this preparation.
Marcus Wilson-trained Captain Fenkel.Credit: Racing Queensland
The four-year-old Kermadec gelding, out of Savabeel mare She Is Fierce, has finished sixth, third and fifth at Listed level this preparation but is not paid up for the Magic Millions carnival, which kicks into gear on Saturday.
Instead, Captain Fenkel, which has won twice in 11 starts and returned $137,235, will be Gold Coast trainer Wilson’s first runner in Sydney in several years.
“I haven’t been down since COVID, but I think the last three times we’ve come down, two have won, I think at Warwick Farm for the midweeks,” Wilson said.
“We feel he’s the right sort of horse.
Trainer Marcus Wilson.Credit: Racing Queensland
“The next two Saturdays at the Gold Coast, most of those races you have to be Magic Millions eligible, so there wasn’t a lot of options for him up here.
“There was a midweek race, where he would get hammered with too much weight, so I thought there was an opportunity. It’s probably the best time to come to Sydney, winter or summer, between the carnivals.
“The horse is racing well so it’s an opportunity to slip him down there for one of the benchmark races.
“If he won last start, he might have been jammed with 15 or 20 benchmark points, whereas he can win the same prizemoney down there and probably go up only five, six.”
Wilson has booked Newcastle apprentice Ben Osmond, taking three kilograms off Captain Fenkel, which has drawn well in barrier three.
The trainer believes those ticks, and form better than it reads, are in Captain Fenkel’s favour.
“He’s had no luck,” he said.
“He got caught three deep first up after he drew sticky. It was a good run second-up, then last start there was a bit of a muddling tempo when Gold Bullion led.
“We were close enough if we were good enough, but they made it a bit of a sprint home. He hit a bit of a flat spot and was probably on the worst part of the track.
“But he still hit the line well, so his three runs back have been really good in nice company, and we thought he would be well placed down there.”
Wilson, who grew up in Inverell, has trained on the Gold Coast for almost 13 years, after starting his career at Muswellbrook in the Hunter Valley with a six-year stint.
Casino trainer Ethan Ensby was set to also make a long trip to Randwick but said on Thursday his in-form pair of Three Graces and Maximum Vortex would be scratched.
