Magic Star Lands Stakes Debut in Marshua's River
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Lauren King
Magic Star wins the Marshua's River Stakes at Gulfstream Park
Lightly raced Magic Star made her stakes debut a winning one Jan. 11, rallying down the outside of Gulfstream Park’s turf course to take the $150,000 Marshua’s River Stakes (G3T).
The 1 1/16-mile test for older fillies and mares was only the third start for Magic Star, a 4-year-old daughter of Scat Daddy campaigned by Don Alberto Stable. The Chad Brown trainee won on debut Aug. 24 at Saratoga Race Course before finishing sixth in an Oct. 26 allowance at Belmont Park. Both races were at the same distance as the Marshua’s River.
Magic Star, the 5-2 third choice ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., broke sixth of seven and remained there for much of Saturday’s race. Piece by Peace showed the way up front with fractions of :23.40, :46.72, and 1:10.09 through three-quarters of a mile. The favorite, Sweet Bye and Bye, was third early ahead of second choice Andina Del Sur, another Don Alberto runner, trained by Tom Albertrani.
Piece by Peace lost the lead turning for home as Magic Star and Munchkin Money, who was in last, displayed a quick turn of foot to make up ground. The favorites fought to the wire, but the two late runners had enough momentum to breeze by. Magic Star, despite making a five-wide move and switching leads repeatedly, circled the field to score by half a length. The final time was 1:39.67 on firm going.
“She was right there for me the whole way,” Ortiz said. “Turning for home, I had two horses in front of me, so I just had to kind of wait a few jumps to tip her out, and as soon as I tipped her out, she just kicked on. She doesn’t have too much speed, so the plan was to let her be where she’s comfortable and then go from there. She was ready today. She’s a nice filly, and she’s still learning.”
Munchkin Money split foes to finish second, another half-length in front of Andina Del Sur in third. Sweet Bye and Bye, Maroubra, Piece by Peace, and Malkia completed the order of finish.
Don Alberto went to $500,000 to purchase Magic Star from the Betz Thoroughbreds consignment to the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The filly, who increased her earnings to $140,970, was bred in Kentucky by Betz, D. J. Stables, CoCo, Burns, and Magers. She is out of the Meadowlake mare Meadow Breeze, a Matron Stakes (G1) winner and a half sister to Arkansas Derby (G1) winner and sire Overanalyze . Meadow Breeze is also the dam of Hopeful Stakes (G1) runner-up Royal Copy and last foaled a Runhappy filly in 2018. The mare was reported bred to Uncle Mo in 2019.