Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly Stakes (Group 1)

THE outcome turned out be as straightforward and one-sided as the betting suggested beforehand as the brilliant Magical totally outclassed her four rivals at the start of what could be a momentous season for the five-year-old.

An unusual presence on the track this year in that fillies of her calibre would usually be retired at this stage, Magical has already enjoyed a stunning career headed by her completion of the English and Irish Champion Stakes double last autumn.

Easiest race

This assignment looked one of her easiest for some time as she had upwards of 8lb to spare over her rivals on official figures. Nonetheless, one couldn’t but be impressed by the manner in which she dominated this race to give Seamie Heffernan a third Group 1 winner of the season.

The Irish Derby-winning rider, who has won this race twice in the past, kept things as simple as he could on Magical by going straight to the front and the pair were untroubled at all stages.

Magical already had a commanding lead by the time she pressed on for home turning into the straight and the race was already over at this point. The 2/5 favourite did everything at her leisure over the last couple of furlongs to come home four and a half lengths ahead of Cayenne Pepper, with the winner’s multiple Group 1-placed stablemate Fleeting a further one and three-quarter lengths back in third.

Exciting

“She’s very exciting. She’d been working brilliantly but we felt that she would come on for this,” stated O’Brien. “The reason she stayed in training was as a result of what we saw from her this winter which was highly unusual. Often horses change a lot from three to four but she actually did it from four to five and she’s become very powerful.

“We know she gets 10 furlongs really well and a mile and a half is no problem to her either so all those top races will be there for her through the rest of the year. I would imagine the King George at Ascot could be next for her. We could have started her in the Eclipse but this looked a lovely race for her and we thought that Japan could head to Sandown instead,” concluded O’Brien who was winning this race for the fifth time in his career.

The winning rider added: “She’s a push button ride with loads of class. I was delighted to get the spin on her and she’s be right up there with any of the good fillies I’ve ridden. She’d be a very good ride in an Arc.”

The runner-up performed creditably on her first outing since finishing fourth in the Fillies’ Mile last October.

She is now likely to return to the Curragh in a fortnight’s time for the Juddmonte Irish Oaks.