Led by the recent debut winner Hi Barbie, the Group 3 Magic Millions B.J. McLachlan Stakes at Eagle Farm Racecourse in Brisbane, Australia, on Friday evening is expected to be dominated by fillies.
In a full field of 14, Hi Barbie and fellow fillies Icarian Dream and The Playwright led early betting as of Thursday for the six-furlong race for Southern Hemisphere 2-year-olds.
Hi Barbie was the 2-1 favorite, a slight choice over Icarian Dream (5-2) and The Playwright (3-1).
The field for the $187,500 McLachlan includes six winners.
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Hi Barbie won the six-runner Phelan Ready Plate at 5 1/2 furlongs at Doomben Racecourse on Nov. 30 as a slight favorite, racing near the front throughout.
In the McLachlan, Hi Barbie may be in pursuit of The Playwright, who led throughout a lucrative handicap for 2-year-olds at 5 1/2 furlongs at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse on Nov. 30 in her first start. The Playwright finished about a neck in front of Icarian Dream, who closed from seventh in a field of nine.
Icarian Dream is held in high regard after finishing a troubled fourth in the Group 3 Golden Gift Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs at Rosehill Gardens on Nov. 9 in her second start, and stakes debut. She won from off the pace in a maiden race at five furlongs at Warwick Farms Racecourse in October.
The leading male in the McLachlan field is the colt Lockyer, a maiden after two starts. He was 11-1 in early betting on Thursday.
Lockyer was second in a five-furlong maiden race at Eagle Farm on Nov. 2 in his first start, and closed some ground to finish fifth by 1 3/4 lengths in a field of 11 in a six-furlong handicap at Eagle Farm on Dec. 7.
The McLachlan is the leading race on a 10-race program that begins at 9:13 p.m. Eastern or 6:13 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.
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