No one knows Magnus progeny as well as Robbie Griffiths and that is what gives the Cranbourne trainer confidence to believe that Rey Magnerio can take the step required to become a Group 1 sprinter.
The five-year-old gelding resumes in this Saturday’s $300,000 Group 2 Rubiton Stakes at Caulfield.
The 1100-metre event will be Rey Magnerio’s 18th start and Griffiths is hopeful it will be the preparation he graduates to become a genuine top-level performer.
“I do think that there’s room for him to develop and all of the Magnuses we’ve ever had, they’ve got better with age and he’s evidence of that,” Griffiths said.
“It’ll be no surprise to see him come up a cog but he has to because we’re looking at the two best handicap sprints we have – the Oakleigh Plate and Newmarket – so you want to be on your game.”
Magnus, a son of Flying Spur, has been at stud since 2008 and has sired more than 2000 winners, who have earned more than $90 million in prizemoney.
Griffiths has had his name attached to 84 of those winners, more than double the next most successful trainer of Magnus progeny.
Rey Magnerio has contributed seven of those wins, missing a place just three times in his career and last spring he had five starts for five top-three finishes.
His most recent outing produced a second placing in the $1 million The Meteorite (1200m) at Cranbourne on November 23, which followed a Listed win and Group 3 second placing at Flemington during Melbourne Cup Week.
The Rubiton Stakes will be the first start in a path directed towards the $1.5m Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on March 8 with a start in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) in between likely.
“He’s smack-on for a return, he’s not 100 percent, because we want to be 100 percent on Newmarket day,” Griffiths said.
“That’s his key goal and what he wins on the way through is a bonus.
“He’s a good competitive horse that we targetted Derby Day and Finals Day with last year and he nearly pulled off both, so he’s a good target horse.
“But we think he’s well and truly forward enough to give us a good run.”
Rey Magnerio will be ridden by Jye Mcneil in the Rubiton with the pair to jump from the outside gate in the field that is down to nine runners following the early scratching of Airman.
