Magic Attitude heads Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Magic Attitude, a dazzling winner as the favorite in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks in her stateside debut last month, heads a field of nine 3-year-old turf fillies in the sixth and final Grade 1 race of the Keeneland fall meet, the 37th running of the $500,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on Saturday.

Magic Attitude arrived here Tuesday following an overnight van ride from her base at the Fair Hill Training Center in northern Maryland. Arnaud Delacour trains the Galileo filly for the Lael Stables of Roy and Gretchen Jackson of Barbaro fame.

Delacour said Magic Attitude “appreciated the firm ground” over which the Belmont Oaks was run, but it’s possible the going will be considerably different Saturday, with a 90 percent chance of showers in the forecast. Delacour said this will be the final start of the year for the English-bred filly, regardless of outcome.

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From the hedge and with jockeys, this is the field for the 1 1/8-mile QE II: Harvey’s Lil Goil, Martin Garcia; Sweet Melania, Flavien Prat; Antoinette, James Graham; Magic Attitude, Javier Castellano; Lucky Betty, Declan Cannon; Hendy Woods, Julien Leparoux; Micheline, Florent Geroux; California Kook, Tyler Gaffalione; and Red Lark, Drayden Van Dyke.

The QE II will share the Saturday spotlight with the Grade 2, $200,000 Fayette, which in normal years is run as the closing-day feature of the fall meet. This renewal comes four weeks before the Breeders’ Cup Classic and therefore is a potential stepping-stone to that Nov. 7 race at Keeneland, although none of the 10 3-year-olds and up entered in the 1 1/8-mile Fayette are listed in the initial Daily Racing Form rankings of the Classic top 10.