Magic Diva Dazzles The Clock At Warrnambool
It's rare to see one track record broken at a meeting, let alone two. But this is exactly what happened at Warrnambool on Thursday night, with spectators having the privilege of watching two star chasers set new time standards for the 390m and 650m journeys.
Magic Diva was the first chaser on the night to capture the attention of greyhound racing fans. Starting from box one in a mixed 4/5 event over the 390m dash, the Diva was sent out as a $1.20 favourite and punters who were looking to earn a little interest on their investment were never in doubt.
Magic Diva hails from a successful bloodline which traces back to the wonderful producer Web of Silence. Web of Silence as most would know produced the Melbourne Cup and Shootout winning superstar Go Wild Teddy, as well as a string of other Group winners.
Having won seven of her past nine starts, it was no surprise to see the daughter of Elite State – Encambell sent out a short priced favourite, especially considering she was exiting the coveted rails draw in which she had won four of eight and only missed a place in one try.
After stepping on terms with her rivals, the Diva turned on the afterburners and as she passed the first marker she had already established a 5 length lead over her nearest rival. From there she managed to increase the margin with every stride, stopping the clock in a scintillating 21.70.
The previous time standard had been set by Country Cups king Ronan Izmir in a zippy 21.73. In late December Magic Diva had set the table for Thursday night's performance with a blistering 21.79 win.
Trainer Darren Brown has been one of the State's premier trainers over the past 18 months racking up numerous provincial and metro wins, with the likes of Ride the Rails, National Time, Cosmic Station, Elite Diva and of course his premier speedster Magic Diva.
Speaking with ARG, Brown said that he was a little surprised when he saw the clock.
“You don't expect them to break records, so I was a little surprised, but the track has been in good order of late and she did give the record a little nudge in late December.”
When asked about the Diva's immediate racing future you could sense the excitement in his voice.
“I have six dogs paid up for the upcoming Warrnambool Classic, with Magic Diva being one of them. I recently got offered a large sum to sell her, but with the classic coming up soon and the prospect of giving her one or two more tries in the city, I decided not to part with her. Not to mention her value as a broodbitch. Fingers crossed I have made the right decision.”
In a career which has seen Magic Diva grace the track only 34 times for a staggering 18 wins, it is apparent that the future for Magic Diva looks very bright. She has broken the magical 22 and 25 second barrier at Ballarat, and she now has her first track record. After watching some of her race replays it looks very likely that this stunning chaser will maintain her brilliant strike rate in the near future. She is a faultless beginner and you will be hard pressed to find another chaser in the land who can keep up with her when she steps on terms with her rivals.
Although 33 of her 34 assignments to date have been on the provincial short course circuit, a metropolitan campaign should reap some nice rewards for her connections in the near future. In her first and only try at the 500m journey she was far from disgraced. In late February she contested a heat of the Australian Cup and showed that maybe with another 500m hit out or two she will be able to enhance her future breeding aspirations further by adding a few coveted city wins to an already impressive CV.
If you happen to see this exciting chaser engaged in the future, be sure to watch closely, as there are not many chasers who can put on a display of speed and grace like Magic Diva.