Aidan O’Brien described Magical as “the ultimate racehorse” after a typically resolute success in the Gr1 Champion Stakes gave the trainer his first success in the race on Saturday. “Every day, she wakes up with a total clean sheet,” O’Brien said. “She accepts everything on the chin and says what do you want me to do today? It’s internally with her, it’s her mind. She never says no.”
The feature event on Champions Day was Magical’s ninth start of the season, just a fortnight after finishing fifth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, and while the decision to switch the race to the hurdles track meant that the going was soft rather than heavy, it was still demanding enough to suck the enthusiasm from any horse sensing the end of a long campaign.
Magical, though, never looked likely to yield her lead after hitting the front under Donnacha O’Brien more than a furlong out. Addeybb stayed on to finish a three-quarter length second, with the Japanese mare Deirdre, back in third. It was the fourth Group One win of her career and even now, Magical may not be done for the season as a return to the Breeders’ Cup meeting for the Filly & Mare Turf is under serious consideration.
“She’s totally sound, mentally and physically,” O’Brien said. “Her mind is incredible. I think a mile-and-a-quarter is her ideal trip, but she gets a mile-and-a-half because of her class.
“The Arc was a strongly run race and she has come out of that and won here. She handles ease in the ground, she goes on fast ground, what can you say? The lads [in the Coolmore syndicate] will decide if we go to the Breeders’ Cup with her [but] if you asked her, she’d be delighted.”
Magical was a close second behind Enable in the Turf last year and would face another stern opponent in Chad Brown’s Grade One-winner Sistercharlie, the defending champion in the Filly & Mare Turf, if she heads to Santa Anita on 2 November. She is top-priced at 11-4 to round off her season with an extra flourish, while Sistercharlie is a 9-4 chance.
Magical’s win put the seal on an excellent afternoon for Donnacha O’Brien, who took over aboard his father’s main runners on the card after Ryan Moore, the stable jockey, made the long trip to Australia for an ultimately fruitless attempt to win a valuable race in Sydney overnight.
Flying The Flag’s first crop are now unraced 2yo’s and he has three lots on offer at the upcoming Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale.
Secretariat’s 1973 Preakness Time Now Confirmed A Record The Maryland Racing Commission voted Tuesday in a special hearing at Laurel Park that 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, who set records that still stand at the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and the Belmont States (gr. I), also set the record in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I)…
The KZN based Summerview Stud will be offering two, well-bred lots at this year’s Emperors Palace National 2YO Sale. Both of Summerview Stud’s two-year-olds were sired by G1 sprinters, suggesting that both Forged In Ice and Desert Crusader will have speed to burn! Forged In Ice (Lot 236) is a filly by four time G1…
Peak Of Perfection: Piemonte Stud Foals pictured in 2014 by Oratorio on the left, and Silvano on the right at Piemonte Stud in Summerveld. Piemonte Stud is based in the heart of racehorse country in KZN, a beautiful area of Summerveld which sees multiple Group champions coming out of its training tracks year after year….
International News For KZN This Week News in from Coolmore is that Crusade’s talented half-brother by Henrythenavigator – G2 Railway Stakes runner-up Cristoforo Colombo – will be competing in the Gr 1 2000 Guineas. Following a post-racing gallop at the Curragh on Sunday evening, trainer Aidan O’Brien confirmed that three of his star Henrythenavigators were…
Possible Canon Gold Cup Postponement Due to the heavy rain fall in Durban this week, Gold Circle are considering postponing the Canon Gold Cup “Super Saturday” to Sunday 31 July 2011. Gill Simpkins of Gold Circle has advised they will only know and be able to make a decision at 1pm on Friday afternoon, after…