Tom’s Magic with jockey Jeiron Barbosa aboard pulls away from Golden Afternoon to win the Black Gold Stakes. (Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir)
Justify colt upsets in Sophomore Debut
Fair Grounds Release
NEW ORLEANS, La. – Making his sophomore debut in Saturday’s $100,000 Black Gold Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, CJ Thoroughbreds and Mo Speed Racing’s Tom’s Magic sat a perfect trip and finished with tenacity to win by two lengths over short odds rivals Golden Afternoon and Chasing Liberty.
Trained by Mike Stidham and piloted by Jeiron Barbosa, Tom’s Magic covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.73 across a Stall Wilson turf course rated firm.
“My instructions were to be patient,” Barbosa said. “He settled and I got him in a good spot saving ground. At the three-eighths pole I knew I had a lot of horse. I waited on (Golden Afternoon) and when he moved, I moved too. He opened the rail and when I asked, (Tom’s Magic) responded.”
Tom’s Magic broke forwardly but Barbosa settled him, letting Golden Afternoon lead through opening fractions of :24.18 and :49.94. With Curahee to his outside and 7-5 favorite Chasing Liberty caught wide stalking throughout, Golden Afternoon moved off the rail to meet those foe’s bids down the stretch. After saving every inch, Tom’s Magic came flying up the rail to power past Golden Afternoon and win the Black Gold going away.
“He is really handy and kind of a raw talent,” Stidham said. “We’ve seen it right from the beginning. He was kind of green when he broke his maiden here and we gave him time. It paid off. He’s coming around and could be a nice horse. Being an Ontario bred, he might have a little date at Woodbine this summer.”
Golden Afternoon stayed on for second. Chasing Liberty got the best of a fading Curahee to finish third.
Sent off as the 5-1 third choice in the field of six, Tom’s Magic paid $12.20, $4.60, and $2.40. Golden Afternoon returned $3.00 and $2.20. Chasing Liberty paid $2.10.
After winning locally at second asking as a juvenile, the 3-year-old Justify colt has a career record of 3-2-1-0 with $106,400 in earnings.
Earlier on the card, a quartet of $100,000 Louisiana-bred stakes saw longshots Allnight Moonlight and Sippin on Gin steal the show in the Louisiana Stallion of the Year “Star Guitar” and Edward J. Johnston Memorial, respectively. Both the Louisiana Broodmare of the Year “Blue Prize” and the Red Camelia, the pair of sibling stakes for females, proved more formful as Blue Fire proved much the best in the “Blue Prize” and Highly Wicked kept her perfect record on the turf intact in the Red Camelia.
Fair Grounds will be dark on Sunday, March 2, but live racing resumes on Monday, March 3 and Tuesday, March 4. The 81st running of the $100,000 Mardi Gras Stakes is set for Fat Tuesday. First post both days is 12:45 p.m. CT.
