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Kevin Moses will have his first Magic Millions runner despite a decade of trying after Zoutenant punched his ticket for the $2 million Classic on the Gold Coast with victory in Thursday's $200,000 Wyong lead-up race.
The wayward Zoutenant ducked out over the closing stages when shying at the winning post, but just lasted to hold off a late surge from debutant Surf Seeker to win by a nose. Single Gaze was a further long head back in third.
"I've been training 10 years and I should have had more [Magic Millions runners], but I don't buy many horses," said Moses after the event, which launched Unencumbered to glory in Queensland's richest race earlier this year. "Some of these blokes buy horses for hundreds of thousands of dollars and I find it hard to buy."
Moses had to part with $105,000 to buy Zoutenant, which chased home Voilier on debut at Rosehill earlier this month. Zoutenant was quickly trimmed into $11 and on the fourth line of betting with Surf Seeker for the rich Gold Coast sprint after the Wyong Magic Millions Classic (1100 metres).
Jockey Glyn Schofield will have plenty of time to familiarise himself more with Zoutenant over the next three weeks as he begins a short ban for careless riding on Sunday. He is due back a couple of days before the end of the year.
"Lining up two-year-old form is hard enough without going interstate," Schofield said. "He's going there in good form as a winner. He's still got a bit of upside to him and he's not the finished article yet. He's obviously learning his trade. He had the race won and then he wanted to shy at the winning post."
Meanwhile, the panel hearing the appeals into those lodged by former Australian Turf Club officials Shaun Lyall and Murray Conallin has reserved its decision until next year after taking submissions at Racing NSW's offices on Thursday.
Lyall (two years) and Conallin (18 months) were charged for betting on races they were adjudicating on. Lyall was found to have wagered on 291 races and Conallin 71 before both were disqualified last month.
