Aidan O’Brien believes Magical has improved into her five-year-old season after the mare won her fifth Group 1 race by over four lengths at the Curragh on Sunday.
Magical was untroubled when leading throughout at her seasonal reappearance in the Pretty Polly Stakes (2012m) for fillies and mares. The daughter of Galileo strode clear from Cayenne Pepper to win by 4.5 lengths with stablemate Fleeting a further 1.75 lengths away.
True Self, who is raced in partnership by OTI Racing and won last year’s Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) during the Melbourne Cup carnival, just missed securing her first Group 1 placing when finishing fourth in the five-horse field, 9.75 lengths behind Magical.
Aidan O’Brien said of Magical on Racing TV: “She’s very exciting and always has been but she’s got stronger this year and that’s why the lads decided to leave her in training. She was to go to No Nay Never.
“We could have went to Sandown (for the Group 1 Eclipse Stakes on July 5) but this was a lovely race to start her off. We’ll probably let Japan go to Sandown — he’s had a run.
“We’ll look at the King George for her next at Ascot on Saturday, July 25. We learned last year that she gets ten furlongs, (2000 metres) really well and gets twelve furlongs, as well. It makes her very uncomplicated.
“You usually see a big change between three to four but something really strange happened the way she changed over the winter to this year. It’s very obvious the power she has now.
“She had been working brilliantly but we knew that she would come on plenty as well. The Irish Champion Stakes and the Arc are all races that are open to her.”
Flying The Flag’s first runners have hit the tracks this year.