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Invincibella has beaten the heat to continue Chris Waller’s winning streak at the Gold Coast with a barnstorming finish to win the Magic Millions Fillies and Mares.
Waller’s meticulous training methods paid off on Saturday when Invincibella ($15) overhauled Eckstein ($9) to win by a short half head with My Country ($13) 1-3/4 lengths away third.
Waller established a Gold Coast stable in August to give his horses a thorough grounding for the Magic Millions carnival.
“Last year we brought some nice horses here … they melted,” Waller said.
“Three days up here in good facilities but the horses weren’t ready for it. They need to acclimatise and that’s something I’ve learned with the hot weather.
“You don’t learn that here in the winter time because they come here and thrive. They need time to adjust to the heat in summer and there’s certainly a bit of local advantage in it.”
Invincibella gave Sydney’s premier trainer the second leg of a winning double after he won the Magic Millions Trophy with Tumultuous.
Waller said Invincibella was likely to return to Queensland for a winter campaign.
“She’s definitely a Group Three type of mare and she beat a very good horse today so if that’s any guide she’s knocking on the door of being a carnival horse that’s for sure,” he said.
Invincibella was tried as a stayer as a three-year-old but Waller believes she is a better sprinter.
“I’d say 1400 metres is probably her best distance,” he said.
“The method behind running her over 1200 metres at Doomben last time was to really sharpen her up,” he said.
“Then we just backed off her and took her to the beach and gave her some quiet work here at the Gold Coast.
“She jumped first out of the barriers today. Last preparation she was jumping last.”
Invincibella was bought by Denise Martin, of Star Thoroughbreds, for $155,000 with her prize money rapidly closing in on $1 million.
“I’ve won the two-year-old Magic Millions with Drieftontein, the Cup with Theseo, the Trophy with Kinnersley and it’s lovely to tick this box as well,” Martin said.
Invincibella gave leading jockey Robbie Fradd his second winner for the day after his victory in the Magic Millions Maiden aboard Problem Solver for trainer Gerald Ryan. – AAP