There can be few tougher horses in training than MAGIC WAND (5/1 General) who, after chasing home Ghaiyyath, Enable and Japan in the Coral-Eclipse last time, can take the beating in Thursday’s Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.
With Ryan Moore electing to ride the Donnacha O’Brien trained Fancy Blue, Frankie Dettori takes the mount on this Ballydoyle globetrotter who won in Australia at the end of last year before being beaten a short head in the Hong Kong Cup.
Magic Wand also chased home Magical in the Irish Champion Stakes (Deirdre fourth) last season and looks the value here considering she is officially joint top rated with Nazeef who tries this trip for the first time.
With last year’s winner Deirdre, who was fifth in the Eclipse, seemingly held by Magic Wand, Fancy Blue could prove the chief threat.
A strong-finishing second to Peaceful in the Irish 1000 Guineas, the daughter of Deep Impact battled on gamely to turn those tables in the Prix De Diane (French Oaks) when narrowly beating the Royal Ascot winner Alpine Star in a tight finish.
However, with the first four home covered by inches at Chantilly, a bit more may be needed here.
Earlier, the John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes stages a rematch between the Derby runner-up Khalifa Sat, English King (fifth), Mogul (sixth) and Highland Chief (tenth).
None of them were able to lay down any sort of challenge to the front-running Serpentine at Epsom and, under a very different scenario here, it’s by no means certain that they will finish in the same order especially as Khalifa Sat received the best ride.
However, I was much taken with AL AASY (5/1 bet365) in the Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket last time and this strapping type appears very progressive.
After looking in need of further experience behind Mishriff at Newmarket first time out, a possible tilt at the Derby was taken off the agenda in favour of a more patient approach.
After hacking up by ten lengths in a novice event next time, Al Aasy could be called the winner some way out at Newmarket before comfortably accounting for the Aidan O’Brien trained Dawn Rising.
This is another step up but Jim Crowley’s mount looks open to much more improvement.
Posted at 1700 BST on 29/07/20
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