Spell-Binding Victory for Magical Fantasy
As spectators and trainers settled in for the running of the prestigious Group 1 Del Mar Oaks, no-one paid much attention to the name Magical Fantasy which was on the contender list of the racing event. Almost no bets were placed on her, as she entered the starting gates as the 42 – 1 outsider in a nine horse field. But Magical Fantasy, with Alex Solis on board, was ready to spread a little magic around, and settled in to cause one of the biggest upsets ever seen in the Del Mar Oaks.
Trainer, Patrick Gallagher was bursting with pride as Magical Fantasy stood in the winner’s circle, draped with her blanket of roses. The Del Mar Oaks was his first Group 1 victory on United States soil, and he could not have asked for a more spectacular or memorable win. Bred out of the mare, Kissing Gate, Magical Fantasy began her horse racing career in Great Britain, were she mostly raced on Polytrack surfaces.
After being moved over to Gallagher for training, her first start in the United States was in May, at the Senorita Grade III horse racing event held at Hollywood Park. She had to settle for second position, but made a very good first impression on spectators and the racing industry. Her following two starts were not as successful, finishing fifth in the Grade II Honeymoon and sixth in the American Oaks, and it is probably these last two performances that led to so little interest being paid to her in the Del Mar Oaks. Ridden by Alex Solis in all her starts in the States, he knew that she had it in her, to achieve greatness.
Keeping Magical Fantasy back in seventh position, Solis tried to conserve her energy and settled her in to bide their time until the last turn when they began weaving their way to the front through the rest of the field. By this time, front runner Misty Ocean had begun to tire leaving the lead open for Lethal Heat to take. Magical Fantasy found a gap and thundered past the dueling Lethal Heat and Storm Mesa, with Bel Air Sizzle gaining ground with huge effort. But it was to be a day of celebration for Magical Fantasy and her connections as she charged across the wire with Bel Air Sizzle in second position, followed by Lethal Heat, Satan’s Circus, Storm Mesa, Missit, Misty Ocean, Million Dollar Run and Ginger Pop.
Jockey Alex Solis had only praise for Magical Fantasy when speaking to the press, expressing his continued faith in her and his elation for her unexpected success. Magical Fantasy has proven that she has what it takes to take on the racing world and that she should not be underestimated.
