When Ezekeil romped to a five-and-a-half length win in the Newmarket Handicap on Armidale Cup Day, Cody Morgan had little idea that the gelding's next race would be for half a million dollars.
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But at the Gold Coast on Saturday, the four-year-old will start as one of the favourites for the $500,000 Magic Millions Country Cup (1200m).
"It sort of just happened," the Tamworth trainer said.
"The day after he won at Armidale I was sitting out on the horse treadmill just watching him work and I was on the Ipad looking at races in Queensland and I just clicked on it and sort of dug a bit deeper and realized he was eligible and nominated for it."
Likening it to the Country Championships, in which he has consistently featured in, Morgan said there was "a lot of criteria" to be eligible.
Horses had to have been sold through the Magic Millions as a yearling, have a high enough rating, had five country runs in the last 12 months, have not raced on a city track since November 1 and not won a city race in the last 12 months.
"I knew of the race but I've never had one good enough for it and never had one qualify for it," Morgan said.
Originally purchased by Aquis for $200,000, the son of Divine Prophet didn't turn out to be "good enough for what they wanted to do" and so was resold and came to Morgan mid-2021.
He has since had four wins for him, and was as of Friday afternoon the $3.50 favourite (with the TAB), and shortening; much to Morgan's surprise.
Not really knowing the formline of the other runners, which are from all over Australia, he wasn't "super confident" when he spoke with The Leader.
"I want him to run well but not expecting big things because obviously I just don't know the opposition, they could be just too good," he said.
"But it's just good to have a runner on a day like this."
The bookmakers aren't it seems though the only ones who like what they see with leading Victorian jockey Jamie Kah actually reaching out to Morgan about riding Ekezeil.
He has spent the week up there with the gelding, heading up late last Saturday night.
"It's a half million dollar race so it's a pretty big race to be fair," Morgan said.
"So we thought we'd come up a week early and try and get him to settle in."
"Just the humidity up here is a lot for a horse to take in from Tamworth."
It has been a busy last couple of days leading in for Morgan with the sales starting on Thursday.
"I've been up here obviously for the last five/six years looking and buying in the book 2, not the book 1," he said.
"But it's bloody exciting because I've never had runner."
The Country Cup jumps at 12.40pm (NSW time).
