By Joe Bianca
Aidan O'Brien's participation in American racing is usually restricted to a couple of marquee days on the calendar, but, likely sensing an opening with many of the top U.S. turf horses having just run in the GI Woodford Reserve Turf Classic S. last week, the European training legend ships over a pair of contenders for Saturday's GI Man O' War S. at Belmont.
Coolmore's Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) announced herself with close seconds in a pair of Group 1s last summer and fall, missing by a head in the G1 Qatar Prix Vermeille Sept. 16 at ParisLongchamp and coming up a length short in the Prix de l'Opera Longines there three weeks later. Running a solid fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, the newly-turned 4-year-old impressed with another runner-up finish, this time against males in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S. Jan. 26 at Gulfstream. Taking another shot at the opposite sex, she found the waters of the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic a little deep, running fifth Mar. 30 at Meydan.
One slot ahead of her that day was another O'Brien/Coolmore charge, Hunting Horn (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). Less accomplished than his filly stablemate, the bay has nevertheless already acquitted himself well over this turf course when third in the GI Belmont Derby last July. Prior to his run in the Sheema, Hunting Horn had filled the trifecta in both the HH The Emir's Trophy Feb. 23 in Qatar and GIII William L. McKnight S. on the Pegasus undercard at Gulfstream.
Narrow morning-line favoritism rests with Klaravich Stables and Bill Lawrence's Focus Group (Kitten's Joy). A mainstay in long-distance allowance races for most of 2017 and 2018, the dark bay broke through when making his stakes debut in the 13-furlong John's Call S. Aug. 22 at Saratoga. After a third in the GI Pattison Canadian International S., the Chad Brown pupil picked up his first graded tally last out in the GII Pan American S. Mar. 30 at Gulfstream.
Channel Maker (English Channel) returns to the scene of his biggest triumph. Knocking on the door in Grade I races for multiple seasons, the gelding took out his frustrations with a comprehensive 4 1/2-length score in the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S. over boggy local ground Sept. 29. He packed it in to finish 11th after contesting a fast pace in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf and has been off the board in two starts as a 5-year-old, running fifth in the Pegasus Turf and fourth in the GII Mac Diarmida S. Mar. 2 in Hallandale.
Besting him in that contest was Michael Hui's Zulu Alpha (Street Cry {Ire}). The 6-year-old gelding, claimed for $80,000 last September at Churchill, has since reeled off three graded stakes scores, adding the McKnight and GIII Sycamore S. to his Mac Diarmida heroics. He was third after making an early move in the GII Dixiana Elkhorn S. Apr. 20 at Keeneland and makes his Grade I bow here.
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