A return trip to England for the major northern summer sprints remains on the cards for Magnus pending his performance in a high-quality TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.

The Peter Moody-trained five-year-old will clash with champion sprinter Takeover Target and the baldy-faced Apache Cat in the 1200-metre sprint, one of four Group One races on the bumper program.

A final field of eight has been paid up for the TJ Smith, although that will be reduced to seven if the track is slow or heavy as trainer Peter Snowden has indicated Paratroopers won’t start if the going is worse than dead.

Moody has no such qualms about Magnus ploughing through the mud.

“I was very pleased with his work on Tuesday morning, he’s in good shape,” Moody said.

“He’s had two starts in the wet. He had his first start in it and he won the Galaxy on a rain-affected track.”

“I don’t think the wet will worry him too much.

“But he’d have to win on Saturday to warrant a trip to England.”

Magnus is already a Group One winner in Australia having claimed last year’s The Galaxy but being a son of outstanding sire Flying Spur, a major victory on the international stage would further boost his stud value.

He had mixed luck during his first European campaign last year, finishing a gallant third to Miss Andretti in the King’s Stand Stakes before unplaced runs in the Golden Jubilee and Nunthorpe Stakes.

But he showed he had taken no harm from the trip when he returned to post consecutive seconds to champion three-year-old Weekend Hussler in the Oakleigh Plate and Newmarket Handicap.

Magnus was slightly disappointing last start when sent out favourite for the Galaxy in which he was fourth to Typhoon Zed and Moody wants to see how he measures up in the TJ Smith before making a decision on an overseas campaign.

The presence of Takeover Target will provide the perfect measuring stick as he is being set for Group One sprints in Singapore and England.

Magnus will be one of four runners for Moody on Saturday with his quartet to make the trip up from Melbourne on Thursday.

He will start Fury in the Group One Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), Reggie in the Chairman’s Hcp (2600m) and Gold Chant in the PJ Bell Stakes (1200m).

“They will come up on Thursday night, they’re all seasoned travellers,” Moody said.

Damien Oliver will stick with Magnus while Victorian apprentice Sebastian Murphy has been booked to partner both Fury and Gold Chant.

Golden Slipper-winning jockey Glen Boss will ride Reggie.
(Source: AAP)