Living Magic ships in for Memories of Silver off troubled trip

The last time Living Magic came to New York, she won the Chelsey Flower Stakes at 16-1, bettors perhaps thrown off by a poor performance in her only previous start on the turf.

Turned out, Living Magic had an excuse in that prior turf run as she had scoped full of mucus after the race.

Sunday, Living Magic returns to New York for the $150,000 Memories of Silver Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going a mile at Aqueduct. Once again, she comes into the race off a poor result on turf, but the excuses are much more apparent.

Living Magic finished seventh in the Grade 3 Appalachian Stakes three weeks ago at Keeneland. She had to check entering the first turn, then, after traveling smoothly down the backside, Living Magic encountered severe traffic trouble approaching the quarter pole and her race was done. She was beaten 7 3/4 lengths by Buchu.

“She was side by side with the eventual winner down the backside,” trainer Phil Schoenthal said. “When the running started, the two pacesetters stopped badly right in front of her, she had nowhere to go, checked abruptly and lost all chance. [Luis] Saez got off the horse said, ‘Bad luck, sorry, but what a nice horse she is.’ ”

Schoenthal said he thought about pointing Living Magic to the Grade 2, $600,000 Edgewood Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 3, but ultimately decided against it.

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“We opted to stay closer to home over a course and track that she knows,” Schoenthal said. “We’ll hit the reset button and see if we can get back on track with a win and maybe tackle the big girls again this summer.”

Three horses Living Magic beat in the Chelsey Flower won their next starts, including Ozara, who won two stakes at Gulfstream Park and ran well in two others.

On Sunday, Living Magic, under Kendrick Carmouche, will break from post 5 in a field of eight entered for turf.

Chad Brown, who has won three of the eight runnings of the Memories of Silver, sends out a pair of first-out winners, Sweet Rebecca and Miss Mottley. Sweet Rebecca, a daughter of American Pharoah, won her debut at Gulfstream for Mike Ryan and Brilliant Farm and trainer Brendan Walsh. She was purchased by John Stewart’s Resolute Racing and turned over to Brown.

Tyler Gaffalione, who rode Sweet Rebecca in her debut, will be at Aqueduct Sunday to ride.

Miss Mottley, a daughter of Speightstown, was a first-out winner at Tampa Bay Downs on March 15. Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Sunday.

Faith Understood, a pace-pressing maiden winner at Keeneland going 1 3/16 miles on April 5, was supplemented to this race as her connections look for a stakes win.

“If the cutback isn’t a problem and she handles it, it’s a good opportunity to try and get some black type at a big racetrack,” trainer Jonathan Thomas said. “With her style, she’s shown an ability to lay close. Even though it was a route race, I thought they went pretty honest fractions that you wouldn’t be surprised to see going a mile.”

Manny Franco rides.

Youknownothing, fourth in the Bourbonette Oaks, Most of All, and Munny Grab complete the field on turf. Camera and Thirteen Red Flags were entered to run only on the main track.

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