Enough to fill a stocking: Owner Judy Clairs is in the running for a $500,000 bonus introduced for horses owned 100 per cent by women as part of the Ladies In Racing promotion with her horse Missy Longstocking. Picture: Jamie Hanson Source: The Courier-Mail
MISSY Longstocking is favourite for the race within the race in Saturday's Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic, with owner Judy Clairs set to reap the rewards from a love story that began almost 12 months ago.
Clairs has raced horses with her husband Reg, a former chief executive of Woolworths, for 12 years.
Missy Longstocking is poised to bring the couple their biggest success, though Reg's name is absent from the racebook.
Magic Millions has introduced a $500,000 bonus to this year's race, on offer for horses owned 100 per cent by women as part of the Ladies In Racing promotion, fronted by Royal Zara Phillips.
There were 103 horses registered for the bonus.
Change Of Honour, Real Surreal, Greytfilly, Global Dream and Missy Longstocking made the final field. He's A Ladies Man will also be eligible should he secure a start.
The bonus is distributed as $325,000 for the first of those horses home, $100,000 for second, $50,000 for third and $25,000 for fourth.
Their actual finishing position is irrelevant, with the bonuses coming on top of the race prizemoney.
While Clairs would happily accept the $325,000 cheque, she is confident Missy Longstocking will be fighting it out for the $1.14 million first prize.
Trainer Liam Birchley snapped up the filly for $7500 as a weanling before selling her to Clairs.
"Up to this point we bred most of the horses ourselves, but we were in between and didn't have anything else to race, so that's why we looked at a few others to race," Clairs said.
"We went out to buy three horses and I just fell in love with her. Reg was looking at the other two, but I just kept coming back to Missy.
"As soon as I saw her I had an immediate attachment to her. She had a beautiful nature. The four white socks are meant to be bad luck, but I loved them."
It didn't take long for the Sequalo filly's owner to discover she had chosen wisely. "At her first jump-out I thought she was just going to have a quiet hit-out, but she was very impressive and I got a text (from Birchley) saying how well she went," she said.
"I missed her first start at Toowoomba because I was sick, which was very annoying. But I was there at Eagle Farm when she won her second start (by seven lengths). It was amazing."
The fairytale continued to evolve when Missy Longstocking drew gate five on Tuesday, and she should be afforded the run of the race.
Birchley says she has trained on brilliantly since the B. J. McLachlan Stakes and just wants a fair track to give her every chance.
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