Homebred Gelding Adds a Bit of Magic for Roy

Win, lose or draw, master trainer Roy Chillemi hopes to take another step towards a low key carnival tilt with his home-bred gelding Mystery ‘N’ Magic when he lines up at Cluden Park tomorrow.

Mystery ‘N’ Magic is in career best form with four wins from his past six starts but must overcome a drop in distance in the Carlton & United Breweries Open Hcp (1300m).  

For Chillemi and his wife Carmel it’s been a long journey with Mystery ‘N’ Magic, a chronic box walker, who has struggled throughout his career with bad feet.

The couple bred the gelding themselves from a third generation home-bred mare and race him in partnership with Townsville co-owner Jeff Hart.

While Chillemi has trained over a thousand winners in the orange silks of leviathan owner Tom Hedley, Mystery ‘N’ Magic carries Chillemi’s pale blue colours – the same livery he started out with almost 40 years ago. 

And the premier trainer gets a kick out of seeing the Rothesay gelding race.

“We don’t put big wraps on him, he’s no champion, but we have a lot of fun with him,” Chillemi said.

“He won at the Cairns Amateurs last year on Carmel’s birthday and when I got home she’d lost her voice from screaming her heart out in the lounge room.

“She really enjoys it and so does Jeff.

“We go back to Sovereign Road, the great grandmother and we bred out of her and called her filly Miss Road Show but she didn’t make the cut with bad knees.

“And then she had Faith N Vision and she showed a lot of ability but fractured a pelvis would you believe, and never raced. So we bred out of her and that’s where we are now.

“It’s the old case of third time lucky but we ended up with a box walker. Even so he’s still been ok, he’s earned $160,000 in prizemoney and we have a two-year-old sister Purpose ‘N’ Vision who has shown a bit of ability.

“Mystery ‘N’ Magic is probably racing the soundest he’s ever been. He’s had issues with his feet and I think I’m managing him better between the box walking and the work he gets. 

“He just can’t cop much work.”

Wins at the Cairns annuals and Cairns Amateurs last year convinced Chillemi that Mystery ‘N’ Magic  deserves a shot at better carnival races this year.

In four runs this preparation the five-year-old has been in sparkling form with wins in Cairns and Townsville either side of a storming Cluden second to stablemate Palencia – all under lightweight veteran jockey Jason Taylor.

Chillemi says Taylor is a good match for the gelding but the pair may find the 1300m tomorrow on the short side.

“He’s racing well and was good winning at Cluden and in Cairns, and when he was second to Palencia he was outsprinted but was taking ground off him at the end and he’s a very handy horse,” Chillemi said.

“Coming back from 1400m to the 1300m will be a minus but it’s the only race around for him.

“He won at the Cairns annuals and the Cairns amateurs well last year. He’s still only a young horse really and if I can improve him a few lengths and manage him and get him into some of those races without the grand stand on his back I think he’ll be competitive.”

Chillemi, who on 12 wins trails Georgie Holt (21 wins) in the Townsville trainers’ premiership, will saddle up four other runners on the nine event card.

The promising Go Getaboy and Neveton are engaged in the QTIS 3YO Hcp (1000m), while Ready Boss and Puss Boots will tackle the 2YO Mdn Hcp (1000m).

Premier jockey Lacey Morrison will make a rare appearance for the stable on Neveton after scoring her first win for the stable this season on Smart Lee in Cairns last Sunday.

Morrison has a strong book of rides including leading chances Phantom Spirit in the Ladies Day Saturday 29 July Cl4 Hcp (1200m) and track-distance specialist Conquering Judas in the Mitavite BM 65 Hcp (1900m).

Pictured: Mystery 'N' Magic cruises to victory for jockey Jason Taylor at Cluden in February.

See the racing calendar for upcoming race days.