By Sean Cronin
Amo Racing's Listed Radley S. victrix Magical Sunset (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}–Fikrah {GB}, by Medicean {GB}) had finished off the board in all five starts this term and emerged from the murk to secure a career best in an attritional renewal of Wednesday's G3 Whispering Angel Oak Tree S. at a bleak Goodwood.
The 18-1 chance was settled off the tempo in 10th for most of this seven-furlong contest. Caught in traffic after fanning wide towards the stands' side rail with three furlongs remaining, she weaved a passage into fifth entering the final furlong and plugged on in dour fashion under a late drive to deny Breege (GB) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) by 3/4-of-a-length nearing the line. Godolphin's second string Dream Of Love (Ire) (Shamardal) was best of the remainder and finished two lengths further back in third.
“I think Magical Sunset would have been unlucky had she been beaten,” commented trainer Richard Hannon. “She is much better on this ground, she won the Radley at Newbury very well on it, and that's helped her today. It looked to me like she didn't get home at Sandown the other day, so we came back to seven furlongs today and I'm delighted. Group races are very hard to win and the owner [Kia Joorabchian] rang me and was very pleased. She is a really sweet filly and she has always been lovely, but she is much better on that ground. She cost a few quid and was unlucky in the Goffs Millions [last year], but is now getting her slice of luck. I think she is entered in a Group 3 in Deauville, so she might go there or wherever the soft ground is.”
Breege's trainer John Quinn added, “Breege coped with the ground, she might like it a bit better, but she coped with it and we are delighted with her. She was seventh in the [G1] Irish [1000] Guineas, which has worked out incredibly well, and she was ready enough to run in Ireland. She ran fantastically at Royal Ascot and she has run fantastically here. She has got invaluable black type at two and three, she is a winner and Royal Ascot-placed. We just want to win a black type race with her, which is well within her compass.”
Pedigree Notes
Magical Sunset is the seventh of nine foals and one of four scorers produced by a daughter of Justbetweenfriends (Diesis {GB}), herself a half-sister to dual Group 3 winner With Reason (Nashwan) and G3 Futurity S. victrix and G1 Fillies' Mile runner-up Jural (GB) (Kris {GB}). The January-foaled bay is a full-sister to the unraced 2-year-old colt Odin Legacy (Ire) and half to G3 Bengough S. third Hey Jonesy (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}) and a yearling colt by Sottsass (Fr).
Wednesday, Goodwood, Britain
WHISPERING ANGEL OAK TREE S.-G3, £100,000, Goodwood, 8-2, 3yo/up, f, 7fT, 1:33.18, hy.
1–MAGICAL SUNSET (IRE), 125, f, 3, by Kodiac (GB)
1st Dam: Fikrah (GB), by Medicean (GB)
2nd Dam: Justbetweenfriends, by Diesis (GB)
3rd Dam: Just Cause (Ire), by Law Society
1ST GROUP WIN. (€340,000 Ylg '21 GOFOR). O-Amo Racing Ltd; B-Ms Alice Fitzgerald (IRE); T-Richard Hannon; J-Kevin Stott. £56,710. Lifetime Record: 11-4-0-0, $190,326. *1/2 to Hey Jonesy (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}), GSP-Eng, $201,619. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Breege (GB), 125, f, 3, Starspangledbanner (Aus)–Wowcha (Ire), by Zoffany (Ire). O/B-Chasemore Farm (GB); T-John Quinn. £21,500.
3–Dream Of Love (Ire), 125, f, 3, Shamardal–Secret Gesture (GB), by Galileo (Ire). O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby. £10,760.
Margins: 3/4, 2, HF. Odds: 18.00, 4.00, 7.50.
Also Ran: Glenlaurel (Ire), Juliet Sierra (GB), Internationalangel (Ire), White Moonlight, Sydneyarms Chelsea (Ire), Matilda Picotte (Ire), Fast Response (Ire), Samedi Rien (Ire), American Kestrel (Ire), Sicilian Defense (GB). Scratched: Jumbly (GB), Olivia Maralda (Ire), Rage Of Bamby (Ire).
Group 3 honours for #GoffsOrby graduate MAGICAL SUNSET who lands the Oaks Tree S. @Goodwood_Races for @rhannonracing & @amoracingltd. 💫
The 3YO f. by Kodiac (@HoStud) was bred & sold by @fitzgeraldalice to @Doyle_Racing for €340k.#GoffsGrad pic.twitter.com/DZxhOq5QGJ
— Goffs (@Goffs1866) August 2, 2023
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
