Overnight results from the UK and Ireland have highlighted again the potency of the Galileo x Pivotal nick with yet another Group I victory for champion older mare Magical while Frankel’s progressive three year-old filly Franconia won the Listed Lyric Fillies Stakes (1m 2 ½ f) at York.
The Group I Tattersalls Gold Cup (1m2f) at The Curragh proved easy pickings for the Aidan O’Brien trained Magical, who also won the race last year.
She powered clear of her stablemate Sir Dragonet to won by more than two lengths.
“Magical jumped and she bowled away, she has a big easy action. When I got down at the three I was able to start stretching them. I thought in the last half furlong she wasn't even killing herself,” said winning rider Wayne Lordan.
“She's a top-class filly and I'm just delighted to get the ride on her.”
A homebred for Coolmore, Magical has the overall of 11 wins from 23 starts with this success her sixth at the highest level.
A full sister to triple Group I winner Rhododendron and Group III winner Flying the Flag, Magical is the best of five winners from Pivotal’s triple Group I winner Halfway to Heaven.
She is one of six Group I winners bred on the Galileo x Pivotal cross that has produced 12 stakes-winners in total including this year’s superstar three year-old filly Love from 29 runners at a strike rate of 41%!
Also proving successful is Galileo’s champion son Frankel over daughters of Pivotal, that cross producing homebred Juddmonte filly Franconia, who has now won two of three starts, both of her wins in Listed races.
A half-sister to Group I winner Winsili and stakes-winner Backcountry, Franconia is from winning Pivotal mare Winter Sunrise, a half0sister to Group II winner Ice Blue from the family of Group I winners Meteor Storm, Polish Summer and Ice Breeze.
The Frankel x Pivotal nick has produced nine winners from 11 runners, four of them stakes-winners headed by Group I winners Cracksman Veracious s well as Australian Group II winner Hungry Heart.
At 36% stakes-winners to runners, it’s a nick worth watching.
