Magician sprinkles a little stallion stardust at Meelin Stud

Magician, who proved an apt bearer of that moniker at Santa Anita when flying from almost last to first to win the Breeders' Cup Turf with Ryan Moore in 2013, is settling in beautifully to life in West Cork where the son of Galileo is preparing for his first covering season at Meelin Stud.

"He's an absolute gentleman of a horse," reports Paddy McCarthy of the Classic winner who arrived from Italy earlier this winter.

The Irish 2,000 Guineas hero spent 2021 at Allevamenti della Berardenga in Italy having begun his stallion career at Coolmore's Kentucky base of Ashford Farm. He also had a spell in Ireland and travelled to France for a couple of seasons, so the 12-year-old has clocked up some air miles as his racing career took him to Dubai, Arlington and California.

When Marco Bozzi contacted McCarthy last year and asked him if he was interested in taking Magician for his family's Bandon stud farm, which has expanded its thoroughbred division significantly over the last couple of years, McCarthy thought it was a joke and went along with it.

The sales manager for Ringfort Stud continued to think that it was all some elaborate prank, even when his friend Paddy Keane of Ballinroe Transport rang to inform him that he was collecting a stallion in Italy to bring to Meelin.

Irish 2,000 Guineas winner MagicianCredit: Patrick McCann

"I've known Paddy and Susan for a long time and I thought he was having me on when Paddy said that he was picking up a stallion in Italy for me, I still couldn't believe that Magician would come here," says the ebullient Corkman.

Believe it he had to when the Classic winner with the aristocratic pedigree was delivered to the farm by Ballinroe and driver Kevin Sinnott, who had been McCarthy's Pony Club instructor.

Being an experienced stallion handler, McCarthy was prepared for the usual testosterone-fuelled behaviour as the new arrival would attempt to assert his dominance over the trio of thoroughbred stallions and the Irish Draught sires already at the farm. However, Magician is a stallion who defies convention.

"Kevin told me he has transported a lot of stallions in his time and he had never met another one as quiet as Magician. Paddy commented on how easy he was to load and to do anything with and here he is like a riding school pony, he is so good and quiet. You always have to be cautious with stallions as they can be aggressive, but he's as easy a horse as you will ever come across," remarks McCarthy.

Coming from people with that level of equestrian experience, it's high praise indeed for Magician, who will be available to cover Flat and National Hunt mares at Meelin Stud at a €4,000 fee.

"He is a horse and a half and I am very fortunate to have him. He’s a beautiful stamp and he did it himself. He was an exceptional racehorse and his progeny are winning under both codes," McCarthy adds.

On the Flat, Magician's European runners include the Champagne Stakes third Cardini and I Am Magic, who was a length third behind Glounthaune in the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes for Michael O'Callaghan at Leopardstown last season before selling for 200,000gns at the Tattersalls Horses In Training Sale.

Paddy McCarthy of Meelin Stud

Overnight on Monday, his five-year-old daughter Disappearing Act was second in the Grade 3 Astra Stakes on the same turf at Santa Anita where Magician weaved his spell under Ryan Moore.

From a handful of representatives over hurdles he is the sire of Bashful Boy, twice successful for David Pipe in that sphere having won on the Flat in Ireland.

Magician joins a roster that expanded last year with two new arrivals: Son Of Rest, the Ayr Gold Cup winner by Pivotal who was second to Havana Grey in the Flying Five Stakes and fourth behind Churchill in the National Stakes, and Flash Gordon, a son of Kodiac who cost 220,000gns as a yearling and was third in the Group 3 Lacken Stakes for Jessica Harrington and Fiona Carmichael.

The first recruit was another who had raced for Carmichael, the winning Zebedee horse Zebadiah, who was familiar to McCarthy as he was bred by Ringfort Stud.

It was Carmichael and Amanda Skiffington, who had purchased Flash Gordon from Lynn Lodge Stud at Book 2, who contacted McCarthy seeking a good home at stud for the horses.

"It's horse heaven here, they are fed better than ourselves!" he laughs. "Welfare is really important to us, all the horses here are looked after properly and they are happy. Fiona wanted somewhere that Flash Gordon would be happy and not end up back on the track."

Meelin Stud is a family business with McCarthy's parents Paddy and Susan, and sisters Nicola and Jane all involved. They have about a dozen thoroughbred mares alongside an Irish Draught broodmare band and top-class stallion in Penmerryl's Rhythm And Blues, whose son Magpie became an equine celebrity as McCarthy explains.

"Penmerryl's Rhythm And Blues is a son of Touch Of The Blues and has a proper Irish Draught pedigree. He sired two horses who were bought for the Household Cavalry and Magpie became famous as they ran a competition to name him. He went on to be a standard horse for the Lifeguards and was used at the State Opening of Parliament, and on the Queen's Birthday Parade. He featured in magazine articles as well."

The success of Penmerryl's Rhythm And Blues, who was supreme champion of his breed before embarking on his stallion career, is a source of pride and inspiration.

Son Of Rest (right): chased home Havana Grey in the Group 1 Flying Five StakesCredit: Alain Barr

"It's our national breed and we need to do as much as we can to protect it and ensure it continues to thrive," he says.

While that love of the Irish Draught is apparent, employment opportunities are more easily found in the thoroughbred industry.

McCarthy previously split his year between hemispheres, spending six months working the sales in Australia and the other half of the year on the European circuit before deciding to remain in the northern hemisphere, with the thoroughbred side of the family stud farm starting to develop.

The skills and knowledge he has acquired during his time working with some of the best consignors on both continents are not limited to horsemanship and he is experienced enough to avoid the pitfalls.

"Working for Gay and Derek Veitch of Ringfort Stud has been a brilliant experience," McCarthy says. "They put some amount of time and effort into the horses and preparing them so that they are in the best possible condition for the sale.

"Their attention to detail is unreal. You'd get to know people and how to read them too from the sales. You soon work out who is genuine and who is a time-waster and it's like that with the stallions. I've got plenty of interest and phone calls about Magician but whether that turns into business is another story."

With the work ethic which sustained a busy career allied with a stallion who sprinkled some stardust on the track during his racing days, that interest should translate into mares arriving at Meelin Stud.

"We are trying to build up the mares and get the stallions going but it is hard to compete with the bigger boys," is McCarthy's realistic assessment.

The gentle stallion who now calls West Cork home will have time to work his magic at Meelin Stud.

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