The Queen's Magnetic Charm Bids For QEII Glory

Keeneland celebrated British royalty in 1984 by naming The Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1T) in honor of the long-reigning monarch, a race the queen attended for its inaugural running.

Thirty-five years later, with Lane's End now the race's presenting sponsor, it is the queen and her supporters who may have reason to celebrate if a filly she owns, Magnetic Charm, can defeat Cambier Parc, Castle Lady, and six other foes Oct. 12. According to Keeneland publicity, it marks the queen's first representative in the $500,000 contest that ranks among the most prestigious in North America for 3-year-old grass fillies.

The queen, a longtime breeder and owner whose horses typically race in Europe, has participated in other races at Keeneland, winning an allowance with New Assembly in the spring of 2001. She won a graded stakes last year at Belmont Park when Call To Mind took the Belmont Gold Cup Invitational Stakes (G2T).

Magnetic Charm, like Call To Mind, is trained by William Haggas, under whose direction she has compiled a 2-2-2 record from eight starts. She won the May 17 Oaks Farm Stables Michael Seeley Stakes at York and has since placed in three consecutive races, including against older mares in the Sept. 14 Canadian Stakes Presented by the Japan Racing Association (G2T) at Woodbine.

In that losing effort behind runaway winner Starship Jubilee, she rallied from last to edge graded winners Competitionofideas and Holy Helena in a three-horse photo for the place. It was her first graded placing.

Video: Canadian S. Presented by the Japan Racing Association (G2T)

Back in her age group Saturday and running 1 1/8 miles on turf, Magnetic Charm picks up weight from 110 to 121 pounds under the race conditions. Florent Geroux will ride the daughter of Exceed And Excel out of the Maria's Mon mare Monday Show.

"She's very straightforward and tries incredibly hard," Haggas' assistant Harry Eustace said. "She ran one of her best races in Canada. She's trained well since at Keeneland. It's a great place for horses to come to, and she's really blossomed since she got there. Fingers crossed, she can run well and give the queen something to cheer about."

Castle Lady is another prominent European-based runner. A winner of her first three races in France, including the group 1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French One Thousand Guineas), she ran fifth in her most recent start in the June 21 Coronation Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot when matched against some of Europe's top 3-year-old fillies. 

Mickael Barzalona will ride the Henri-Alex Pantall trainee, a daughter of Shamardal owned by Godolphin.

The most accomplished U.S. performer is Cambier Parc, one of three horses in the QEII trained by Chad Brown. Winner of the Del Mar Oaks Presented by The Jockey Club (G1T), she and Castle Lady are two grade/group 1 winners in the nine-horse field. 

Brown's other two starters, Cafe Americano and Regal Glory, have won at the grade 3 and grade 2 levels, respectively. Cafe Americano won the Aug. 10 Pucker Up Stakes (G3T) at Arlington International Racecourse, and Regal Glory took the Aug. 17 Lake Placid Stakes (G2T) in a dead heat with Varenka, another QEII entrant, at Saratoga Race Course.

Lady Prancealot, Kelsey's Cross, and Princesa Carolina complete the field for the QEII, which goes as race 9 on a 10-race card at 5:30 p.m. ET. 

Entries: Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. presented by Lane's End (G1T)

Keeneland, Saturday, October 12, 2019, Race 9

• Grade IT
• 1 1/8m
• Turf
• $500,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 5:30 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Lady Prancealot (IRE)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	121	Richard Baltas	15/1
2	2Kelsey's Cross (FL)	Julien R. Leparoux	121	Patrick L. Biancone	15/1
3	3Cambier Parc (KY)	John R. Velazquez	121	Chad C. Brown	8/5
4	4Princesa Carolina (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	121	Kenneth G. McPeek	15/1
5	5Castle Lady (IRE)	Mickael Barzalona	121	HENRI-ALEX PANTALL	7/2
6	6Cafe Americano (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	121	Chad C. Brown	6/1
7	7Magnetic Charm (GB)	Florent Geroux	121	William J. Haggas	12/1
8	8Varenka (KY)	Javier Castellano	121	H. Graham Motion	6/1
9	9Regal Glory (KY)	Luis Saez	121	Chad C. Brown	6/1