Moonlight is Magic in Meld Stakes

A back-to-form Moonlight Magic captured the nine-furlong G3 Meld Stakes when beating G1 winner Deauville close home at Leopardstown, Ireland, on Thursday, July 20.
 
The Jim Bolger-trained four-year-old raced in second under Kevin Manning as Deauville made the running and the positions were maintained turning into the straight.
 
The Cape Cross colt was asked to close on the leader two furlongs out and gradually wore down Deauville in the final furlong, going to the front approaching the post to win by a head in 1m 58.80s on good to yielding ground.
 
The first two drew clear, with four and a half lengths back to the third Tennessee Wildcat.
 
Jim Bolger said: “I knew coming up to the race that Moonlight Magic was in very good form.
 
“I thought if I did not win with him this evening then I could not win with him!
 
“We've had a good run over the last few weeks and that makes all the difference.
 
"He's run good races at lots of places and the only bad one was in the Derby. He obviously didn’t handle Epsom and might not have been at the top of his game at that time.
 
“He turned it on tonight and hopefully we can bag a better one before the year is out.
 
“We have always been hoping that we can sneak a G1 with him because his dam is a half-sister to Galileo and Sea The Stars.
 
“He is stallion material but it would be nice to really cement that with a performance.
 
“He ran very well in the Irish Champion Stakes last year and he is a better horse this year so I imagine that could be on the agenda again.”
 
Kevin Manning added: “Moonlight Magic has had some very good runs at Leopardstown.
 
“He put up a good performance tonight and battled well. I always felt I was going to get on top.
 
“I think the little ease in ground did not inconvenience him and maybe was in his favour.
 
“He has run some great races in very good company and he deserved this success tonight.”