Magicalmeister scores upset in John Battaglia Memorial

A pace meltdown among the three early leaders set the stage for a 39-1 upset from stalker Magicalmeister in the $75,000 John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park on Friday evening.

Patiently handled by John McKee, the winner settled in fourth for nearly six furlongs of the 1 1/16-mile race, as Giant Honor and Truth Be Tolled set a demanding pace with a half-mile in 47.44 seconds and three-quarters in 1:11.93. Then, as they grew fatigued, Magicalmeister made his move, surging to a clear lead in midstretch before lasting by a half-length over hard-charging runner-up Sky Promise.

A 3-year-old son of Bodemeister trained by Jim Chapman, who owns him with partners Christopher Meyer and Stanley Ichiro Urgami, Magicalmeister completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.12. He paid $80.

“Going down the backside, he was just kind of cruising, under control,” said McKee. “Then in the middle of the turn, he started to pick it up, and I called on him, and, man, all credit to the trainer – he had this horse ready to run.”

The 2-1 favorite, Arawak, made up some ground from midpack but was never a threat to the top pair, settling for third, 2 3/4 lengths behind Sky Promise. Arawak was followed across the wire by Truth Be Tolled, Hallie’s Hero, Roaming Union, Family Kitten, Driven by History, Arched Feather, Here’s Carlos, and Giant Honor in the field of 11.

The John Battaglia Memorial, named after a late general manager of Turfway, serves as a prep for the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks, formerly called the Spiral, which will be run at the track March 17. Battaglia’s son, Mike, the longtime Turfway track announcer who is now retired, returned to the microphone for his annual call of what he refers to as “dad’s race.”