McAuliffe Wants Gatting to Face up to All Star Mile
Iron West Australian galloper Gatting has been nominated for Melbourne’s newest race, the $5 million All Star Mile at Flemington in March.
Fresh from a meritorious fifth in Saturday’s Group 2 Perth Cup, trainer Darren McAuliffe has nominated the five-year-old for the event on March 16.
Gatting joins fellow WA galloper Material Man among the early nominations for the All Star Mile and McAuliffe said he was now keen to travel his stable star.
“Once you get up in the ratings, it’s hard to find races for him,” he told TABradio.
“It looks a nice option for him.
“I just love him to bits, so we might get on the plane and take him around the country.”
Gatting cast his off fore plate during the 2400m of the Perth Cup over the weekend, before he ran into heavy traffic on the turn for home and had little luck in the straight.
McAuliffe said Gatting had pulled up well from the run, despite losing the shoe in the run and had hoped to extend his preparation to the Gold Coast for this weekend’s $1 million Magic Millions Trophy (2200m).
“He’s actually come through it pretty good,” he said.
“He could’ve rolled forward the way he jumped, but he pulled one of those bar shoes coming out of the gate.
“I was actually toying with the idea of going to the Gold Coast.
“Had it not come up so quickly, he would’ve been running in the 2200m at the Gold Coast.”
Meanwhile, former WA galloper Vega Magic will also be nominated for the All Star Mile.
Vega Magic finished at the tail of the field in the $13 million Everest at Randwick last October, where he struggled in the heavy conditions.
Co-trainer David Hayes said he was excited to step the gelding up in distance.
“We’ll be training him for the All Star Mile,” he told TABradio.
“When Wally Daly sent him to us, he sent him as a potential Cox Plate horse, but he sprinted so well, we kept him sprinting.
“Now with all this money on offer, we’re going to stretch him out.”
