Saturday’s 1000m TAB Highway at Randwick may have produced the most impressive winner in the restricted sprinting ranks anywhere in Australia. Unbeaten in two previous starts, Mogo Magic was sent out a dominant favourite at $2.00, and provided an easy watch for supporters. He required a little encouragement from Tim Clark to cross Debussy in the early stages, but the rest was a formality. Despite a tendency to overdo things slightly in the run to the turn, Mogo Magic was able to produce the rare ability to come off a very high cruising speed and let down with a sharp turn of foot. His time of 57.85 on a Soft 5 track was exceptional.
The Sky Thoroughbred Central post race close-ups showed a highly delighted ownership group doing their best to suffocate trainer Scott Collings. They were equally excited when their promising sprinter won his maiden on the Sapphire Coast last November by 6.8 lengths, and followed up with a 3.5 length demolition of Class 1 company at Wagga eighteen days later. Nick Heywood who rode the gelding in those first two wins identified him as a horse of serious potential. By a bizarre twist of fate Nick suffered a fracture to his left leg when he fell in the very next race after Mogo Magic’s Wagga win. The jockey is on the verge of a return to race riding, and actually handled Mogo Magic in his final TAB Highway hit out at Goulburn on Tuesday February 21st.
You rarely see maidens win by this far! Mogo Magic had 6.8 lengths to spare at the Sapphire Coast November 2022 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Ten passionate racing fans share in the ownership of the promising sprinter - Scott Henman, Chris Ward, Anthony Hall, Matt Cowling, Andrew Ward, Gino Polimeni, Lachie Young, Tony Neate, Joey Peterson and Rachel Hogan. Scott Henman is a keen student of thoroughbred bloodlines, and actually purchased Mogo Magic’s dam Zoumagic from an Inglis Digital sale for the bargain outlay of $4,500. Scott Collings takes up the story. “I’d had a lot to do with Zoumagic (Zizou - Mardi’s Magic) when training in partnership with Keith Dryden,” he said. “She was on the small side and as plain as day, but could gallop. She won six races all up including one at Canterbury. Her dam Mardi’s Magic won four races for Clarrie Conners including three on metropolitan tracks. After much research Scott Henman decided to send Zoumagic to Duporth (Red Ransom-Staging) who’d been a good performer for Peter Moody winning the San Domenico Stakes (Gr 2) and the Golden Rose when it was still a Gr 2. Duporth got his Gr 1 in 2009 when he won the BTC Cup at Doomben. Mogo Magic is Zoumagic’s first foal. To think he’s three from three is pretty exciting for him and his mother.”
For a horse of such a precocious nature Mogo Magic showed little in his early track gallops. It wasn’t until he had his first 400m jump out at Goulburn that he suddenly switched on and he’s been all business ever since. Fearful that he might be a horse inclined to get on his way, Scott has been very careful not to bustle him in trackwork, jump outs and trials. “We’ve concentrated on letting him do things under his own steam,” said the trainer. “He raced very tractably at his first two starts and won by huge margins. I got a bit of a surprise when he wanted to get running on Saturday, but that’s the first time he’s ever been bustled early. I hope he doesn’t think that’s the norm.”
Mogo Magic was never going to get beaten in Saturday's TAB Highway - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.
Scott Collings is no stranger to the TAB Highway winner’s circle at Royal Randwick. He won two Highways in the spring of 2021 with the talented Nicconi mare Ten Bells who was ridden on both occasions by Jason Collett. He struck again in December of the same year with London Gal who defeated Shelby Sixtysix in a tight finish. Who would have predicted the amazing form surge that was about to take Shelby Sixtysix to another level. Coincidentally London Gal was ridden by Tim Clark who had the winning ride on Mogo Magic on Saturday. “I’ve known Tim from the days of his apprenticeship to Peter Clancy at Leeton,” said Scott. “His ability on front runners is well documented, and I actually had him locked in for Saturday’s ride many weeks ago. Whether or not he had the opportunity to ride Alligator Blood in Melbourne I don’t know, but I’m pleased he elected to stay at home. It turned out to be a big day for Tim when he made it a double on Hope In Your Heart in the Guy Walter later in the day.”
Scott was just fifteen years old when he became apprenticed to Ken Callaghan at the trainer’s well known Capricorn Park training property near Canberra. He would spend the final eight months of his junior term with popular Bega trainer Ray “Nugget” Wheatley. Scott looks back with pride on outriding his country allowance and is equally chuffed to have won a Canberra apprentice’s title in the 1992/93 season. He would later complete a rare double by winning a Canberra trainer’s premiership in partnership with Keith Dryden.
He fondly remembers his first full season as a fully fledged jockey when he rode 37 winners with limited opportunities. Scott would compete in the professional ranks for thirteen years, but has no idea of his winning tally. He is adamant that the Ken Callaghan trained Classic Magic is the best horse he got to ride in a race. He had two rides on the fourteen time winner for a fourth in an open sprint at Wagga, and later a third placing in a Canterbury Welter won by Genuflect. March 27th 1996 is an important date on the Collings CV. This was the day he rode his only metropolitan winner, Down In Monterey for Ken Callaghan at a Canterbury midweek meeting. It was actually a hat trick of wins for Scott on the Kingston Jamaica gelding who’d won his previous two at Cootamundra.
Scott returns to scale after one of his two Canberra wins on the Callaghan trained Sea Rhythm early 1990s.
When increasing weight forced his retirement from the professional ranks Scott went to work for successful trainer Barbara Joseph at Bombala. In order to ride Barbara’s horses in barrier trials he applied for an amateur licence. Predictably he couldn’t resist the temptation to ride in races on the picnic circuit where he enjoyed a fair measure of success over the following two years. Proudly displayed at home are photos of his consecutive Bong Bong Cup wins on Give Way for trainer Graeme Spackman in 2004 and 2005. At just 60.5 kgs Scott is light enough to ride trackwork, and actually handles the majority of his eighteen horse team in their training sessions.
First leg of Scott's Bong Bong Cup double on Give Way 2004.
Give Way does it again one year later for Scott and Graeme Spackman.
The forty seven year old divides his team between the Goulburn racecourse and his twenty seven acre property at the quaintly named Middle Arm on the outskirts of town. The farm boasts boxes, paddocks and yards which enables Scott to spell and pre- train horses at home. He has no plans to increase the size of his team because of his firm commitment to remain hands-on with every horse in his care.
Scott is pretty excited about the future prospects of his fleet-footed three year old Mogo Magic who currently basks in the spotlight of an unbeaten record. He plans to call a meeting of owners when the euphoria subsides from Saturday’s win, before making any plans for the immediate future. I had a long chat with Scott on Sunday, and reading between the lines he seems to be in no hurry to raise the bar. He’s mindful of the fact that the gelding hasn’t had an extended spell since going into work in the middle of last year. Whatever decision is reached, you can be sure it will be in the best interests of the horse named after the little heritage village of 300 people situated between Batemans Bay and Moruya on the idyllic NSW south coast.
Scott Collings - a thoroughly experienced horseman.
(Banner image - Tim Clark checks the semaphore as he brings Mogo Magic back to scale - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.)