O'Brien Duo to Face Brown's Focus Group in Man o' War

Trainer Aidan O'Brien has surely been piling up the frequent flyer points with the duo of Magic Wand and Hunting Horn.

In roughly the last six months, Hunting Horn has traveled from Europe to Kentucky, Florida, Qatar, and Dubai while Magic Wand has visited Kentucky, Florida, and Dubai.

Now both 4-year-olds owned by Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier, and Derrick Smith are in New York where Magic Wand, in particular, will face a familiar challenge May 11 in the $700,000 Man o' War Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park.

In two of Magic Wand's last three starts, she was beaten by a rival trained by Chad Brown and the same scenario could come into play in the 1 3/8-mile Man o' War.

Brown, America's three-time Eclipse Award winner and premier turf trainer, will send out Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence's Focus Group in search of the initial grade 1 laurels for the 5-year-old son of Kitten's Joy .

The Kentucky-bred Focus Group is exiting his 2019 debut, a March 30 victory by a nose in the Pan American Stakes (G2T) at Gulfstream Park that accounted for his third win in his last four starts and first victory in a graded stakes. The lone loss in that stretch came in last year's Pattison Canadian International (G1T) when he finished a wide third in the Woodbine stakes.

All four of those races were at least 1 3/8 miles.

"He's doing fine," said Brown. "I think a mile-and-three-eighths is a perfect distance for him."

Magic Wand's most recent unsuccessful tussle with a Brown runner came Jan. 26 when she finished second behind Bricks and Mortar in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T) at Gulfstream. Prior to that, she was fourth behind Brown's Sistercharlie in the Nov. 3 Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T) at Churchill Downs. 

Most recently, the daughter of Galileo was fifth in the Dubai Sheema Classic Sponsored by Longines (G1) March 30 at Meydan. 

Hunting Horn, a son of Camelot, was third in the W. L. McKnight Stakes (G3T) on the Pegasus card. Fourth in the Dubai Sheema, the group 3 winner was third in the H.H. The Emir's Trophy Presented by Longines (G1) at Doha Feb. 23.

"It's a strong field and he'll (Focus Group) have to run one of the best if not the best race of his life to win, but we feel we've put him in position to do that," Brown said.

The field of nine also includes Michael Hui's multiple graded stakes winner Zulu Alpha, who was third in the 1 1/2-mile Dixiana Elkhorn Stakes (G2T) April 20 at Keeneland. He won the March 2 Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2T) at Gulfstream and McKnight Stakes in his prior starts for trainer Mike Maker.

Angels of Catalina's Village King was third to Focus Group in the Pan American after setting the early pace for trainer Todd Pletcher.

The Man o' War will be the 10th of 11 races and the last of four graded stakes on Belmont Park's Man o' War Racing Festival card. Post time is scheduled for 6:24 p.m EDT. 

Entries: Man o' War S. (G1T)

Belmont Park, Saturday, May 11, 2019, Race 10

• Grade I
• 1 3/8m
• Inner turf
• $700,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 6:24 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Hunting Horn (IRE)	Michael Hussey	119	Aidan P. O'Brien	10/1
2	2Zulu Alpha (KY)	Javier Castellano	121	Michael J. Maker	4/1
3	3Village King (ARG)	John R. Velazquez	116	Todd A. Pletcher	15/1
4	4Arklow (KY)	Florent Geroux	119	Brad H. Cox	8/1
5	5Magic Wand (IRE)	Wayne Lordan	116	Aidan P. O'Brien	3/1
6	6Focus Group (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	121	Chad C. Brown	5/2
7	7Epical (KY)	Tyler Baze	121	James M. Cassidy	10/1
8	8Channel Maker (ON)	Joel Rosario	124	William I. Mott	6/1
9	9Kulin Rock (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	116	Michael J. Maker	20/1