It’s Magical As Spirit Wins At The Third Attempt
The season is coming towards the final stages and some horses are now being finished after a long season. Whilst some are finishing there are some who are only just starting on their journey, with plenty of 2yr olds only now finding their feet. Some have had enough runs to tackle nurseries but some are still competing in the novice events. There are plenty of opportunities around for these juveniles and Magical Spirit took advantage of that when winning on his third career start in the 5f Beverley Annual Badgeholders Novice Auction Stakes at Beverley.
Zebedee is one of those commercial sires that doesn’t always suit all tastes but Kevin has had good success with the stallion. When he saw a strong, powerful chestnut colt at the Gorsebridge breeze up he was immediately intrigued. Surprisingly the colt was knocked down at just E20,000, a price that Kevin felt was very reasonable. Hambleton Racing quickly moved to snap up the new arrival and he would run in their beige and blue silks.
Like all of Kevin’s breeze up purchases Magical Spirit was not rushed but he wasn’t going to be held back for too long. After passing through the ring for a very reasonable price and Zebedee offering a relatively small median price, connections looked to utilise these factors. On the last day of July Spirit would make his debut at Beverley in an auction novice stakes race. He showed good speed early on but when the race heated up he showed inexperience and faded late on. It was a pleasing run and one that suggested that Spirit would be winning races once he learnt how to race, which the first run should have helped him with.
Magical Spirit looked early on like he wanted 6f but after showing so much speed on debut the stiff 5f back at Beverley made sense. Again it was in an auction novice and Spirit took a big step forward. Again pressing the lead he had a little bit of traffic this time but once switched for a run he stayed on well to finish a good third. It was an improved run and showed that a win would be just around the corner.
It might seem as though Beverley was the only place to go for Spirit’s third run but looking through the entry book it was the most obvious option when the 5f novice auction came along. Having form at the track could be a big advantage and when the declarations came out Magical Spirit brought some of the best form. He would be one of the leading contenders and although favourite Dancing Rave had a win to her name this would come at a cost of a 7lb penalty. Haadhir was the one who brought the most experience with 5 runs and really the market suggested that the finish would be about these three. Kevin Stott took the ride for the third time onboard the chestnut.
Like his previous couple of runs Magical Spirit was away well from the stalls and immediately into his stride. Drawn towards the inside Bungle Billy went forward to lead which gave Spirit a nice lead to latch on to. Kevin moved across to sit just a neck down on the leader. His market rivals, Haddhir and Dancing Rave were positioned just behind as they blasted through the first furlong. On the turn they were flying along and Spirit was keeping the leader honest all the way through, ready to punch anytime there was any weakness shown.
In the blink of an eye the field had sprinted through the first half of the race, around the little kink and towards the straight. Having never had any rest up front the leader was soon coming under pressure in an attempt to kick clear. Magical Spirit was still just a neck down but was travelling supremely well and took Kevin there with ease. Stalking in behind were the favourites but they would need to find a good turn of foot if they were to overturn the strong travelling Magical Spirit. Moving past the 2f marker and Spirit had loomed alongside the leader, hard on the bridle and seemingly just waiting to take the lead. The final furlong is all uphill and Kevin wanted to save as much energy as possible for a burst at the finish.
Now the race was getting to the business end the leader gave way to Magical Spirit who was yet to be asked any questions. Dancing Rave and Haadhir both moved through to now give chase and the market looked to have it right with the others really toiling in their wake. Clearly the winner was going to come from the first three but which one?? Kevin just started to loosen the reins and let Spirit lengthen and the colt began to shift through the gears. He was showing the benefit of experience now and was running a lot more true and started to power on. The favourite now started to wind up a run and was the one to give chase, towing along the second fav.
All the energy had been stored up and just as the ground started to rise up Kevin pushed the button. His rivals had been pushed on to close in on him but Spirit was the last to make his move. Kevin got the response he wanted as Spirit quickened up but the favourite was making good headway to give chase. For a second the colt was just a little unbalanced as he changed his legs and looked about. Dancing Rave got to the heels of Spirit and now he could feel his rival he realised it was far from over. Kevin got his colt balanced again and the pair stopped the favourite from making anymore headway. Dancing Rave couldn’t find any more unlike the leader who was powering up the hill. Having seen his lead diminish, Magical Spirit now opened up once again. With just 50 yards left he asserted his dominance that had been evident throughout the race. Pulling away as they crossed the line Magical Spirit earned his first career win by a very comfortable 1 1/4 lengths.
It is always nice to see juveniles continually improve with each run and this is exactly what Magical Spirit has done. He always had the physique but it is the racing brain that has come with each of his races. The stiff 5f at Beverley has certainly helped him as he does look like a colt who would get 6f and this may bring about more improvement. Magical Spirit looks to have the size and scope to progress, not only this year but into his 3yo season too. Following this run he will now be eligible for a handicap mark and this will determine what happens next. Whatever is the choice, Hambleton Racing have a nice horse to look forward to and hopefully his upward curve is far from over just yet.