O'Brien salutes the ultimate racehorse as mighty Magical lands Champion crown

You do not need to be the very best to be very marvellous.

Never was that more true than in the case of the mighty Magical, who sometimes wins and sometimes loses but never gives less than her all, which she gave once again when delivering Aidan O'Brien a first success in the Qipco Champion Stakes and prompting the master trainer to hail her "the ultimate racehorse".

With son Donnacha in the saddle, as he had been when lowering the colours of Stradivarius on Kew Gardens earlier in the afternoon, O'Brien watched with pride as Magical shrugged off the exertions of running fifth in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe just 13 days earlier to post her most valuable success.

Magical and Addeybb fight out the finish of the 2019 Champion StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

The trip to Longchamp had been preceded by victory in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, where she set up a Champion Stakes double that was completed in beautifully straightforward fashion.

For most of the £1,358,750 feature Coolmore's first lady sat in second but when asked to assert halfway up the home straight she responded in style, beating Addeybb by threequarters of a length, with Japanese raider Deirdre completing her European stay with an excellent third.

Magical's ninth outing of 2019 - and the 21st of her career - took place in front of 29,029 racegoers, under a bright autumn sun and on Ascot's "inner Flat course", one that until this day had only ever played host to hurdlers.

A constant hurdle in Magical's life has been Enable, a rival she has yet to overcome in five meetings, but while Galileo's four-year-old daughter has a nemesis she also has a record to envy. Moreover, according to her trainer, she's just a girl who can't say no.

"When you ask Magical a question she always says yes," said O'Brien. "She says yes to everything. Mentally she has never carried a grudge. She is unique. She gives her all and really is the most unbelievable filly.

"The Arc was a strongly-run race and she has come out of that and won here. She handles ease in the ground and goes on fast ground. What can you say? She is the ultimate racehorse - that's what she is."

O'Brien - who has now captured every British Group 1 except for the King's Stand Stakes and Haydock Sprint Cup - heaped praise on the job done by groom Jamie Gillespie, while he also told us Donnacha rides Magical in all her work.

Magical is too strong for Addeybb in the Champion StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

"He said today he didn't think she felt in top gear at all," said the jockey's father. The jockey himself offered his own words of praise and noted he was merely standing in for Ryan Moore, who missed out on two big Ascot wins having been at Randwick, where Ten Sovereigns finished last in The Everest.

The hero of the world's most valuable turf race, Yes Yes Yes, earned £3,645,856.35. Given he is part-owned by Coolmore, 'the lads' are still unlikely to be seen in a Travelodge any time soon.

"She is a trainer's dream and a jockey's dream," said Donnacha O'Brien, while for the connections of Addeybb, honourable defeat was clearly no nightmare.

"He has run a fantastic race," said trainer William Haggas. "We have to take our hat off to the filly. She is better than him but he has run a really great race - he was just threequarters of a length not fast enough."

Nor was Deirdre fast enough, but having also won the Nassau Stakes and finished fourth in the Irish Champion, Oisin Murphy's mount has represented her country most admirably.

"She is so tough and we are so proud of her," said trainer Mitsuru Hashida's son and assistant Yoshi. "We can not say thank you enough to this amazing horse. She has opened the gate for everyone in Japan.

"All of our team love Britain and British racing. It is so special. Every race has given us unforgettable memories. It has been a life-changing experience for us all. We are almost crying."

Donnacha O'Brien is congratulated by James Doyle after Magical's defeat of Addeybb in the Champion StakesCredit: Charlie Crowhurst

For Deirdre there could next be a trip to Hong Kong in December. For Magical, all roads and freeways surely lead to California and, in particular, Santa Anita.

Aidan O'Brien added: "I would say the Breeders' Cup is definitely a strong possibility and if she does go I would imagine she'll run in the Fillies & Mares because Anthony Van Dyck has been going to the Turf for a good while.

"It would be unbelievable if she stayed in training - and she would be delighted!

"The lads haven't kept fillies in training at five before but it doesn't mean that won't change as nothing is ever written in stone. It would be a dream for us if she did stay in training - but it has also been a privilege to have her for this long."

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