Prebble to Sprinkle his Magic at Millions

Brett Prebble will make a rare appearance on Gold Coast Magic Millions day as the star jockey looks to maintain his momentum after an incredible spring carnival.

Prebble won five Group 1s - including the Caulfield Cup on freak horse Incentivise - in a golden spring which proved to himself and to everyone else he still had the magic touch after returning in 2018 from 16 years riding in Hong Kong.

The elite Victorian hoop has a loaded trophy cabinet but has never won the Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic although he claimed the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas on the Dean Lawson-trained Paradiddle in 2001.

Prebble will ride Kiwi invader Bright Blue Sky in the 2YO Classic on January 15, with the jockey again teaming up with trainer Jamie Richards after the duo won the Group 1 Might And Power with Probabeel in the Melbourne spring carnival.

He will ride local hope Release The Beans for Robert Heathcote in the rich 3YO Guineas.

Prebble is managed by Liam Prior who also manages Nash Rawiller.

“Nash had good success at the Gold Coast Magic Millions carnival last year by getting here a week earlier and Liam said would you like to do that and I said I would because it's a fairly quiet time for me,” Prebble said.

“It's tough at the moment to get rides in Victoria and there is a very rich day on the Gold Coast coming up looking me in the eye and I thought if I can get up here early I can sow some seeds for Magic Millions day.

“I have probably only had a couple of rides in the Classic over the years although I have good memories of winning the three-year-old race on Paradiddle (2001).

“When I was in Hong Kong I always kept a good eye on Magic Millions day as there were always some horses that raced there which were trying to be purchased by people in Hong Kong.”

Bright Blue Sky, a $26 chance in the 2YO Classic, bolted in on debut in New Zealand in November before finishing fourth behind Magic Millions favourite Coolangatta in a Group 3 race at Doomben on Boxing Day.

Basing himself at Broadbeach for his Queensland stay, Prebble looks back on his extraordinary spring with great fondness.

When he returned to Australia from Hong Kong, there was a stretch where the famous Prebble name didn't seem to open many doors in racing.

But he made it count in the spring of 2021.

“It has finally sunk in now and I realise I was very fortunate but that's what racing is, swings and roundabouts, and you have to be in the right place at the right time,” Prebble said.

“It was good that I showed I was still capable of riding as good as I was before I left Australia.

“When I came back I had no connections and no support and no real reason for anyone to put me on ahead of other jockeys they had been using over the years.

“So I had to put my bum down and work very, very hard.”

Prebble will warm up for the big Magic Millions dance on January 15 by having six rides at the Gold Coast on The Wave race day on Saturday.