While champion colts are routinely packed off to stud at the end of their three year-old season, champion fillies are far more likely to be kept in training with Coolmore’s decision to race on with star five year-old Galileo mare Magical paying dividends overnight with a win in the Group I Pretty Polly Stakes (1m2f) at The Curragh.
Making her first appearance for 2020, the Aidan O’Brien trained Magical was a class above in the Pretty Polly, always looking to have the race in her keeping before powering clear to win by more than four lengths.
“She's been competing at Group 1 level for a long time and she still has the attitude and the ability. She's as good as I've ridden.”
A homebred for Coolmore, Magical has the overall of 10 wins from 22 starts with this success her fifth at the highest level.
A full sister to triple Group I winner Rhododendron and Group III winner Flying the Flag, Magical is the best of five winners from Pivotal’s triple Group I winner Halfway to Heaven.
She is one of six Group I winners bred on the Galileo x Pivotal cross that has produced 12 stakes-winners in total from 29 runners at a strike rate of 41%!