O’Brien looking forward to another Magical campaign

Nick Grant
May 28, 2020 7:00 pm

Star mare to return as a five-year-old, Mogul in line for Derrinstown Derby Trial.

Aidan O’Brien has outlined potential running plans for some of his stable stars, including star mare Magical, who is back in training.

The daughter of Galileo – the subject of so many battles with the mighty Enable – was a popular winner of the Qipco Champion Stakes on British Champions Day at Ascot in October and was due to head to the Breeders’ Cup afterwards before being covered by No Nay Never.

In the end the multiple Group One winner did not travel to Santa Anita after developing a temperature and connections had a rethink on calling time on her career. A trip to Royal Ascot could be possible, but an outing at the Curragh on June 28 appears more likely.

O’Brien said: “Magical is back in training and I think she might be entered in the Prince of Wales’s, but it’s possible she might not start until the Pretty Polly. We were lucky the lads agreed they would leave her for the year.

“She’s only five this year and she’s done very well physically.”

O’Brien also has news of leading Investec Derby contender Mogul and his year-older brother Japan.

He said: “We are thinking of going to the Derrinstown (Derby Trial, at Leopardstown on June 9) with Mogul, but obviously these things can change.

“With Japan we are thinking of going to the Prince of Wales’s at the moment. Like I say, all these things can change, but I think that’s what we’re thinking at the moment.”

Surprise Irish Derby hero Sovereign has not run since his victory at the Curragh at the end of June, but is on the comeback trail, while Kew Gardens is poised to head straight to Ascot for the Gold Cup.

O’Brien added: “Sovereign is back in training, he’s done four bits of work back and we’re just trying to go gentle with him and thinking of the autumn with him. He might have a run in the middle of the summer, but that’s what we’re trying to do, aim him at an autumn campaign.

“Kew Gardens is in good form and if he’s going to Ascot he’ll go there without a run. He was ready to run in Dubai and we were hoping to go to Leopardstown or Navan, but it’s all been a bit of a mess for him really.

“The plan then was to give him a little rest and come back to Ascot. We’re hoping to get him to Ascot, he’ll be there without a run and we’ll how we get on after that.”