Racing is well into the Summer period and as the new year approaches and family time is wearing thin, the next big racing carnival is on our minds. We've already touched on the Perth Cup run on New Year's Day, but January means the Gold Coast, and specifically the Magic Millions.

There was a time not that long ago that Gai Waterhouse made the Magic Millions 2yo Classic her own- winning the race in 2000, 2001 and 2004 before adding a fourth in 2012 with Driefontein.

She and co-trainer Adrian Bott look to have a live chance in the 2023 edition with The Novelist who backed up a dominant 5 length win at Kembla Grange on debut with a smart all-the-way win in the Group 3 B.J. Mclachlan Stakes (1200m) at Doomben on Saturday.

One of the first to race by star two-year-old Written By, and out of a Snitzel mare, he's bred for early speed but showed good toughness late to fend off the challengers and post a rating of 102 with Timeform (up from 92 on debut).

He's just an average winner of that race compared to recent years, with Coolangatta (104), Alpine Edge (104), King's Legacy (108), Sun City (104) and Meryl (99) the last five winners of the race, almost all of them tackling the race at their second start as well.

The win was professional (as you'd expect from the camp) and his racing pattern (as you'd expect from the camp) will ensure he wins plenty more races, but he will need to improve a fair bit, especially considering the strength of another two-year-old race we saw on Saturday.

I spoke highly of both the Gimcrack and Breeders' Plate winners, Platinum Jubilee and Empire Of Japan, having rated 106 and 109 respectively on debut, and the former draws instant comparisons to Coolangatta.

Coolangatta ran to 109 in the Gimcrack on debut, one of the better winners of that race, won the B.J. Mclachlan first up from a let-up, running to 104, then improving second up to equal her peak of 109 in winning the Magic Millions.

Platinum Jubilee ran to 106 on debut and held that mark on Saturday, leading everywhere but the line when nailed late by Fire Lane, who also ran to 106, up from a peak of 92 on debut.

Race favourite Empire Of Japan loomed up in the straight but looked to just run out of steam late, running the race fastest 1000m, 800m and 600m and just 0.01 seconds slower 400m than the winner, levelling out the last 200m.

If I had to pick just one to take into the Gold Coast it'd be Empire Of Japan. He didn't have everything go his way on Saturday and the Snowden camp are very good at getting horses to peak on their grand final days.

Given both he and Platinum Jubilee were first up from a short spell on Saturday, Fire Lane having the benefit of a run at Wyong, I'm confident one of them turns the tables on the Gold Coast.

It may also now mean we now get an opportunity to back both Platinum Jubilee and Empire Of Japan. If one of the pair had won, they'd have started <$3.5, and with good shopping now you can get that about either of them winning.