We are going to find out where Magicool's at, says Matt Craven amid ID18 dreams

Saturday night’s racing at Tabcorp Melton Park looks set to have huge ramifications on this year’s TAB Inter Dominion from the first race, with Matty Craven hoping talented trotter Magicool can take his next stride towards December’s series.

The five-year-old gelding, who has won eight of his 10 starts, lines up in the DNR Logistics Trot over 2240m, his third start back after 17 months away from the track due to a torn back ligament.

Trainer-driver Craven said it was great to see Magicool’s return, with his two wins at Stawell and Swan Hill extending his unbeaten streak to seven.

“I suppose there was a fair bit of hesitation about whether he would be still as nice of a horse as he was previous; you are just unsure when you haven’t pushed the button at home as to whether they still want to win or if they think it is going to hurt,” Craven said.

“What has really been pleasing at his first two starts is, when we have asked him, he has really put the race to bed in about 50m.

“But it has only been against moderate opposition. On Saturday night he comes up against a better field and we are going to find out where he is at going forward.”

And despite being ranked 40^th in the third rankings, there’s still time for Magicool to move forward into the ID18.

“He is coming off a relatively low mark so he has to keep performing all the way through to progress through the rankings, that’s for sure, but he has got the opportunity and time on his side if he is good enough,” he said.

“Whether he is up to that grade or not yet, we don’t really know to be honest; I think he is good enough but is he ready for it now or in 12 months’ time? I am not really sure.

“Hopefully if he runs a positive race on Saturday night that will push him in the right direction.”

Craven said he would love to have his first ever Inter Dominion runner at Trots HQ in December and Magicool isn’t his only hope – Our Dreamlover, who races at Menangle on Saturday night, has stormed up to 22^nd in the trots rankings on the back of last week’s What The Hill Swan Hill Trotters Cup second placing.

And, despite recently losing Hectorjayjay as a potential ID18 pacing hope, Craven said Cant Refuse (58^th in third rankings) – who finished a close-up second to Shadow Sax in last December’s Group 3 Geelong Pacing Cup – was about to return from injury.

 “(Cant Refuse) was a late scratching from Cranbourne last week as he got a knock in the float but seems fit and well (so) hopefully we can get him back to the races in good form and make our way up the rankings with him as well,” Craven said.

“I probably wasn’t expecting (Our Dreamlover) to go that high but he is good enough to be in there; probably not up there with the best five or 10 but he’s not far behind.

“If it doesn’t go to plan there’s the country cups - he showed at Swan Hill he is probably capable of winning one, so throughout the season he will hopefully be able to pick one up.

“It would be nice to have an (ID18) runner, that’s for sure. Even just having to train a horse to have it ready to run three times in a week and, if all went well, a consolation or final, would be a great experience.”

ID18 heavyweights Shadow Sax and Wrappers Delight are also set to go hammer and tong from the front row over 1720m in Saturday night’s Sokyola Sprint, with some great speed around them in Tee Cee Bee Macray, Carlas Pixel, Magical Marn and Menin Gate, whose Swan Hill Pacing Cup triumph resulted in a mammoth ID18 rankings jump to 22^nd.