Money Magnet is ready

RICHARD AZAN's brave filly, MONEY MAGNET, has the distance and a weight swing on SIEMPRE BUENO to her advantage in this afternoon's fifth race, an open allowance event at 1200 metres.

The old rivals are joined by another awesome sprinter, SIR BUDGET, with no more than five pounds separating the trio in the seven-horse field.

MONEY MAGNET and SIEMPRE BUENO have met four times in each of their last five races, trading victories against each other. On January 6, they had a fantastic duel but were both beaten in a three-way photo by ZEPHYR, who had the handicaps in her favour.

That afternoon, MONEY MAGNET carried 56.5 kilos, allowing SIEMPRE BUENO three pounds, at five and a half furlongs - a 12lb weight swing out of their previous event in which MONEY MAGNET had carried 53.0 and won at 1200 metres, beating SIEMPRE BUENO (57.0) by eight lengths.

When SIEMPRE BUENO returned on January 6, three pounds lighter than MONEY MAGNET and going a half furlong shorter, the six-year-old revelled on the lead as the lone speed and battled to hold her off for second behind ZEPHYR.

SIEMPRE BUENO (56.0) now gives MONEY MAGNET (55.0) two pounds, a five-pound weight swing to the four-year-old filly, going a half-furlong longer, with SIR BUDGET and others to keep him honest, which will spell trouble for him in the stretch run.

MOST ACCOMPLISHED

SIR BUDGET is somewhat the most accomplished of the trio with two open allowance wins under his girth, having beaten the level in July and October of last year. However, he has always been a little short on the class needed to win successive races at the level, especially at distances in excess of five and a half furlongs.

However, SIR BUDGET's presence, even with topweight 57.0 kilos, will certainly bother a front runner such as SIEMPRE BUENO, who is only three pounds lighter at 56.0 kilos.

Running in November's grade one Caribbean Sprint at 1200 metres, SIR BUDGET carried 57.0 kilos, sat third behind TALENTED TONY K and SIMPLY THE BEST, before improving into second a furlong out when eventual winner CHACE THE GREAT ran through.

Though he ran out of the money, finishing sixth, beaten three and a half lengths by CHACE THE GREAT, SIR BUDGET showed that whenever he reported back down in class, he would be a tough horse.

However, improving four-year-old MONEY MAGNET, a three-year-old then, was also in the Caribbean Sprint and closed up well with 117lb, nine pounds lighter than SIR BUDGET, to finish a length behind CHACE THE GREAT in third place.

With all three horses having the requisite speed and class, the race will be determined by what happens inside the first four furlongs, after which handicaps come into play.

SIEMPRE BUENO, SIR BUDGET, LITTLE BIG HORN, and SIMPLY THE BEST will be hell bent on hogging the lead at some point, which will certainly suit MONEY MAGNET, a run-on sprinter, getting a three-pound ease in the scale with patient Shane Ellis aboard.

The race should be a cracker with SIEMPRE BUENO coming off a great attempt at a mile, caught midway the last half-furlong by AWESOME DESTINY and eventual winner MARVELLOUS MARVA.

Though MONEY MAGNET hasn't raced since January 6, she has been setting the exercise track alight, posting a bullet 59.3 for five furlongs round last Sunday morning.