AIDAN O’Brien sends two challengers to Belmont Park tonight when the filly Magic Wand (Wayne Lordan) and Hunting Horn (Michael Hussey) line up in a nine-horse field for the $700,000 Grade 1 Man o’ War Stakes.
Magic Wand is well travelled already this season and was second to Bricks And Mortar in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes before finishing fifth in the Dubai Sheema Classic behind Old Persian.
The Galileo filly was tough and consistent last season. She was well fancied for the Oaks, won the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot and started favourite for the Irish Oaks. She also finished second in the Prix Vermeille and Prix De l’Opera before a fourth of 14 at the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare.
Hunting Horn has also been campaigned internationally and was one place ahead of Magic Wand in the Sheema Classic.
He also ran on the Gulfstream Park undercard in January. His best run last season was when he won the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot. He is drawn one and looks likely to go forward from that draw, Magic Wand is in stall five.
Chad Brown, predictably provides the favourite in Focus Group, a son of Kittens Joy. He has yet to win a Grade 1 though, and finished third in the Canadian International last season and warmed up with a win in the Grade 2 Pan American Stakes here at the end of March.
Other starters for the Man o’ War include Mike Maker’s Zulu Alpha, third in a Keeneland Grade 2 last time, but winner of two graded stakes races in the early part of the year at Gulfstream’s Pegasus meeting (Hunting Horn behind in the first).
Bill Mott’s Channel Maker has the best US form with wins last year in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes here and the Grade 2 Bowling Green Stakes, though he was well beaten in the Breeders’ Cup and in the Pegasus World Cup dirt race.
Her best form gives Magic Wand a great chance of a US Grade 1 success.
The card features three other graded races, including the $300,000 Peter Pan Stakes for three-year-olds, a steppingstone for the final leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes on June 8th.
PERCY WARNER
Gordon Elliott sends three runners to the Iroquois meeting at Percy Warner in Nashville this evening. All three run in the colours of US owners with Stooshie lining up in the second race a three-mile hurdle in the colours of leading US owners Rosbrian Farms.
Chief Justice will carry the colours of Irvin Naylor in the Marcellus Champion Hurdle over two and a quarter miles at 8.10pm Irish time.
Markhan also runs for Rosbrian Farms in the George Sloan and John Sloan Jr Hurle at 9.25pm. Davy Russell is set to take the mounts.
The main race of the meeting is the Calvin Highland Iroquois Hurdle (10.35) where Gibralfaro runs for Riverdee Stables with Jack Doyle on board.
Ross Geraghty will partner Surprising Soul and Sean McDermott is on last year’s winner Scorpiancer.