Aidan O’Brien says he’s hopeful Magical will stay in training for the 2021 season after a fine performance in the Hong Kong Cup.
The topic of retiring the superstar mare came up at the end of last year, only for Magical to be kept on, and that has proven to be the right call with the five-year-old adding three more Grade 1 titles to bring her tally to seven.
She’s not finished outside the places in any of her seven outings in 2020 and kept up that record as she came home third in Sunday’s feature race at Sha Tin.
Japanese pair Normcore and Win Bright were the only runners to finish ahead of Magical in the Hong Kong Cup and O’Brien is hopeful she will return in 2021 after such a strong display.
O’Brien told Sky Sports Racing: “As we always do, the lads will chat between themselves about what they want to do and then talk to us and decide what we’re going to do.
“She looks great after the race and seems to have come up sound, we’ll take her home and make a plan. But she’d be some mare to have for next season, she’s an incredible horse.”
Elsewhere on the card, O’Brien enjoyed a third victory in the Hong Kong Vase as Ryan Moore guided home Mogul.
