Photo: Chanelle Lawson
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk
Promising juvenile Hugo Maguire will head to Victoria later this month to join expat Kiwi trainer Brent Lilley’s barn.
A deal was struck before racing at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday, but the Sweet Lou colt sweetened the deal with victory in the Dunstan Horsefeeds Mobile Pace (2200m).
While sad to see him leave his barn, trainer Kyle Marshall has retained a share in the colt who has lofty targets ahead of him.
“He was sold before the race and I have kept a share in him. He will go to Brent Lilley in Melbourne and will leave on the 31st (of August),” Marshall said.
“He will do a good job over there and we will put in a late payment for the Breeders’ Crown.”
Marshall was pleased with Thursday’s run, Hugo Maguire’s second consecutive win, but the Cambridge horseman believes there is a lot of upside to the colt.
“He did things wrong tonight, he is pretty green, but he will mature with age and a bit of racing,” Marshall said.
Hugo Maguire showed signs of brilliance earlier in the year, running fourth in the Gr.2 Young Guns Cardigan Bay Stakes (1700m) at just his third start.
“He did well to make it there (Young Guns Final), he had only had a couple of starts and he went well. He did it on pure ability,” Marshall said.
Hugo Maguire was one of Marshall’s finds at New Zealand Bloodstock Standardbred’s National Yearling Sale last year.
Another of his purchases, Son Of Mac, has also impressed as a two-year-old, winning at Cambridge last start.
His connections have knocked back offers from a few interested parties and will head south with him later in his preparation to target some rich spoils.
“We are happy to race him and will head down south for the Harness Millions,” Marshall said.
He may have a travelling companion in Whooshka, with the four-year-old mare recording her second consecutive win at Cambridge on Thursday when victorious in the Challenge Rock Gas Mobile Pace (2200m).
“It was good for the owners. They persevered with the horse and we gave her six months off. She has come back really nice,” Marshall said.
“We might travel her down south with Son Of Mac. She might be a travel buddy, we will just play it by ear.”
