O’Reilly 3YO Home At Big Odds

Safari Magic rocked punters at Sha Tin last night when he posted a breakthrough victory at massive odds. The son of O’Reilly rolled his Class Four opposition over 1000 metres in the hands of expatriate Australian rider Tye Angland at odds of 72-1.

The jockey had his doubts about Safari Magic before the straight race, as the three-year-old had trouble finding his way to the start safely.

“He had no idea going to the gates. He was very green,” Angland told the South China Morning Post. Once out and running, Angland found the favoured outside rail and took a perfect position behind the speed, before squeezing through a gap late to win by a neck. “Going for the run he was a bit reluctant and tight, but once he got his head through he was fine,” he said.

Safari Magic had failed to threaten in his first two starts and trainer Me Tsui Yu-sak had put those failures down to mental immaturity. “He is not experienced enough,” he said. “In the barrier trial over 1000m he went well, so we came back to the 1000m, but we were still surprised.”

Bought out of WS’s 2010 Premier Sale draft to Karaka in 2010 for $150,000, Safari Magic is out of the unraced Centaine mare Pyjamas and all six of her foals to race have now been winners. The dam is a sister to the multiple Australian stakes winner Catainer and a three-quarter sister to the Gr 3 Thompson Handicap winner Fercertain.