Bell rates Margins carnival contender

Monday 1 April 2013, 6:20pm

The relief was palpable for Toowoomba trainer Ben Currie after Margins rediscovered winning form at Eagle Farm on Monday.

Currie has worked hard to manage niggling injuries with Margins since he finished a close and unlucky second to Brambles in last year's Rough Habit Plate at Doomben.

"It's been a long time coming to have him back winning again and it's just good to see him fit and hitting the line," Currie said.

"He was galloped on in the Rough Habit and since then I've just made sure he was right which is why I only ran him a couple of times during the spring then put him out again."

Having his third run back this campaign, Margins won the Canadian Club Handicap (1500m) by three lengths, impressing Currie with his final 200 metre surge.

"He was really strong at the end of that race and there's a mile race here in a fortnight which should suit him," Currie said.

Winning jockey Tim Bell believes Margin will continue to improve as he steps up in journey.

"The 1500 metres is by no means his pet distance and I'd like to see him get over 2000 metres which will suit him heaps better," Bell said.

"I think he's a genuine carnival horse because he settles so well and he's the type of horse that can make a long, sustained run."

Margins travelled three deep for the majority of the race but Bell said that was to the gelding's advantage.

"The way the track's been racing today he was better off away from the fence and he was able to stay out of trouble and travel strongly," he said.

"He takes a furlong (200m) to go through each of his gears but when he reaches his top he can really hit the line strongly."

Meanwhile Damian Browne is confident he'll recover from a strained back in time to ride Solzhenitsyn in Saturday's Group One George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill.

Browne hurt his back when he was thrown from first starter Eastern Prince who took fright on the way to barriers before the start of the Hidden Dragon @ Lyndhurst Handicap.

"I'm pretty sore at the moment but with a bit of rest and treatment I'll be right for Saturday," Browne said.

– AAP

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