One Magic Philly finds winning form in Roxelana Stakes
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – One Magic Philly ended her last form cycle with a whimper. On Saturday, in the $200,000 Roxelana Stakes at Churchill Downs, she started a new one with a bang.
Under a textbook rail-skimming ride from Tyler Gaffalione, One Magic Philly sat a perfect trip racing third as Jersey Pearl led Asternia through a moderate pace. When Jersey Pearl drifted off the fence after turning for home, both Gaffalione and One Magic Philly wasted no time taking control of the Roxelana.
Zooming up the fence, the two led by 1 1/2 lengths at the stretch call and stretched that to two at the wire. Jersey Girl held second, three-quarters of a length ahead of third-place Asternia, with 8-5 favorite Zeitlos fourth.
Lucille Ball and Lotsandlotsofcandy, the latter both a major pace player and serious contender, were early scratches.
One Magic Philly, a homebred, notched her 5th win from 14 starts for owner John Gallegos, who, during the 2020 breeding season, mated Good Magic and the Empire Maker mare My Philly Girl to produce the horse in question.
One Magic Philly made her first nine starts for California-based trainer Phil d’Amato before winding up with trainer Brendan Walsh in Kentucky early last fall. For the new barn she won a third-level Keeneland allowance race in October, then was a solid second in the Chilukki here Nov. 15, but after shipping to Florida, One Magic Philly ran flat in December and barely at all on Jan. 24.
Walsh backed off, regrouped. He and his team still were in relatively early days of getting to know the horse. One Magic Philly posted one timed workout in February, then got into a regular breeze pattern in mid-March. One Magic Philly had worn blinkers her first six starts before, Walsh said, connections thought she began to resent them. Back in Kentucky, One Magic Philly posted two sharp local works wearing blinkers again. She wore them in the Roxelana and had no trouble keeping up with fractions of 22.57 and 45.62 while racing at a distance as short as six furlongs for just the third time.
“She’s got bags of speed, really,” Walsh said. “But she wouldn’t mind going a little farther, either.”
Gaffalione said the race unfolded according to plan: Break, sit handily, kick home from just off the speed. One Magic Philly proved a very willing participant.
“She was ready to go today,” Walsh said. “She looked good. It’s the best we’ve had her since she came to us.”
One Magic Philly got her final quarter-mile in a zippy 23 seconds for a final time of 1:08.64 over a fast, glib six-furlong racing surface. She paid a relatively generous $7.20 as the race’s second choice.
What’s next for the mare? Too soon to say, but One Magic Philly came off her winter and spring break a far sharper horse than she went into it.
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