By Tom Frary
Off the track since her seasonal return when fourth in the G3 Prix de la Grotte at ParisLongchamp Apr. 15, Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) showed no rustiness as she made all to get back to winning ways in Sunday's G2 Kilboy Estate S. at The Curragh. Sent off the 5-4 favourite, last year's G2 Debutante S. winner and G1 Moyglare Stud S. runner-up was bounced out to lead by Ryan Moore and there were no dramas as she completed her task with authority, putting 2 3/4 lengths between her and the Listed Celebration S. winner I'm So Fancy (Ire) (Rajj {Ire}) at the line. “We had her ready to run in the Oaks, it was the plan to run her, but she just knocked the inside of her joint and then it just took a long time for the swelling to go down and the soreness to go out, so she got held up,” Aidan O'Brien explained. “We had her in the [Irish] Oaks yesterday, but we were afraid to run her as we were afraid she wasn't fit enough. This was a nice start back for her and hopefully she's okay. She was leaning left a little bit all the way in the straight.”
Along with Happily (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and TDN Rising Star September (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Magical made up a holy trinity of juvenile fillies for Ballydoyle last season and after upstaging them both in the Debutante here in August she looked as if she could turn out best. After Happily reversed the form in the Moyglare, Magical was sent to Chantilly to contest the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and Newmarket for the G1 Fillies' Mile and ran fourth in each of those tests before entering winter quarters and re-emerging with blinkers on in the Grotte. After this all-the-way effort, her trainer is pondering her optimum trip. “She's a lovely filly–how far she'll stay, I'm not sure,” he added. “We'll see how she is, but we could have a look at the [Aug. 23 G1] Yorkshire Oaks with her. Talking to Ryan there, he thought she maybe wasn't ready to step up to a mile and a half yet.” September, who had been off since the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November, was slowly away and never got out of last place but O'Brien was unconcerned. “Obviously we were babying September along to try to get her back after her setback in the spring,” he said. “The plan was to drop in and Seamus [Heffernan] was always going to look after her if she got tired. There should be an awful lot of improvement in her.”
Magical hails from one of the best families in European racing, with her G1 Irish 1000 Guineas, G1 Nassau S. and G1 Sun Chariot S.-winning dam Halfway To Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) producing some rare alchemy by Galileo including the winner's Rhododendron (Ire). Her victory in the latest renewal of the G1 Lockinge S. was her third at the highest level and there is a yearling full-sister to both waiting in the wings. Halfway To Heaven's dam is Trevor Stewart's high-class sprinter Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}), winner of the G2 King's Stand S. and G2 Temple S. and runner-up to Mozart (Ire) in the 2001 G1 July Cup. She is also responsible for the G3 Abernant S. and G3 Sandown Sprint S. scorer Tickled Pink (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and the G3 Summer S. winner Theann (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire). The latter went on to produce the GI First Lady S. and GI Rodeo S. heroine Photo Call (Ire) also from a mating with Galileo, and this stable's recent G2 Norfolk S. third and Listed Tipperary S. winner Land Force (Ire) (No Nay Never). Cassandra Go is kin to the now-deceased G3 Coventry S.-winning successful sire Verglas (Ire) (Highest Honor {Fr}) out of the distinguished Rahaam (Secreto) whose abundant classy descendants include the GI Mother Goose S. third Seba (GB) (Alzao).
Sunday, Curragh, Ireland
KILBOY ESTATE S.-G2, €115,000, Curragh, 7-22, 3yo/up, f, 9fT, 1:54.16, g/f.
1–MAGICAL (IRE), 126, f, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Halfway To Heaven (Ire) (MG1SW-Eng, G1SW-Ire & G1SP-Fr, $941,139), by Pivotal (GB)
2nd Dam: Cassandra Go (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
3rd Dam: Rahaam, by Secreto
O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €67,850. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Ire, 8-3-2-0, $325,651. *Full to Rhododendron (Ire), Hwt. 2yo Filly-Ire, MG1SW-Eng, G1SW-Ire, GSW & G1SP-Ire, GISP-US, $1,715,911; and Flying The Flag (Ire), GSW-Ire & GSP-SAf, $195,702. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–I'm So Fancy (Ire), 135, f, 4, Rajj (Ire)–Royal Jelly (GB), by King's Best. O-Mrs James Nicholson; B-Lisheen Stud (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington. €23,000.
3–Broadway (Ire), 126, f, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Danedrop (Ire), by Danehill. O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €11,500.
Margins: 2 3/4, 2, 1. Odds: 1.25, 3.50, 25.00.
Also Ran: Ship of Dreams (Ire), Sarrocchi (Ire), Damselfly (Ire), September (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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