More Magic!

CJ Thoroughbreds and Mo Speed Racing's Tom's Magic may still be fairly lightly raced, but he's already built up quite the following, and yesterday's magnificent victory in the $400,000 Breeders' Stakes at Woodbine will have succeeded in winning him over a whole slew of new fans.

Given a lot to do last time out when swooping late for second in the valuable King's Plate, Tom's Magic was much more handily placed this time by Rafael Hernandez, kicking clear at the top of the stretch before showing admirable grit and guts to fend off the persistent efforts of runner-up Borealis Trail to claim a head victory at the wire.

“During the race, Mike just told me, ‘Rafi, I don’t care what you do, just make sure you keep him relaxed,’” said Hernandez, after the race. “So, that’s what we did. We broke okay, a couple of horses go and I tried to keep him in behind.

“Around the second turn, the pace was too slow – were just galloping, just walking. I was fighting to keep him in behind. He got on the bridle really hard. Turning for home, I know he was going to give me a kick like he did in The King’s Plate.”

A handsome, tall strong colt by Justify (who cost $200,000 as a yearling), Tom's Magic has really come into his own over these longer trips where his gorgeous big stride can really be put to good effect.

He started the year in good fashion, claiming stakes victories at Fair Grounds and Monmouth Park. But it was his effort in the $1 million King's Plate last time out that really lit the fires of imagination as to his potential abilities.

"I knew we had a really good horse,” said Scott Mawaka, of Mo Speed Racing, after the Breeders' Stakes. "He was well prepared. I felt much better than I did in the Plate, and he showed a lot finishing after being challenged. It was impressive but certainly nerve wracking.”

Co-owner Corey Johnsen added: “We felt that this horse maybe needed a little time to mature. We were able to send him to our farm in Midway, Kentucky and give him that time. In January, when this horse showed us that he had some talent, we said we need to look at The King’s Plate and the rest of the Canadian Triple Crown."

We'll update this space later this week on entries for the start of the latest Keeneland meet.