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Group 1-Placed Magic Attitude Will Make North American Debut In Saturday’s Belmont Oaks

Lael Stables' Magic Attitude, a Group 3 winner in France, will make her North American debut in Saturday's Grade 1, $250,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational, a 10-furlong inner turf test for sophomore fillies at Belmont Park.

The Belmont Oaks Invitational is the first of seven Grade 1 events during the 27-day Belmont Park fall meet, which kicks off on Friday and runs through Sunday, November 1.

In addition to 22 graded stakes, the lucrative meet will also include seven Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” qualifiers to the two-day Breeders' Cup 2020 World Championships to be held November 6-7 at Keeneland Race Course.

Following opening weekend at Belmont, live racing will be conducted Thursday through Sunday with the exception of Columbus Day weekend, when live racing will be offered on Monday, October 12 and will resume on Friday, October 16.

By Galileo and out of the Group 1-winner Margot Did, Magic Attitude was bred in Great Britain by Katsumi Yoshida and is a full-sister to 2018 Group 2 Prix de Sandringham winner Mission Impassible, who is also multiple Grade/Group 1-placed.

Magic Attitude presents an impressive ledger that includes a victory in the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux in May when racing off a nearly eight-month layoff for former conditioner Fabrice Chappet.

She followed in June with a second in the 10-furlong Group 1 Prix Saint Alary at Chantilly in a race won by the undefeated Tawkeel, who exited that effort to win the Group 2 Prix de la Nonette at Deauville.

Last out, in the Group 1 Prix de Diane at Chantilly, Magic Attitude finished a strong fifth, defeated three lengths to Fancy Blue, in a loaded edition of the 1 5/16-miles test known as the French Oaks.

New trainer Arnaud Delacour said Magic Attitude has matched strides with some of the top sophomore fillies in Europe in her brief career.

“She's right there with them. When she ran in the Prix de Diane all the form was very solid,” said Delacour. “It was a very good edition of the French Oaks this year and the fillies that finished in front and around her have come back and won graded stakes, so the form is excellent.”

Fancy Blue, victorious in the Prix de Diane, came back to win the Group 1 Nassau at Goodwood ahead of a third in the Group 1 Matron at Leopardstown. The fourth [Raabihah] and sixth-placed [Ebaiyra] finishers exited the Prix de Diane to win a Group 3 and Group 2 respectively.

Magic Attitude was transferred to the care of Delacour in the summer where she has trained at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland.

“She arrived here in late July. We liked her right away,” said Delacour. “She's not very big, but she's very athletic. She moves very well on the grass.”

The talented bay has breezed four times at Fair Hill, including a half-mile work in 50 flat on September 11 over the dirt.

“She's training very well,” said Delacour. “We've gotten to know her a little bit. It looks like she needs to be covered up, so we put her behind a pacesetter to let her relax and then gallop out strong.”

While Magic Attitude demonstrated ability to run well off the layoff in her Group 3 score, Delacour said Saturday's test, to be contested off a two-month layoff, will be a different experience.

“That win was coming off the winter with a trainer that knew her,” started Delacour, regarding the Prix Vanteaux. “When she came to us she was ready to run. We just had to maintain her, so I don't think that the time off should be a problem.”

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will guide Magic Attitude from post 2.

Madaket Stables, Laura De Seroux, and Marsha Naify's Neige Blanche will make her second start in North America for trainer Leonard Powell.

The French-bred daughter of Anodin graduated in November on the synthetic surface at Marseille-PV when traveling 10 furlongs and followed in December with an allowance score at the same track and surface.

In June, when making just her second start on turf, Neige Blanche captured the 11-furlong Group 3 Prix Cleopatre over soft going at Lyon-Parilly. She was subsequently transferred to the care of Powell in California where she ran a closing fourth last out on debut in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks on August 22 over nine furlongs of firm turf.

Powell said he hopes the added distance on Saturday will benefit.

“It was her first race stateside and although the pace wasn't very strong, she was a little outpaced the first part of the race but it was still a promising debut and she finished very well,” said Powell. “I'm hoping the mile and a quarter on the big track at Belmont Park will be to her liking. Hopefully, she will not be too far back as it's going to be a small field.”

Neige Blanche will exit post 4 under Jose Lezcano.

Godolphin's versatile Hard Spun bay Antoinette will remain on turf after capturing the 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Oaks last out on August 16 over firm footing.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Antoinette captured the off-the-turf Tepin in December at the Big A ahead of third-place efforts on the dirt in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks in March and the Gardenia in May at Oaklawn Park.

Following a third in the Grade 3 Wonder Again in June on the Belmont turf, Antoinette returned to dirt and finished a good third in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 18 preceding her Saratoga Oaks effort.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez retains the mount from post 5 as Antoinette looks to improve on a record of 8-3-0-4 that includes purse earnings of $483,750.

Rounding out the field are Arindel's Key Biscayne [post 3, Manny Franco], who was third last out in the Saratoga Oaks for trainer Juan Alvarado; and Paul Pompa, Jr.'s Setting the Mood [post 1, Luis Saez], winner of an off-the-turf maiden in May at Gulfstream Park for trainer Todd Pletcher.

