Emerald shipper Made for Magic looks best

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Trainer Frank Lucarelli has had a hard time finding a place for Made for Magic to run at Emerald Downs, so he is shipping the 3-year-old filly to Hastings for the feature race on Friday.

A Kentucky-bred by Cape Canaveral, Made for Magic will be making her 2008 debut, and appears to be the one to beat in the first-level allowance race for 3-year-old fillies with a $50,000 claiming option. The 6o1/2-furlong sprint drew seven horses and goes as race 7.

Made for Magic scored a 3 1/2-length win in her debut, a maiden special weight race at Emerald Downs in June 2007. She came back with a strong effort to finish second behind Smarty Deb in the Angie C. Stakes, then ran third behind race winner Smarty Deb in the Barbara Shinpoch Stakes. Smarty Deb went on to defeat colts and geldings in the Gottstein Futurity, then ran a troubled fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Monmouth Park.

Friday's race appears to be a much easier spot for Made for Magic.

"I don't know how tough the horses up there are, but she should give a good account of herself," Lucarelli said.

Pedro Alvarado will ride.

There's plenty of speed in the field, and the quickest runner of all is Sophisticated Sis, who is coming off a third-place finish behind Dancing Allstar in the CTHS Sales Stakes on June 29.