Given how dynamic Rey Magnerio was in the final race of last year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival, it would not have surprised if Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock put him aside and devised an ambitious autumn path.
The Magnus four-year-old demolished his rivals in the 1100-metre Grand Handicap, taking his record to four wins from six starts.
But Griffiths is keen to let the gelding keep honing his craft, which is why the 77-rater will run in Saturday’s $100,000 The Valley Inn BM84 Handicap at Geelong.
“We made a decision after he won at Flemington to take advantage of his rating, rather than throw him in the deep end,” Griffiths said.
“With a lot of our horses over the years, we’ve tried to maximise their wins on their way through the grades. It’s better for their confidence and winning culture and once they get to a certain grade they’ve exhausted their opportunity to capitalise on the ratings system.”
Rey Magnerio had a brief let-up after his Flemington win and has won Cranbourne 800m jumpouts on December 18 and 28 in preparation for his return to the track.
“He had a little bit of a freshen up, he was then down at the water walker and then trained from the paddock environment, which has freshened him up very well,” Griffiths said.
“He’s had a couple of jumpouts and Jye Mcneil was very pleased with him, so we’re going to the races with a bit of confidence that he can hold his form.”
Rey Magnerio has drawn barrier six for Saturday’s 12-horse event, in which he is the $2.20 favourite, and Griffiths said that presents McNeil with options aboard a versatile horse.
“He’s been ridden off-speed, he hit the line well when he was beaten at Flemington, he was off-speed in his maiden win and he was forward when he won at Flemington, so a lot of where he ends up will depend on the tempo,” Griffiths said.