Magic Wand at Royal Ascot (Pic – Horseracing Ireland)
Her 2019 season was a non-stop whirlwind featuring 12 starts in six different countries and this year may be no different for Magic Wand, a mare trainer Aidan O’Brien described as “just unbelievable” in the wake of her narrow defeat to Japanese star Win Bright in the Longines Hong Kong Cup last month, writes Scott Burton.
Barely have the candles been blown out on her fifth birthday cake and Magic Wand is being prepared for a return to Gulfstream Park to begin her 2020 campaign in familiar surroundings at the Pegasus World Cup meeting.
The daughter of Galileo found only future Breeders’ Cup Turf hero Bricks And Mortar too strong in the inaugural turf event on the card 12 months ago and, although she also features among the invitations for both that race and the $3 million Pegasus World Cup on dirt, O’Brien intends to stick to the grass with Magic Wand.
“The plan is to send her to Gulfstream for the same race she ran second in last year,” said O’Brien said. “She’s done plenty of travelling and has been very consistent.”
Magic Wand showed her liking for the US twice more in 2019, finishing a narrow third in the Man O’ War Stakes at Belmont in May, while she once again ran into Bricks And Mortar when second in August’s Arlington Million.
Her ultimate reward for the year came in landing the Group 1 Seppelt Mackinnon Stakes – just four days after running in the Lexus Melbourne Cup – before heading to Sha Tin where she narrowly failed to reel in Win Bright.
Organisers the Stronach Group having scrapped the buy-in fees for its two marquee races and have issued 17 invitations in total for the Pegasus World Cup Turf, including former John Gosden inmate Without Parole, who finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Mile on his debut for Chad Brown.
Magic Wand’s owners Coolmore recently bought a half-share in Maximum Security, one of three marquee names among the initial invites for the Pegasus World Cup.
Best known for being disqualified after passing the post in front in the Kentucky Derby, Maximum Security has four Gr1 wins to his name.
However, along with Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up McKinzie, he could skip Gulfstream in favour of the inaugural Saudi Cup in February, leaving Omaha Beach as potentially the biggest draw on January 25.