The Belmont Oaks Invitational is slated as Race 5 on Saturday's 10-race program, which offers a first post of 1:00 p.m. Eastern. America's Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the 27-day fall meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete America's Day at the Races broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the 27-day fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, NYRA Bets is currently offering a $200 new member bonus in addition to a host of special weekly offers. The NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Bloodlines Presented By Gary Contessa’s Integrity Bloodstock: Galileo’s Grandkids Now Make Their Mark

This is not another article exclaiming that racers by the legendary Galileo (by Sadler's Wells) won all the Group 1 stakes over the weekend. Indeed, from 10 G1s on Saturday and Sunday, they won “only” four of those: marvelous Magical (Irish Champion), Search for a Song (Irish St. Leger), Mogul (Grand Prix de Paris), and Shale (Moyglare Stud Stakes).

Instead, this is an article about how the Galileo daughters and a particular son of the old boy are doing.

The son is English Derby winner Australia (out of Oaks winner Ouija Board), who sired his first Group 1 winner in Galileo Chrome, the winner of the Group 1 St. Leger at Doncaster. The oddly-named Galileo Chrome – who's a plain bay – galloped comfortably to the outside of the well-regarded Pyledriver for most of the mile and three-quarters and 115 yards, then maneuvered through traffic, and finished fastest to win the longest classic.

A winner in his three prior starts, including the Yeats Stakes at Navan on his last outing, Galileo Chrome is a progressive colt who appears to have a lot of scope and can only improve for greater maturity and strength.

In addition to the winner of the St. Leger, Australia sired Cayenne Pepper, who won the G2 Blandford Stakes at the Curragh from Galileo's daughter Amma Grace. Also this weekend, Australia had the third-place racer behind Shale in the Group 1 race mentioned above.

Shale and other daughters of Galileo are broodmare prospects of a high order, and they tend to go to some of the better sires around the world. Over the past weekend, one daughter of Galileo was the dam of the winner of the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden, Barney Roy, and another daughter produced Ghaiyyath, who was second to Magical in the Irish Champion.

Barney Roy's dam, Alina, was unplaced in a pair of starts, whereas the dam of Ghaiyyath is Nightime, winner of the 2006 Irish 1,000 Guineas. The simple statistics of racing success, with about 3 percent stakes winners to foals, mean that far more of any stallion's racers will fail than will succeed at a high level. Therefore, some nice prospects and subsequent producers will show little on the racetrack.

Another of the great sire's non-winning daughters produced Pista, this year's winner of the Park Hill Stakes, which is the filly equivalent to the St. Leger.

In her third victory from four starts, Pista has risen rapidly since winning a maiden at Galway in early August to become a listed stakes winner and now a group winner.

Bred in Kentucky by Lynch Bages Ltd. and a $675,000 yearling at the 2018 Keeneland September sale, Pista is out of Mohini, a daughter of the Storm Cat mare Denebola, who was the highweight 2-year-old filly in France in 2003 after victory in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac.

That proved the high point of Denebola's racing, but she has three stakes-producing daughters, including Beta Leo (A.P. Indy), who is the dam of Senga (Blame), winner of the G1 Prix de Diane.

And the sire of Pista?

American Pharoah.

Four Star Sales's Tony Lacy acted as agent for the Heider family in the purchase and recalled the process that led to the acquisition of Pista. He said, “We'd been looking at the first-crop yearlings by American Pharoah and had been very impressed. They were largely big, athletic prospects with scope and great minds. With their bone and toughness, I thought they might be very effective on turf.

“And this prolific family, that had been developed in the Niarchos family stud for generations, had a lot of turf excellence that I'd seen first-hand during my time working in France. This is the family of the highweight filly Coup de Folie, her full brother Machiavellian” (both by Mr. Prospector), who was a highweight on the European handicaps and then a leading sire, “and it goes right on back to a half-sister to Northern Dancer.”

Yeah, nice family.

As an individual, Lacy noted, “This filly was a big yearling who turned into a growthy 2-year-old, and we decided not to race her at 2 because she wasn't ready. Even early at three, she didn't show much promise until the late spring and early summer, and then she began to come on so strongly that Joseph O'Brien (who trains the filly) became optimistic about her debut. Pista, however, walked out of the gate and raced greenly.

“Joseph said the penny dropped after the first race, and in her second start, Pista jumped off nicely, laid up with the pace, and powered away to win her maiden” by 6 1/2 lengths at Galway. “Then we stepped her up to a listed race against colts,” Lacy continued, “in the Vinnie Roe Stakes at Leopardstown.”

The elegant filly won again, this time while competing at a mile and three-quarters and winning from Sunchart (Teofilo) and Dawn Patrol (Galileo), who ran eighth and sixth respectively in the St. Leger. So that is positive form suggesting that Pista could have beaten at least half the field in the classic.

