New Magic (far side) gets up to win under Niall McCullagh© Photo Healy Racing
New Magic justified good support (14/1 to 8/1) in the featured Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap to provide Ratoath trainer Dermot McLoughlin with his most valuable success todate. Royal Blue Star forced the pace and seemed to have her six rivals well stretched when asserting over a furlong out.
However New Magic began to dig deep under pressure, and she came home strongly for Niall McCullagh to score by half a length from fellow 8/1 chance Royal Blue Star. Simla Sunset was a further two and a quarter lengths adrift in third, while favourite Swerve weakened in the straight to finish sixth.
McLoughlin said, “She’s a tough filly and she kept at it well. A mile is probably her best trip. She was off a mark of 96 when with Jessica Harrington a few years ago, and has dropped down 19lb.”
McLoughlin trains the five-year-old for Stamullen native Patrick Reilly.
(Additional reporting by Donal Murphy)
