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Superstar mare to join Coolmore Stud broodmare band
Seven-time Group 1 winner Magical (Galileo) has been retired and will join Coolmore Stud’s illustrious broodmare band, but the operation has said that no stallion has been decided for her first mating.
The daughter of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) retires the winner of 12 of her 28 starts, with seven of those victories coming at elite level, which saw her amass £4,964,065 in career prize-money.
After being beaten on debut, Magical shed her maiden status at the second time of asking before breaking through at stakes level on her next appearance in the Debutante Stakes (Gr 2, 7f).
Her first victory as a three-year-old came in the Kilboy Estate Stakes (Gr 2, 1m1f) and she tasted her first win at elite level when winning the British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes (Gr 1, 1m4f), which she duly followed up with a good second behind champion mare Enable (Nathaniel) in the Breeders' Cup Turf (Gr 1, 12f).
After being kept in training as a four-year-old, Magical strung together a trifecta of successes in the Alleged Stakes (Gr 3, 1m2f), Mooresbridge Stakes (Gr 2, 1m2f), before adding a second Group 1 to her CV in the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Gr 1, 1m2½f).
Magical’s next start came in the Prince of Wales's Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f) at Royal Ascot, where she finished second behind Crystal Ocean (Sea The Stars), before occupying that same position behind Enable in the Coral Eclipse (Gr 1, 1m2f) and held that same position behind her in the Yorkshire Oaks (Gr 1, 1m2f).
Magical then added the Irish Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f) to her CV, before beating Addeybb (Pivotal) in the Champions Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f) at Ascot the following month.
During her five-year-old career the mare added another three Group 1s to her impressive record when landing the Pretty Polly Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f), a second Tattersalls Gold Cup and after being beaten by Ghaiyyath (Dubawi) in the International Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2½f), she reserved the form with the son of Dubawi (Dubai Millennium) on her next start in the Irish Champion Stakes in September.
After running third in the Champion Stakes in October, the mare finished second in the Breeders' Cup Turf (Gr 1, 12f), before posting a brave third place finish in her swansong in the Hong Kong Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) at Sha Tin earlier this month.
Magical is out of the triple Group 1 winner Halfway To Heaven (Pivotal) who has produced four other winners including Magical’s multiple Group 1-winning sister Rhododendron and her Group 3 winning brother Flying The Flag.
The mare’s second dam is Cassandra Go (Indian Ridge), winner of the King’s Stand Stakes (Gr 2, 5f) and dam of eight winners including Group 3 winners Tickled Pink (Invincible Spirit) and Theanna (Rock Of Gibraltar) who herself produced dual Grade 1 winner Photo Call (Galileo) and Group 2 winner Land Force (No Nay Never), who resides at Highclere Stud.
"Her mum (Halfway To Heaven) was a queen, she was a queen and she was by Galileo, so I suppose you could call him the king," O'Brien said of his stable star. "It would be exciting to train her offspring."
On the highlight of Magical's illustrious career, he said: "The days that stand out are the Champion Stakes. She was amazing, she always turned up. She was tough, she was consistent and had a super mind and was very sound."
