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Magical Fantasy stuns Del Mar Oaks When MAGICAL FANTASY (Diesis [GB]) just missed in her American debut in the Senorita S. (G3) in May, the Paddy Gallagher trainee looked set to play a major role in the three-year-old filly turf division. After a pair of unplaced efforts in graded company, however, she was ignored at 42-1 when lining up in Saturday's $350,000 Del Mar Oaks (G1). Magical Fantasy chose that moment to put it all together, bursting through between rivals in the stretch and rolling to a two-length victory. For those loyalists who kept the faith, the chestnut provided hefty mutuels of $87, $29.80 and $10. Magical Fantasy was reserved far off the early pace by regular pilot Alex Solis. At the head of the field, the speedy Misty Ocean (Stormy Atlantic) rattled off fractions of :22 3/5 and :47. Lethal Heat (Unusual Heat), who had been stalking in second, decided to take control while reaching six furlongs in 1:11 1/5. Also advancing was Storm Mesa (Sky Mesa), who loomed boldly turning for home. Entering the stretch, though, the pace factors were about to be overwhelmed by the ground-saving Magical Fantasy. Once she found a seam, she spurted away from her opponents to complete 1 1/8 miles on Del Mar's firm turf in 1:46 3/5. The Barry Abrams-trained Bel Air Sizzle (Unusual Heat), who rated in last through the opening six furlongs, finished with a flourish to collar her stablemate Lethal Heat by a half-length. The 32-1 runner-up gave back $22.40 and $11, while Lethal Heat returned $6 at 8-1. Satan's Circus (Gone West), the 8-5 favorite, closed mildly for fourth, a neck adrift of third. The success of the longshots resulted in extravagant $1 exotics -- $471.20 (exacta), $3,603.50 (trifecta) and $22,801.60 (5-6-3-8 superfecta). Storm Mesa (Sky Mesa) came in fifth, followed by Missit (Ire) (Orpen), Misty Ocean, Oceane Music (Fr) (Ocean of Wisdom), Million Dollar Run (Tejano Run) and Ginger Pop (El Prado [Ire]). Magical Fantasy has come a long way from her low-key beginnings in England, where she took five tries to break her maiden. After that initial, hard-fought score on the all-weather at Lingfield in November, she joined Gallagher in Southern California. In the aforementioned Senorita, she closed with a rush to miss by a nose, but she failed to build on that effort when fifth in the Honeymoon H. (G2) and sixth in the American Oaks Invitational S. (G1). With this first stakes victory to her credit, her earnings have skyrocketed to $244,458 from a record of 9-2-3-0. Bred by Rodes S. Parrish and Charles Beach IV in Kentucky, Magical Fantasy is out of the winning Easy Goer mare Kissing Gate, who has also produced English stakes hero Forward Move (Ire) (Dr Fong) and an unnamed yearling colt by Leroidesanimaux (Brz). Kissing Gate is herself a half-sister to Keen Hunter (Diesis [GB]), successful in the 1991 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp (Fr-G1), and Grade 2 victor Altibr (Diesis [GB]). This is the family of 1984 Middle Park S. (Eng-G1) scorer Bassenthwaite (Habitat).
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