Plan B keeps Devine's Classic hopes alive

5 min read

by Bren O'Brien

Trainer Michael Costa would have preferred to have his promising filly Devine Factor (The Factor {USA}) already qualified for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic, but says she is ready to put her best forward when she vies for a last-chance ticket into the race at the Gold Coast this Saturday.

Devine Factor, who ran one of the leading chances for the $2m Classic, Dubious (Not A Single Doubt), to within 0.3l on debut at Doomben on December 22, needs to win the Follow @Aquisfarm On Facebook QTIS Two-Year-Old H. on Saturday to qualify for the big race seven days later.

With the race, which has produced the past two Magic Millions winners, limited to just 10 runners, the filly squeezed into the field to keep Costa's dreams of qualifying for the Classic alive.

"I would have loved to run her last week in the (G3) Bruce McLachlan S., but that first-up run took a little bit of the edge off her, so this has got to be the play," he told TDN AusNZ.

Devine Factor finishing a close second behind Dubious

"It's been a bit of a proven formula, but I haven’t fallen into the trap of thinking that it is. I just think that Houtzen (I Am Invincible) and Sunlight (Zoustar) were probably the best horses of that year and have gone that way and got the job done,"

"Hopefully we run well and the main thing is the recovery in the next seven days into the race."

A change of plans

It was apparent to Costa early in her first preparation that Devine Factor, who was a $65,000 yearling buy at last year's Magic Millions Sale, had the talent to match her looks.

She trialled twice in September, winning her second trial by 2.5l over subsequent dual winner Betaima (Better Than Ready), and Costa was hoping to lock away some early 2-year-old prize-money and sew up her qualification for the Classic.

Devine Factor was a $65,000 Magic Millions purchase

"After her second trial when she beat Betaima quite comfortably, she came home and had a foot abscess, which burst out of her foot," he said.

"It would have been nice to get that prize-money in the bank already, unfortunately things didn’t pan out that way." - Michael Costa

"She won the trial with a foot abscess and that took a bit of time to get right. So we tipped her out to the paddock. We really wanted to run that week after the second trial, it would have been nice to get that prize-money in the bank already, unfortunately things didn’t pan out that way."

Plan B sees her making that last-ditch attempt to get into the field, but Costa is confident that she is in the right shape to get the job done.

"Her work has been pretty flawless this week really. I galloped her on the course proper yesterday and down the beach this morning and her shins are good," he said.

"She’ll be in there to give the race a good shake. She just needs a bit of luck."

A natural competitor

Costa describes Devine Factor as a natural competitor and expects her to have made significant improvement from that big run on debut.

"She's very competitive and she always has been and you can see in the race photos, that she has got the ears pinned back. After the race, it might sound silly, but she seemed pissed off that she didn’t win. You could see that she was annoyed," he said.

"She's very competitive and she always has been and you can see in the race photos." - Michael Costa

"Her fitness has come on, and with the race experience, I’d be keen to have another crack at Dubious in different conditions."

Trainer Michael Costa

Pedigree no factor

By Group 1-winning American stallion The Factor, who stood for four seasons at Newgate, Devine Factor is out of imported mare Songbird (Arg) (Easing Along {USA}), who has had only one other foal to race in Australia.

Songbird, who had a colt by Sizzling in the spring before going to Whittington, is from the same family as six-time Group 1 winner Encounter, with her dam, Some Kinda Babe, a half-sister to Encounter's dam Fancy Babe.

But Costa said it wasn't her pedigree that attracted him to filly at the Gold Coast sale last January.

The Factor

"We syndicate all our shares at cost price with a lot of Mum and Dad owners, so at a sale like the Magic Millions, which is a high-priced sale, we are just looking on type. I inspect every yearling and she was a horse that really stood out on type. She is very athletic," he said.

"I inspect every yearling and she was a horse that really stood out on type. She is very athletic." - Michael Costa

"It wasn't her pedigree, The Factor wasn't doing anything special and on the dam side, there wasn't really a hook there for people to buy in, it was just that I loved the horse in front of me and I was lucky enough to get her for a decent price."

Double assault on Magic riches

Should Devine Factor qualify for the Classic, she won’t be the only Costa filly running for the riches on January 12.

Malahide (Shamus Award) is currently 18th in the Order Of Entry for the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas and is likely to get a start.

"We've been really patient with her first couple of runs. She wasn't quite there. But she’ll be hitting her peak on Magic Millions day and we’ll definitely see her best run to date. On form, everyone is giving her no chance, but if she lines up like we are thinking, she'll definitely be in the mix," he said.