Aidan O’Brien's Dubai Raiders Led By Magical
Magical trained by Aidan O’Brien is gearing up for a tilt at the Gr.1 Dubai Sheema Classic, a race that owner Coolmore won in 2013 with St Nicholas Abbey. The Galileo sister to three-time Group 1 winner Rhododendron has already achieved the same level of success, thanks to a victory in the British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes (Gr.1). She followed this up by finishing three-quarters of a length behind the brilliant Enable in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (Gr.1) with a competitive field trailing far behind. She is likely to be joined in the race by stablemate Magic Wand, who has now finished second in three Group 1 races, most recently in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (Gr.1) at the end of January.
O’Brien is also likely to send the talented stayer Flag of Honour to prove himself against many of the top stars of the stamina world. A winner of three stakes as a sophomore last term, he was an impressive victor in the Gr.1 Irish St Leger. He is targeting the Gr.2 Dubai Gold Cup (Gr.2) and goes there with a solid claim
Another Galileo who could have a substantial 4-year-old year and is under Dubai consideration is Group 2 winner I Can Fly, who has proven herself at the highest level when second to Roaring Lion in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Gr.1). She is a prime candidate for the $6 million Dubai Turf sponsored by DP World (Gr.1).
Lost Treasuries a final interesting part of O’Brien’s equation. The three-part older brother to the talented Just Wonderful does not carry the same gloss as his high-profile stablemates, though he has displayed Group 1 ability and should not be ignored in the Gr.1 Al Quoz Sprint.
Curated from Press Release by Dubai Racing Club