New Zealand-bred gelding Rolling Magic (NZ) (Per Incanto) continued his progress through the grades with a stylish first-up win in the A$120,000 Midway Handicap (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
The son of Per Incanto disappointed his trainers Richard and Will Freedman in the early stages of his career, but turned a corner last spring with three wins and then a placing in the A$500,000 Four Pillars (1500m).
“After his first prep, he was only a stone’s throw away from the Inglis Digital Sale,” Will Freedman said.
“We tipped him out for five months and he came back a 50 times better horse than what he was. As soon as you threaten the box door, they put in a good one.”
Rolling Magic was troubled by a foot abscess earlier this year and finished fourth and sixth in a preparation that was limited to two appearances in February and March. But he returned to action on a winning note on Saturday, finishing over the top of the front-runner Khumbila (All Too Hard) to score by a half-neck.
“His coat is quite woolly and he was really fresh pre-race in the mounting yard and even in the barrier,” jockey Josh Parr said. “I think there is good improvement to come, but thankfully he has got the job done today.”
Rolling Magic’s 11-start career has now produced four wins, three placings and A$184,950 in stakes.
“I probably got it wrong because I told not only the press, but the owners it was quite unlikely he’d win,” Freedman said.
“There is certainly a lot of improvement left in him, but he is getting closer to where he was when he had a good run of form.
“If he didn’t win today, we were going to have another crack at the Four Pillars, but that probably gets thrown out the window now with the ratings points.”
Rolling Magic was bred by John Anderson and is out of the unraced Iffraaj mare Not A Jaffa (NZ), who is a half-sister to the Hong Kong Horse of the Year and triple Group One winner Werther (NZ) (Tavistock), the Gr.1 Australasian Oaks (2000m) winner Toffee Tongue (NZ) (Tavistock), Group Three winner Gobstopper (NZ) (Tavistock) and Group One placegetter Milseain (NZ) (Tavistock).
Offered by Sledmere Stud at the 2022 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, Rolling Magic was bought by Will Freedman for A$100,000.