Magical Romance

{{Infobox racehorse

| horsename = Magical Romance

| image =

| caption =

| sire = Barathea

| grandsire = Sadler's Wells

| dam = Shouk

| damsire = Shirley Heights

| sex = Mare

| foaled = 5 February 2002{{cite web|url=https://www.equineline.com/Free-5X-Pedigree.cfm?page_state=ORDER_AND_CONFIRM&reference_number=6628130®istry=T&horse_name==Magical%20Romance%20(IRE)&dam_name==Shouk%20(GB)&foaling_year=2002&nicking_stats_indicator=Y|title=Magical Romance pedigree|website=Equineline|date=|accessdate=}}

| country = Ireland

| colour = Bay

| breeder = Quay Bloodstock & Samac Ltd

| owner = Con Wilson

| trainer = Brian Meehan

| record = 9: 3-0-0

| earnings = £127,760

| race = Cheveley Park Stakes (2004)

| awards=

| honours =

}}

Magical Romance (foaled 5 February 2002) is an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In a racing career which lasted from June 2004 until September 2005, she won three of her nine races. As a two-year-old in 2004, she won two minor races but then recorded a 40/1 upset victory in Group One Cheveley Park Stakes. She failed to win or place in four starts in 2005, and was retired from racing at the end of that year. In 2006, she was bought for 4.6 million guineas, a world- record price for a broodmare sold at suction.

Background

Magical Romance is a bay mare with a white star and snip and four white socks bred in Ireland by Quay Bloodstock & Samac Ltd. She was sired by Barathea, a specialist miler who was named European Horse of the Year in 1994, a year in which he won the Breeders' Cup Mile. He became a successful stallion, siring the winners of over seven hundred races, including Tobougg, Overturn and Tante Rose (Haydock Sprint Cup){{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/profile/horse/72922/barathea|title=Barathea – Stud Record |publisher=Racing Post}} Her dam Shouk, a daughter of Shirley Heights, won one minor race at Haydock Park in 1997.{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/profile/horse/449800/shouk|title=Shouk – Record By Race Type|publisher=Racing Post}} but was a successful broodmare: after foaling Magical Romance she went on to produce The Oaks winner Alexandrova.{{cite web|url=http://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Families/Family21a.htm |title=Wagtail – Family 21-a |publisher=Thoroughbred Bloodlines|date= |accessdate=2013-09-24}}

In October 2003, the yearling filly was consigned to the Tattersalls sale and was bought for 125,000 guineas by the bloodstock agent McKeever St Lawrence.{{cite web|url=http://bloodstock.racingpost.com/sales/results/individual_home.sd?tab=&st=8&l=&i=1&ob=ln&od=ASC&page=1&fv=131072&df=2003-10-07&dt=2003-10-10&venue_id=5&hn=&s=&a=&sin=&dn=Shouk&sdn=&vn=&b=&mip=&map=&lm=#individualResultsTabs=catalogue_5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222144207/http://bloodstock.racingpost.com/sales/results/individual_home.sd?tab=&st=8&l=&i=1&ob=ln&od=ASC&page=1&fv=131072&df=2003-10-07&dt=2003-10-10&venue_id=5&hn=&s=&a=&sin=&dn=Shouk&sdn=&vn=&b=&mip=&map=&lm=#individualResultsTabs=catalogue_5|url-status=dead|archive-date=2015-12-22|work=Racing Post|title=Tattersalls October sale 2003}} The filly entered the ownership of Con Wilson and was sent into training with Brian Meehan.

Racing career

=2004: two-year-old season=

Magical Romance made her racecourse debut in a five furlong maiden race at Windsor Racecourse on 28 June in which she finished fourth of the nine runners behind Roodeye. On 14 July the filly was stepped up in distance to six furlongs for a maiden at Kempton Park Racecourse and started the 3/1 favourite against twelve opponents. Ridden as on her previous race by Jimmy Fortune she took the lead approaching the final furlong and won by two and a half lengths from Miss Malone.{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/results/28/kempton/2004-07-14/354860|title=City & uburban Maiden Fillies' Stakes result|publisher=Racing Post|date=14 July 2004}} When moved up in class for the Group Three Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot Racecourse ten days later she made no impact and finished last of the six runners behind Soar.

After a break of almost two months, Magical Romance returned for a Nursery (a handicap race for two-year-olds) at Leicester Racecourse on 20 September in which she was assigned top-weight of 130 pounds. Ridden for the first time by Robert Winston, She took the lead from the start, went clear of her twelve rivals approaching the final furlong, and won by three lengths from Aberdeen Park.{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/results/30/leicester/2004-09-20/357885|title=Fillies' Nursery result |publisher=Racing Post|date=20 September 2004}}

