O’Brien: ‘Very Possible’ That Magic Wand Could Try Dirt In $20 Million Saudi Cup

After finishing second for the second year in a row in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, Coolmore’s world-traveling Magic Wand could be ready to try the dirt. According to racingpost.com, trainer Aidan O’Brien is considering the 5-year-old daughter of Galileo for next month’s $20 million Saudi Cup, to be contested over nine furlongs on the main track at Riyadh.

“Magic Wand ran another good race in America and seems fine since,” O’Brien told racingpost.com. “It’s very possible that she’ll be heading to Saudi Arabia next month. We’re thinking about running her on the dirt. It’d be something new for her so we’ll see she comes out of her last run between now and then.”

Over the course of her career, Magic Wand has won just three races but she finished second nine times, earning over $4.3 million across multiple continents. Her 2019 campaign took her from the United States to the United Arab Emirates, home to Europe and down to Australia, and all the way to Hong Kong, completing the year with one win and six seconds from 12 starts.