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Mark Nunan

Mark Nunan

No tricks needed as Magical strolls home

Sun 28th Jun 2020, 17:41

Magical clear of her field in the Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly StakesMagical clear of her field in the Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly Stakes
© Photo Healy Racing

It was all extremely straightforward for the 2/5 favourite Magical in the Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly Stakes (Group One).

Well clear of her four rivals on ratings, she broke smartly to lead under Seamie Heffernan (a treble on the day).

Asked to assert early in the home straight, she raced away for a comfortable four and a half length victory from Cayenne Pepper who ran a creditable race against her elders.

It was a tenth career success, and a fifth at Group One level, for the five-year-old mare by Galileo.

Winning trainer Aidan O'Brien (also a treble on the day): "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 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. We learned last year that she gets ten (furlongs) really well and gets twelve 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.”

Paddy Power go 6/1 from 14/1 about Magical for next Sunday's Coral Eclipse at Sandown, while they quote her at 3/1 for the King George at Ascot on Saturday July 25th.

Additional reporting by Alan Magee

About Mark Nunan
Mark has followed racing since he was a teenager and worked for many years as a broadcaster with the Irish version of Racecall. He joined the Press Association in 2019 and is also a contributor to the Racing Post. A native of Kildare, he now lives in Sligo.