Do I Feel Lucky’s thrilling victory at Pinjarra on Saturday has sparked hopes of a win in Perth’s premier juvenile race, the Karrakatta Plate (1200m) at Ascot.
Ridden by the in-form Chris Parnham, the colt exploded out of the gates to lead and held off a late challenge to win the Magic Millions WA 2YO Classic (1200m).
A member of Sean and Jake Casey’s stable, Do I Feel Lucky broke clear in the straight but had to fight off Perfectly Proper, who charged late.
The colt held on to win by a short half-head, improving his record to two wins and two placings from four starts.
Parnham, who has now won the race for three consecutive years, believes Do I Feel Lucky can be a strong contender in future feature races.
“He can definitely contend in the autumn features,” Parnham said.
“He’ll likely have a short let-up before targeting the Karrakatta.”
Parnham also praised Shmoov Mover’s fourth-place finish in the Magic Millions WA 3YO Trophy (1200m), despite a wide barrier.
“We had to go back a bit, but he flew home for fourth,” Parnham said.
He also highlighted Rissoles, who won the Thoroughbred Breeders WA Platinum Classic (1200m) easily, as a potential contender for feature fillies and mares races.
“She’s got a devastating turn of foot when she’s on song,” Parnham said.
The Marjorie Charleson Classic (1200m) is set for March 1, and the Karrakatta Plate will follow on April 26.
After his Pinjarra treble, Parnham continued his form with another three winners at Bunbury on Sunday.
He sits on 103 season winners, just one behind Blake Shinn in the Australian Jockey Premiership, and leads Perth’s title race with 76 wins.