Another reason that the connections, including the trainer, were quite pleased with the effort at Leopardstown is that Pista “is so laid back on the gallops that she doesn't show what she's capable of till she's put in a race,” Lacy said. “So we said, 'let's try the Park Hill,' and that result was a resounding 'yes.' The plan now is to go for the Group 1 Prix de Royallieu on the Arc weekend.”

That will be a further step up in a race that typically draws a set of experienced Group 1 fillies, three and up, but with the mental and physical toughness of the American Pharoah and Galileo stock, don't discount her chances.

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Magical Could Target Breeders’ Cup After Defeating Ghaiyyath In Irish Champion Stakes

If you get into a battle with Magical you better bring everything you've got because she's a formidable force and proved it once more in this weekend's Irish Champion Stakes, writes Bradley West.

Having been beaten by fierce rival and pre-race favorite Ghaiyyath at York last month, the five-year-old mare exacted revenge by winning a straight fight against Charlie Appleby's star in the showpiece race on Day One of Longines Irish Champions Weekend.

The victory, Magical's second consecutive success in the 1m2f bout, means Aidan O'Brien extends his record as the leading trainer in the race with his ninth triumph.

But O'Brien reserved all his praise for the sire of Galileo highlighting how, in the heat of battle, there are very few better than her.

“What she wants is to always eyeball a horse in battle,” O'Brien said. “Seamie [Heffernan] was happy to make the running today, if William [Buick] was going to go then Seamus was going to go and keep her interested. He gave her a brilliant ride.

“She's one serious mare, when you get into a battle with her. It's really when you get into a battle with her when you really see what she can do.

“We're learning about her all the time. If you get away from her she gets a bit lazy, if you get into a fight with her very few will eyeball her. That's what she did with the colt.

“She's a great filly. It wasn't a big field but my god they were good horses in it.”

Ever the fast starter, Ghaiyyath took to the front in the early running deploying his legendary cruising speed to good effect.

But it didn't take long for O'Brien duo Magical and Japan to enter the fray, as the front three pulled away from the rest.

With not long to go it became a straight shootout between Magical and Ghaiyyath, one which saw Buick ease O'Brien's star away to double up at Leopardstown.

The victory gave veteran Seamie Heffernan another high-profile success in what has been an outstanding season for the 48-year-old.

Having already won the Irish 1,000 Guineas with Peaceful and the Irish Derby with Santiago in 2020, Heffernan crowned a third prestigious Irish showpiece win of the year – with the focus now turning to a potential crack at the Breeders' Cup.

O'Brien added: “We were very happy after York with what she was able to do. She just lost interest a little bit.

“I think so [she'll have a crack at the Breeders Cup]. Something like that would suit her really well.

“But this is a massive race. Of all the European races, prestige-wise, this is probably one of the most, if not the most.

“It's the highest rating race over a ten-year period and it comes out on top of all the races. All the high rating horses turn up here.

“It's the perfect place on the calendar, the perfect ground, the perfect mile and a quarter the perfect distance.”

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Calhoun: Derby Distance ‘Could Be A Great Equalizer’ For Last-Minute Entry Mr. Big News

Trainer Bret Calhoun announced late Monday that Mr. Big News, winner of the Oaklawn Stakes at 46-1 back in April, would be entered in the 146th Kentucky Derby. The 3-year-old son of Giant's Causeway hasn't run since finishing sixth in the G2 Blue Grass Stakes on July 11, and Calhoun had even been considering a switch to turf, since Mr. Big News is out of a daughter of Galileo.

“After the Blue Grass, I don't think we got quite the trip we wanted there, and it was a little bit disappointing,” Calhoun said. “So, I thought with his pedigree that maybe we should shift gears and try to make a top turf horse out of him, so we started pointing toward the (Grade 2) American Turf (1 1/16 miles on the grass at Churchill on the Kentucky Derby undercard).

“In the last week or so, we've gotten him over the turf course twice here (at Churchill), and its been very soft. We've had some rain, and its not drying out well. It looks like we're going to have some more rain and moisture throughout the week, so we felt like the turf course was going to be a little too soft for his liking. We started thinking about the Derby again, which had been in the back of our mind for the past month, knowing its probably not going to overfill. We really think he'll relish the mile and a quarter, he's training really well over the dirt here, so we decided to take a swing.

“Besides that, (owner) Chester Thomas has had a bad case of Derby fever the last few days!”

Bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Stable, Mr. Big News was a $95,000 yearling purchase for Thomas' Allied Racing Stable at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall sale. The colt has won two of his seven starts and earned $168,553.

In Saturday's rescheduled Run for the Roses, Mr. Big News drew post position nine and has morning-line odds of 50-1. He'll be ridden by jockey Tyler Gaffalione in the 1 1/4-mile dirt classic.

“The distance is definitely a key factor; you can't run him too far,” Calhoun said. “He's always finishing big, he's always galloping out strong, so I think that could be an equalizer in here. Obviously there's some horses on paper that are more talented, but I think the distance could be a great equalizer.”

Thanks to the National Turfwriters and Broadcasters Association (NTWAB), which has assembled a group of pool reporters providing independent reporting to members unable to be on the Churchill Downs grounds this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

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