Wayne Collison had the confidence to step Magic Over The Bay up in distance and that decision paid off at Tamworth on Monday.
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The four-year-old was the Narromine trainer’s sole hope at Tamworth and he got to return home with a winner after victory in the Hen And Stag Benchmark 54 Handicap (2100m).
Prior to Monday, the gelding had never run further than 1600m.
In the field of six, the Greg Ryan-ridden Magic Over the Bay jumped from the widest barrier as a $2.35 favourite.
Ryan summed up the situation and dropped back in the field as Below The Belt ($21) and Ima Baker ($6.50) set the early pace.
Ima Baker got to the lead at the bend while Ryan and Magic Over The Bay began to wind up from the back of the field and moved around the outside.
He pushed forward and took the lead in the straight and went on to win by one-and-a-half lengths from Ima Baker and Bel Attrait ($4.20).
“Greg summed it up before he went out there. He said the horse needs to build some momentum and that’s what happened,” Collison told Sky Thorougbred Central after the win.
“He’s always shown he can get over a bit more ground but this was his first time up over a mile.”