Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Promising young pacer Seaside Magic has overcome some worrying injury concerns as a two-year-old last year and he gave a sample of his ability when he scored a smart victory in the $50,000 Team Bond Pearl Classic for three-year-old colts and geldings over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“He had his fair share of problems, suffering a hairline crack in his fibula and then damaging a rear pedal bone,” said ace trainer-reinsman Aiden De Campo after guiding the gelding to a convincing win over Captain Stirling and Major Disco.
The race changed dramatically soon after the start when the well-fancied $3.70 second favourite Elite Fleet broke into a bad gallop when in front, with Seaside Magic immediately behind him.
Fortunately, De Campo was able to avoid interference, and he was then able to gain a perfect trail behind $12 chance Im Massimo, who had begun swiftly from out wide at barrier eight.
“I was always happy to race with a trail,” explained De Campo. “It was no great problem to avoid Elite Fleet. Dylan (Egerton-Green, driving $4.40 chance Captain Stirling) was courteous to me and gave me room to get around the galloping horse.
“When there is a horse galloping like that everyone tries to give others a bit of room to get through. So, Dylan looked after me there, and I was able to gain the pie ride behind Im Massimo.
“When I changed direction (getting off the pegs 220m from home) Seaside Magic dropped the bridle and I had to get up him. But once we straightened up it felt like he wasn’t going to get beaten.”
Captain Stirling took a narrow lead approaching the home turn before Seaside Magic surged past him at the 100m and won by a length, rating 1.57 and improving his record to twelve starts for four wins, four placings and $51,883 for De Campo’s Four Diamonds pacing syndicate and eleven stable clients.
Major Disco, a $20 chance and stablemate of Seaside Magic, improved from ninth at the bell to finish third for reinsman Ryan Warwick, with the $3.10 favourite Belly Up enjoying no luck in finishing fast from ninth on the home turn to be a close-up sixth, out very wide.
Belly Up began from the No. 3 barrier and was trapped three wide for the first 550m before Deni Roberts had no option but to restrain the gelding back to the rear.
Seaside Magic, who was purchased by De Campo for $55,000 at the 2023 Perth APG yearling sale, is by American sire Downbytheseaside and is the second foal out of Jeremes Jet mare Playin With Magic, who raced 16 times for one win (at Bunbury in May 2015), four placings and $21,130 in prizemoney.
Playin With Magic is out of Cerebrano, the dam of ten winners, notably Innocent Eyes, who earned $421,875 from 18 wins and 17 placings from 62 starts. Her major success was in the Chariots Of Fire at Harold Park in January 2006.
“Seaside Magic is a nice-looking horse, one of the smaller ones by Downbytheseaside that I’ve seen,” said De Campo. “He is nice and compact.”
Seaside Magic will be aimed at feature events for three-year-olds later this year, the $100,000 Westbred Classic on September 5, the $50,000 Western Gateway on October 17 and the $200,000 WA Derby on October 31.