Credit Deflected To McCall

Trudy Thornton was quick to divert praise onto McCall after she guided Magnanimous Man to his upset win in the King Country Rugby Supporters 2200.

Thornton was having her first ride on the Nom du Jeu four-year-old and got the best from the out-of-form gelding, getting him home by two and a quarter lengths from Gabriel at the odds of 29/1 for Ritchie, who part-owns him with stable client Gerard Peterson.

“It’s all thanks to Eilish (McCall),” said Thornton of the Ritchie apprentice. “She rides him in work and she suggested that I would suit him. That’s how I got the ride. She also told me how best to ride him so she deserves all the credit.”

Apart from regularly riding Magnanimous Man in his trackwork, McCall has ridden him once in a trial. That event was at Te Awamutu a couple of months ago when he finished fourth after clearing maiden ranks in his previous raceday start over 2200 metres at Te Aroha 10 months earlier in an amateur rider’s race when ridden by Scott Wenn.

McCall has ridden five winners and the first of those was Blackmagicwoman, who races in Peterson’s GG Syndicate colours. She won on Blackmagicwoman at Te Rapa last August and again on her at Rotorua last month.

Magnanimous Man had seven starts in his first campaign and his best efforts leading up to the maiden win had been a couple of thirds, though he was disqualified from the second one when his rider weighed in light.

He has had four starts this campaign and hadn’t earned any prizemoney in any of the first three runs, but with a nose band on for the first time and Thornton aboard he put his act together with a comprehensive win in puggy ground.

Magnanimous Man’s training has included some schooling over fences and he has the makings of a potential jumper, particularly later as a ‘chaser.

“He schooled yesterday and apparently he jumps well,” said Thornton after the win. “He looks like he could make a lovely jumper, but he could win again on the flat.”