Magic On Tap finds first stakes win in Triple Bend

ARCADIA, Calif. - Magic On Tap was best known for an impeccable pedigree, until Saturday’s Grade 2 Triple Bend Stakes at Santa Anita.

Now the 5-year-old horse at least has a stakes win to his credit.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez, who notched his second stakes win of the day, Magic On Tap closed from third in a field of five to win the $200,000 Triple Bend by two lengths, finishing seven furlongs in a hand-timed 1:23.54.

Magic On Tap paid $13.20 to win as the longest shot in a field of five and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 93.

“He’s a well-bred horse,” winning trainer Bob Baffert said. “It’s good to get a stakes win for him.”

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Magic On Tap, owned and bred by Jane Lyon’s Summer Wind Equine, was fourth, beaten 23 3/4 lengths in his stakes debut in the Grade 2 Californian Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on April 17.

“This was a last-minute” call, Bafert said of the decision to start Magic On Tap in the Triple Bend.

“He’d been working well. I was waiting for an allowance race for him.”

For Baffert, the Triple Bend was his 16th stakes win of the current winter-spring meeting, equaling an all-time record he set at the 1998-99 meeting.

Magic On Tap stalked a spirited duel between 9-2 Lambeau and 8-5 favorite Eight Rings through early fractions of 22.10 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 45.03 for a half-mile. Lambeau and Eight Rings could not sustain the pace, allowing Magic On Tap to take the lead in early stretch.

“Bob said to wait behind the speed,” Hernandez said. “He was putting himself in a good position.

“I had to settle him down and wait for the stretch.”

Magic On Tap led by 1 1/2 lengths over 5-1 Shooters Shoot with a furlong remaining and won by two lengths over that rival despite not switching leads.

“He didn’t switch leads,” Hernandez said. “I tried a couple of times, so I left him alone. It didn’t matter.”

Exaulted finished third, beaten 3 3/4 lengths. Eight Rings finished fourth, followed by Lambeau.

The Triple Bend was the first start for Eight Rings since a seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Allen Jerkens Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters at Saratoga last August. Eight Rings is best known for winning the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes here in September 2019. The Triple Bend was his fourth consecutive loss in stakes.

“I’m disappointed in Eight Rings,” Baffert said. “He was training well, but you need to get the trip and he didn’t get the trip. I thought I could run 1-2.”

Magic On Tap has won 3 of 6 starts and earned $228,800. Magic On Tap is by Tapit and is out of Aubby K, the winner of the Grade 1 Humana Distaff at seven furlongs at Churchill Downs in 2013.