MAGNUS BABY ON SONG

Magnus 3YO, Whistle Baby, certainly wasn’t overawed by her first tilt in the big smoke on Saturday, pouring it on over the final furlong to score in a blinder.

Coming from near last (of 14) at the 400m, the filly rocketed home to take out the Birdcage Handicap at Flemington for the Ellerton/Zahra combo, who snapped her up at the 2012 Inglis Melbourne Premier.

Whistle Baby had two goes in July and August without much luck, but resumed with a maiden win at Kilmore on 5 January and, based on the performance at headquarters, it won’t be the last time we see her in town.

Whistle Baby is the first foal of the Testa Rossa mare, Guild, who won three in town for Peter Moody and Black Caviar’s part-owner, Neil Werrett, and the pair decided to send her to Magnus in her first year at stud. Guild was sent to Wanted the following spring, producing a grey filly that is now two and has been named Hunted, while the mare produced a filly by Magnus last December.

Magnus continues his great run, producing a double at Flemington the previous Saturday, and now has 48 individual winners for the season, following on from Flying Magnus’ all-the-way, 3 length demolition job Camperdown, prior to Whistle Baby’s score.