Magical Feeling upsets Fritchie

Peter E. Blum's homebred Magical Feeling posted a 27-1 upset in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Barbara Fritchie Handicap at Laurel Park, surging between rivals in deep stretch to capture her graded stakes debut. Trained by Allen Iwinski and ridden by Roberto Alvarado Jr., the six-year-old mare completed seven furlongs in 1:22 1/5.

"I have always wanted to win this race," said Blum, who last had a runner in the Fritchie in 1975. "In my opinion it is one of the top filly and mare races in the country. It has been won by some of the greatest race mares of our time. It feels tremendous to finally stand in this winners' circle."

Winner of a starter handicap two starts previously at Parx Racing, Magical Feeling was overlooked as the second-longest price among seven starters in the Barbara Fritchie. She dropped back during the early stages, racing about seven lengths off the pace through opening fractions in :23 2/5 and :46, and began to advance while wide on the far turn.

Nicole H, the 3-5 favorite and a five-time stakes winner in her six previous outings, opened up a clear lead on the far turn and loomed an ominous presence turning for home, reaching the six-furlong point in 1:09 3/5 with a three-length cushion, but she came under serious pressure in the final furlong.

C C's Pal rallied into contention on the far outside, but Magical Feeling was closing best of all between horses and flew late to get up by a neck on the wire.

"I knew I had a lot of horse under," Alvarado said of the late rally. "She knows where the wire is. At the eighth pole I started getting confident. She kept getting closer and closer. When we got there I had no doubts we would win it."

"She's an unbelievable mare," Iwinski added. "She has a winning attitude. Peter Blum couldn't have named her any better."

Nicole H edged C C's Pal by a nose for second. It was 5 1/4 length back to Aquitania in fourth, and Silver Heart, Lovely Li and Red's Round Table completed the order of finish. Lily Quatorze and Terra Rolla were scratched.

After making her career debut in September 2008, Magical Feeling needed six starts to break her maiden, finally breaking through against $12,500 maiden claimers in September 2010. She has now won 11 of her last 13 starts.

The dark bay mare captured the listed Regret Stakes at Monmouth Park last July and had a four-race win skein snapped when opening 2012 with a third against allowance/optional claiming rivals at Laurel on January 21. She increased her earnings Saturday to $401,520 from a 19-11-0-3 career line.

"She has tried as hard as she can run every time we send her out," Iwinski said. "The best word to describe her is phenomenal."

Out of the unraced Forestry mare Magical Mood, the Kentucky-bred Magical Feeling is from the same female family of Grade 1 winner Well Chosen, Grade 2 hero Academy Award and Grade 3 queen Good Mood. Further back, these are the same bloodlines of 1946 Horse of the Year and Triple Crown winner Assault.

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print