She’s Magic

Once in a blue moon, I see something potentially special in a longshot.  This week Tomato Magic delivered on that untapped potential in spades, winning the Grade II Wilted Petal Stakes.  The betting public had little faith in Toplight‘s three-year-old daughter of Galileo, but the trainer saw her win three straight turf sprint allowances and knew she was ready for something bigger.

“She just lit up the first time we tried her going short on the track,” beamed the veteran trainer. “We knew she had a grassy pedigree, so we’d started her in turf routes.  She was nothing special there, so we tried the dirt.  She perked up a little bit, so we left her there for a few starts.  Then I had an opportunity to try her short on the turf and she blew us away.  You just never know whether a horse will like something  until you give it a try.”

Two of the prerace favorites, Tequila Shooter and Anubis Warrior, set a hot early pace, but only ended up wearing each other out.  Magic stalked patiently, watching her competition become rubber-legged.  Just ahead of her was Starinsky.  In the stretch Magic turned on her devastating stretch run and flew by everyone, topping Starinsky by half a length.  For the record, in my preview I stated that “I’m comfortable passing on” longshot Starinsky, who in fact ran a lovely race.  Third was taken by the late-running Lady of Malay, who also did impress me before the race, but ran beautifully for her first on-the-board finish in a graded race.

What’s next for the talented Magic?  “We’re considering our options,” says the cagey Toplight, “but we expect big things.”