Continuing on dirt, Excess Magic meets fellow stakes winners

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Excess Magic established himself as a turf runner of note early in his career, but of late he’s been doing just fine on dirt and looks like a significant player in Sunday’s eighth race at Oaklawn Park.

Excess Magic is one of four stakes winners in the nine-horse conditioned allowance for 4-year-olds and up at six furlongs. The others are Tyler’s Tribe, Sir Wellington, and Chipofftheoldblock.

Excess Magic has registered both of his stakes wins on turf, one at two turns in the Woodchopper at Fair Grounds and the other in the Chamberlain Bridge at Lone Star Park. He won on dirt for the first time in November when his Churchill Downs race came off the grass. Excess Magic was an $80,000 claim that afternoon by Pravin Pratel. The horse’s versatility was the draw, said trainer Chris Hartman.

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“You can argue his numbers are as good, or better, on the dirt sprinting as on the turf,” Hartman said.

“I think he’d run on a gravel road, to be honest with you. It appears he’ll sprint, route, run anywhere. He’s just a useful horse.”

Excess Magic was third to the highly ranked sprinter Skelly in the King Cotton in February at Oaklawn in his first start for Hartman. He comes into Sunday’s race off a runner-up finish in an allowance won by Grade 3 winner Ryvit.

Excess Magic is by the Galileo stallion Magician and out of the Exchange Rate mare Exchanted, who was a stakes winner at two turns on turf at Louisiana Downs.

Excess Magic will break from post 3 under Rafael Bejarano, who has been aboard for his last two starts. Hartman said Excess Magic is versatile and the trip will be left up to Bejarano.

The horse could get an ideal setup just off Lark’s Mischief, who breaks to his immediate inside off a wire job against $80,000 claiming rivals in November at Churchill.

Tyler’s Tribe also could be quite prominent for what will be his first start since April. He’s registered his four stakes wins in wire-to-wire fashion and shows some sharp works for his return.

Ramsey Zimmerman on Sunday will be the first jockey to ride the horse other than Kylee Jordan, who is sidelined with a shoulder injury. Trainer Tim Martin said Zimmerman has been aboard for the recent works, including a five-furlong drill from the gate in 1:00.40 on Feb. 15.

Hartman has another capable runner in the field in Edge to Edge, a three-time winner at Oaklawn who enters off a close third in a $62,500 starter allowance Feb. 19.

“He loves the surface,” Hartman said of Oaklawn.

Chris Landeros has the mount from post 9 for Peggy Thompson.

“I think he’ll like the outside draw,” Hartman said. “I think he drew a favorable post. He can clock, can be very tactical.”

Gun Pilot returns to Oaklawn off a two-other-than allowance win at Fair Grounds. Sir Wellington was stakes-placed earlier in the meet, when third in the Ring the Bell in December.

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