All That Magic holds off Train to Artemus, takes Incredible Revenge
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The filly All That Magic handled a sharp class hike in the $100,000 Incredible Revenge Stakes on Sunday at Monmouth Park, showing class and grit to match her speed while remaining unbeaten on turf.
Coming out of a first-level allowance race and into her stakes debut, All That Magic turned back two runs from the far more experienced and accomplished mare Train to Artemus to win the Incredible Revenge by a nose.
A six-pound weight break, 124 to 118, helped All That Magic, but the winner was running back just nine days after her most recent race, and All That Magic broke slowly before rushing to the lead.
Jockey Paco Lopez and Train to Artemus’s trainer Kelly Breen had hatched a plan to keep front-running All That Magic well within range. Coming out of a slightly subpar performance three weeks ago at Colonial Downs, Train to Artemus previously had won two straight turf sprint stakes after stalking the pace.
On Sunday, she hounded All That Magic down the backstretch and around the one turn of this 5 1/2-furlong grass dash.
“She didn’t get a breather, but I thought to win this race she had to be in front of Train to Artemus,” said winning trainer Kathleen DeMasi. “I was a little concerned that horse was right on her hip the whole way and started thinking, ‘Okay, I’ll take second money.’ ”
All That Magic had other thoughts. Between the three-sixteenths pole and the eighth pole, Train to Artemus appeared to be doing better work than All That Magic, but after setting splits of 21.95 and 44.30, All That Magic still had fight, slightly widening her lead to the sixteenth pole. Lopez, a strong finisher, came bearing down again, and Train to Artemus looked like a winner 50 yards out. All That Magic gave one more push and got her nose down.
“It felt like a rushed pace for us, so for her to be able to throw it down in the lane and hold on says a lot about her class on the grass,” jockey Nik Juarez said.
Juarez has been part of a radical career turnaround for All That Magic. The 4-year-old twice raced for a $25,000 maiden-claiming price beginning her career this past winter, and after four dirt starts All That Magic had one win and the look of a mediocre racecourse. DeMasi tried the filly on grass and unlocked a new animal; All That Magic and Juarez won a $40,000 claiming race followed by two allowance-race wins. Sunday, the filly bravely bagged a stakes.
By Fast Anna out of Hermione’s Magic, by Forest Wildcat, All That Magic was bred by the English Range Farm and campaigns for Pewter Stable and Spedale Family Stable. She ran 5 1/2 furlongs over a firm course, the temporary turf rail set 24 feet out, in 1:03.37 and paid $3.80 after taking all the late action. Can’t Buy Love rallied late and finished third, three quarters of a length behind the top pair.
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