Ten days after her win at Leicester, the filly contested the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse and started the 40/1 outsider of the seven runners. The Phoenix Stakes winner "Damson" started as odds-on-favourite ahead of "Soar" and Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes winner "Suez", whilst the other three runners were "Jewel In The Sand" (Cherry Hinton Stakes), "Golden Legacy" (Firth of Clyde Stakes) and "Slip Dance" (Empress Stakes). Winston again took the ride after her intended jockey, Jimmy Fortune, had been kicked in the stomach by a horse at Salisbury Racecourse on the previous day. Magical Romance tracked the leader Suez before moving up to challenge for the lead approaching the final furlong. The race resulted in a blanket-finish, with Magical Romance prevailing by a neck from Suez, with Damson, Golden Legacy and Slip Dance close behind.{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/results/38/newmarket/2004-09-30/355835|title=Cheveley Park Stakes result |publisher=Racing Post|date=30 September 2004}} Winston admitted to some mixed feelings, saying "It is really nice to win this but I do feel sorry for Jimmy, he's been very unlucky".{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Romance+sinks+aces+to+pull+off+massive+Cheveley+Park+upset.-a0122698462|title=Romance sinks aces to pull off massive Cheveley Park upset|date=1 October 2004|author=Seb Vance|work=Racing Post}} Meehan explained, "We ran her in the Princess Margaret before Leicester where we thought she would finish in the first four but she got jarred up and her last win just helped to get her confidence back. She's a lovely filly and has always shown plenty at home. The rain probably helped her a little bit but she's a real nice filly. The way she ran would suggest that getting a mile next season would be no problem for her."{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/RACING%3A+Magical+triumph+for+super-sub+Winston.-a0122704859|title=RACING: Magical triumph for super-sub Winston|date=1 October 2004|author=Robert Pratt|work=Coventry Evening Telegraph}} Her winning odds made her the longest-priced winner in the history of the race.{{cite book|last1=Abelson|first1=Edward|last2=Tyrrel|first2=John| title=The Breedon Book of Horse Racing Records|publisher=Breedon Books Publishing |year=1993|isbn=978-1-873626-15-3}}

=2005: three-year-old season=

On her three-year-old debut, Magical Romance was sent to France for the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches over 1600 metres at Longchamp Racecourse on 14 May. Meehan had opted to bypass the 1000 Guineas on account of the prevailing firm ground in Britain.{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/%3D%3A+Caper+is+new+Hills+favourite+for+1,000+Guineas.-a0132018948|title=Caper is new Hills favourite for 1,000 Guineas|author=Bill Barber|date=30 April 2005|work=Racing Post}} In the French race she ran wide on the final bend and never looked likely to get into contention, finishing sixth of the eight runners, twelve lengths behind the winner Divine Proportions. She was then moved up in distance for the Oaks Stakes over one and a half miles at Epsom Downs Racecourse on 3 June. Starting a 50/1 outsider she led the field until the last quarter mile but then faded into sixth behind Eswarah.{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/results/17/epsom/2005-06-03/378066|title=Epsom Oaks result |publisher=Racing Post|date=3 June 2005}} The filly was unable to recover her form in two subsequent races: she finished last of eleven in the Nassau Stakes and last of six in the Listed Fortune Stakes at Epsom in September.

Breeding record

Magical Romance was retired from racing to become a broodmare and on 28 November 2006 she was auctioned off for a second time at Tattersalls. The bidding involved representatives of the Lodge Park Stud and Hamdan Al Maktoum, and reached 4.6 million guineas before she was sold to James Wigan of London Thoroughbred Services, acting on behalf of Lady Rothschild.{{cite web|url=http://bloodstock.racingpost.com/sales/results/individual_home.sd?tab=&st=8&l=&i=1&ob=ln&od=ASC&page=1&fv=131072&df=2006-11-27&dt=2006-11-30&venue_id=5&hn=&s=&a=&sin=&dn=Shouk&sdn=&vn=&b=&mip=&map=&lm=#individualResultsTabs=catalogue_5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222153523/http://bloodstock.racingpost.com/sales/results/individual_home.sd?tab=&st=8&l=&i=1&ob=ln&od=ASC&page=1&fv=131072&df=2006-11-27&dt=2006-11-30&venue_id=5&hn=&s=&a=&sin=&dn=Shouk&sdn=&vn=&b=&mip=&map=&lm=#individualResultsTabs=catalogue_5|url-status=dead|archive-date=2015-12-22|work=Racing Post|title=Tattersalls December Mares Sale}} The price was a world record for a broodmare sold at auction.{{cite web|url=http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/36557/magical-romance-brings-world-record-price-at-tattersalls-sale|title=Magical Romance Brings World Record Price at Tattersalls Sale|author=Blood-Horse Staff|date=28 November 2006|work=The Blood-Horse}}

She has produced at least five foals and four winners:

Liel, a bay filly, foaled in 2006, sired by Pivotal. Failed to win in six races. The filly was born prematurely in December, severely compromising her potential as a racehorse.{{cite web|url=http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/36999/british-breeders-freedman-calls-for-change-in-registration-of-premature-foals|title=British Breeders' Freedman Calls for Change in Registration of Premature Foals|author=Mark Popham|date=9 January 2007|work=The Blood-Horse}}
Dean Swift, bay colt, 2008, by Dansili. Won one race.{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/profile/horse/763540/dean-swift|title=Dean Swift – Record By Race Type|publisher=Racing Post}}
Modern Tutor, bay colt (later gelded), 2009, by Selkirk. Won two races.{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/profile/horse/809131/modern-tutor|title=Modern Tutor – Record By Race Type|publisher=Racing Post}}
Love Magic, bay filly, 2010, by Dansili. Won one race.{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/profile/horse/818217/love-magic|title=Love Magic – Record By Race Type|publisher=Racing Post}} Dam of Channel.
Tall Ship, bay colt (later gelded), 2011, by Sea the Stars. Won two races in Europe,{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/profile/horse/826301/tall-ship|title=Tall Ship – Record By Race Type|publisher=Racing Post}} and four races Australia.{{cite web|url=https://www.punters.com.au/horses/Tall-Ship_273454/|title=Tall Ship Horse|work=Punters.com.au}}